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MCC Daily Tribune

SUNY Chancellor King Celebrates Students Who Earned SUNY Climate Sustainability Awards

Awards Recognize Undergraduate Students for Their Work to Advance Sustainability on Their Campuses

Part of SUNY’s Ongoing Efforts to Recognize and Celebrate Student Applied Learning and Advance SUNY’s Leadership in Climate and Sustainability 

Albany, NY —  On Tuesday, State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. celebrated the recipients of the SUNY Student Sustainability Awards. The awards recognize undergraduate students throughout the SUNY System for the work they have done to advance sustainability on their campuses. Students submitted proposals in awards categories including arts and communication, environmental footprint, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, and environmental justice.

 “I applaud the dedicated SUNY students who are eager to participate and learn about climate and sustainability actions and initiatives,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “Our exceptional students are leading the way, and I am proud to celebrate them for the work they have done to advance the understanding of climate and sustainability on their campuses through the Student Sustainability Awards.”

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “Thanks to the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature, SUNY’s students can undertake opportunities to learn about and promote sustainability on their campuses. Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s Student Sustainability Awards, we are proud of their ongoing efforts to support sustainability on their campuses, and throughout the SUNY System.”

Chancellor King included the development of the Student Sustainability Awards in the 2025 State of the University agenda (PDF). The awards are part of SUNY’s ongoing efforts to recognize and celebrate students’ applied learning projects and to advance SUNY’s leadership in climate and sustainability. The SUNY Student Sustainability Awards provide between $500 to $1,000 to give students the opportunity to expand their reach on campus and engage other students interested in sustainability.

SUNY Climate Sustainability Champions, who received $1,000, include:

  • Maria Arango, State University of New York at Buffalo
  • Harper Callard, SUNY Morrisville
  • Marissa Karcher, SUNY New Paltz
  • Walter Benitez, State University of New York at Stony Brook
  • Faria Lorin, State University of New York at Stony Brook

SUNY Climate Sustainability Leaders, who received $500, include: 

  • Tyler James Costin, State University of New York at Binghamton
  • DJ Ruszkowski, State University of New York at Buffalo
  • Beau Bidwell, SUNY Morrisville
  • Carolann Paszek, SUNY New Paltz
  • Katelyn Dawson, SUNY New Paltz

The SUNY Student Sustainability Awards are part of Chancellor King’s ongoing commitment to sustainability throughout the SUNY System. The awards support the SUNY Climate and Sustainability Action Plan’s (PDF) commitment to engage students on sustainability issues. To further support sustainability in the SUNY System, Chancellor King has also announced the inaugural cohort of Sustainability Faculty Fellows, the SUNY Climate Research Task Force, and the launch of SUNY’s Outdoors for All program.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit the SUNY website (suny.edu).

Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
02/04/2026