SUNY Plattsburgh Tekes Receive Chancellor’s Award

Fraters Kevin Clayton and Adam Saccardi of the Sigma-Gamma chapter at SUNY Plattsburgh were each presented with the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence last month, April 5, at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, New York.

The Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence acknowledges students who have received recognition for distinguished achievements. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a student by the University. This year, 248 students from 64 campuses received the award.

Nominations were sought for students who best demonstrated and recognized their integration of academic excellence with other aspects of their lives including leadership, campus involvement, community service, arts (creative or performing), athletics, and/or career achievement.

“This award is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to stand-out SUNY students whose achievements reflect their own impressive hard work as well as the support of their families and friends, and SUNY’s world-class faculty and staff,” Chancellor Nancy Zimpher said. “I know I can speak on behalf of the entire State University of New York system when I congratulate our students on their distinguished achievements and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.”

Kevin Clayton

Kevin Clayton served as president of the SUNY Plattsburgh Student Association in addition to having served in two other elected SA positions. Active in several student clubs, including Model UN and the entrepreneurship student organization, he has developed two mobile applications for the Android platform. On April 1, he won $700 for taking second place in the inaugural Clinton County Business Plan Competition for his “Mobile Form Processing” business plan.

The Chancellor’s Award “is a reminder of what I’ve accomplished,” said Clayton, who had been homeschooled prior to attending SUNY Plattsburgh. “I’m sure that everyone receiving this award, including me, has put in a lot of hours of work that no one else ever saw or recognized. It’s easy to get caught up in what you still have to get done and forget about all you’ve accomplished to get where you currently are. This award serves as a nice reminder that hard work will be rewarded in the end.”

Clayton plans to pursue his master’s in business administration at Clarkson University.

Adam Saccardi

Saccardi, who has earned a perfect GPA at SUNY Plattsburgh, said that the Chancellor’s Award “is a monumental honor, and I am thankful to have received it. I am humbled that my contributions to campus have been considered meaningful enough by the college to earn this award.”

On campus, Saccardi excelled both inside and outside the classroom, representing various academic departments with papers he presented at regional conferences. A member of the Student Association, he also served on the Model UN and is a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Saccardi said he hopes to work for Congressman Lee Zeldin from New York’s 1st Congressional District in central and eastern Suffolk County with whom he previously interned.

The Offices of the Grand Chapter congratulates Fraters Kevin Clayton and Adam Saccardi on their commitment to education and the pursuit of knowledge.