MCC Daily Tribune
In Recognition of National Blood Donor Month, SUNY Chancellor King Highlights SUNY Campus Blood Drives
Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today highlighted the efforts of students, faculty, and staff to save lives through blood drives and donations as part of SUNY’s observance of January as National Blood Donor Month. SUNY and its campuses have partnered with non-profits including the American Red Cross, ConnectLife, and the New York Blood Center to organize blood drives that promote civic engagement and help ensure people receive the life-saving care they need.
“Civic engagement is an essential outcome of higher education,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “From addressing the recent food insecurity crisis to organizing and donating at blood drives, SUNY students, faculty, and staff are always ready to take action and help those in need. Together with our non-profit partners, SUNY campuses are making it easy for students and community members to donate blood and help save lives.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “The blood drives organized by SUNY campuses and community partners underscore our deeply-held commitment to our fellow New Yorkers and how SUNY students, faculty, and staff are always ready to have a profound impact to support our communities. We applaud the efforts of our dedicated students, faculty, and staff to combat the blood shortage and profoundly improve the well-being of thousands of New Yorkers.”
Medical Director, American Red Cross Blood Services, Northeast Division, Dr. Lawrence Fialkow said, “We honor the extraordinary generosity of the millions of people who roll up their sleeves to give blood. Blood donors are the unsung heroes in hospitals, ensuring patients have the lifesaving care they need when it matters most. Every day, our dedicated donors demonstrate that a simple act — giving just an hour of their time — can have a profound, lifesaving impact. The start of the year is one of the most challenging times to collect blood, as severe winter weather, seasonal illnesses and post-holiday schedules can disrupt donations. During National Blood Donor Month, we encourage more individuals to join our national blood donor community to help save lives.”
ConnectLife Senior Director of Communications & External Affairs Sarah R. Diina said, “SUNY has been an incredible community partner for ConnectLife’s mission to save lives through blood donation in Western New York. The University at Buffalo, Buffalo State College, and SUNY GCC held a combined 13 blood drives with ConnectLife in 2025, where 360 donors gave enough blood to impact nearly 1,100 lives at Western New York hospitals. The schools’ willingness to host these drives lets us reach those generous students who are willing to give but might have trouble accessing a drive. We’re so grateful for their continuing commitment to this crucial cause.”
The SUNY campus blood drives are part of SUNY's ongoing efforts to encourage civic engagement and volunteerism to support New Yorkers in need. Members of the SUNY Empire State Service Corps participated in Governor Hochul’s Day of Hunger Action to combat food insecurity in their communities during the food insecurity crisis. In September 2025, Chancellor King announced the second cohort of Civil Discourse and Civic Education & Engagement Fellows, who will also assist in supporting SUNY faculty, staff, and administration in advancing SUNY’s commitment to civic engagement and civil discourse. In January 2025, Chancellor King announced the addition of a civic discourse component to the general education core competencies for SUNY students.
According to the Red Cross, every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood. Additionally, in the winter months the number of donations typically drops due to illnesses, travel, and weather, making the need for donors even more urgent. For information about where to find a Red Cross sponsored blood drive, please visit the Red Cross website.
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 SUNY website.
Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
01/16/2026