SUNY Adirondack students earn SUNY's top honor
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Contact: Rhonda Triller, Director of Marketing and Communications, trillerr@sunyacc.edu
Two students receive Chancellor's Awards for Student Excellence
QUEENSBURY, New York (April 27, 2022) — SUNY Adirondack is proud to announce that two of its students were honored with Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence (CASE) at a statewide ceremony April 26.
Anne Wojtowecz of Hudson Falls and Crystal Puterko of Indian Lake were among 180 students from the 61 SUNY campuses to receive recognition.
Wojtowecz received the special Military Service Award, which the Chancellor’s Office describes as “special achievement for a former military student who has made a measurable impact on their campus.”
The Information Security major served in the U.S. Army from 1999 to 2011 and was promoted through the ranks to staff sergeant. She served back-to-back tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“Anne proudly served our country in the U.S. Army, and she brought her life experiences to SUNY Adirondack,” said Kristine D. Duffy, Ed.D., president of SUNY Adirondack, in her nomination of Wojtowecz for the award.
At SUNY Adirondack, Wojtowecz is president of the Veterans Club and of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the college’s branch of a national honor society for students at two-year colleges. She was on the President’s List every semester at SUNY Adirondack — earning a grade point average of 4.0 while taking at least 12 credits — and earned scholarships recognizing her achievements.
She will graduate May 14 with an Associate of Science in Information Systems and plans to transfer to the College of Saint Rose, where she will pursue an accelerated 2-in-4 program, earning a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity and a master’s degree in computer science.
“I plan to use my education and my prior military experience to help protect our nation’s infrastructure from cyber threats and crimes,” Wojtowecz said.
Puterko, who was honored with a CASE, graduated in January and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from SUNY Oswego. She was a busy adult student at SUNY Adirondack, working and raising a family while attending classes full time online.
At SUNY Adirondack, Puterko was a member of PTK and was on the Dean’s List for three semesters. She was a recipient of the Shirley Fox Memorial Scholarship. She plans to earn a Master of Business Administration.
“SUNY Adirondack has given me the opportunity to work toward an MBA in finance, and help people make their financial goals a reality,” Puterko said.
The SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence acknowledges students for outstanding achievements that demonstrate integration of SUNY excellence within many aspects of their lives in areas such as academics, leadership, campus involvement, community service, or the arts. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a student by the statewide university.
“Now more than ever, it is time to celebrate the accomplishments of our students who have helped one another get through this global pandemic and focus on getting the most out of their college education,” said SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley. “It is my great honor to celebrate the fortitude, leadership and achievements of this year’s winners, and I applaud their hard work and desire to do more for their campuses and fellow students.”
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 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 state’s only college of optometry, and manages one U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory. SUNY serves about 1.3 million students in its 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 were nearly $1.1 billion in 2021, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than 3 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 opportunity, visit www.suny.edu.
About SUNY Adirondack
SUNY Adirondack is a community college with a growing campus that is part of the nation’s largest university, the State University of New York. With locations in Queensbury, Glens Falls and Wilton, SUNY Adirondack offers courses in person and online; on-campus housing at the Queensbury campus; and serves students via credit and continuing education programs. Learn more at sunyacc.edu.