Shape the Future at Reunion 2026

You'll probably never meet the students who receive an Orientation Trailblazer Award.

You may never see the friendships that begin, the faculty connections that form, or the confidence students gain during their first days on campus.

But the impact is real.

One recipient, Lea Hines, described their experience this way:

Every spot on the leaderboard represents alumni helping future students build connections, find their place, and succeed. 

Check the leaderboard and be part of what your alumni decade is making possible.

Jim Brewer, Class of 1971, gift to the Sigma Tau Psi endowment helped push the decade into the lead, proving once again that the bonds built at Potsdam still inspire support generations later.

That’s what the Alumni Decade Challenge is all about: honoring the moments that made Potsdam part of your story while helping shape what comes next for today's students.

Will your alumni group make the next move on the leaderboard?

The 2000's Alumni Group is officially on the leaderboard.

One gift was all it took to get the momentum started.

The 2000's Alumni Group hitting the leaderboard blasts us back to AIM away messages, iPods, Facebook albums, and figuring life out before smartphones told us everything.

The technology changed. The Potsdam memories didn’t.

The friendships, the snowstorms, the campus traditions, and the feeling of being part of SUNY Potsdam still stick with us.

Will you help push the 2000's higher on the leaderboard or help your own alumni decade make a move?

Donnalyn Shuster, Class of '78, put the 1970s & earlier alumni group on the leaderboard!

She's already making her mark before reunion even arrives, with a gift to her sorority scholarship, because some bonds never fade. 

That's what the decades challenge is all about: celebrating what made you and growing what Potsdam will become for the students who come next.

Give to the Potsdam you carry with you. It all counts. It all matters.

Who's joining that leaderboard today? Your decade is calling.

If that sounds a little familiar... you already know who is leading the challenge.

Thanks to David Valois the 1980’s Alumni Group is climbing the leaderboard just like Starship climbed the charts with We Built This City in 1985! 🎸

The decade challenge is officially ON and the ‘80s are making their move.

Who's next? Your decade needs YOU on that leaderboard!

Make your gift today and rep your alumni group.

I am so grateful to have been selected for this award. SUNY Potsdam has been absolutely amazing, and I am very excited for the next 4 years of my education. While I don't have any pictures of me during the orientation process just know that I am very happy to be there. Thank you again for your generous donation.

Spencer comes from a small farming community about an hour outside of Buffalo, where a strong work ethic and sense of pride have shaped their path. As one of the few from their area pursuing higher education, they are motivated to make their family and hometown proud. They have a wide range of interests, including fishing, camping, art, and theater, and are eager to get involved in campus life. Academically, they are interested in anthropology, with a focus on understanding the human brain and how the body works.

Orientation weekend served a great opportunity to make new friends and familiarize myself with the campus and its resources. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that await me in the near future here at SUNY Potsdam. 

I would like to thank SUNY Potsdam for this extremely generous award which will be used to further my academic excellence. 

Go Bears!

Carter comes to SUNY Potsdam from Sag Harbor, a close knit Long Island community, and was drawn here by that same sense of connection and belonging. After starting as an undeclared student due to illness during his Crane School of Music audition, he later auditioned and is now pursuing a major in Music Education with a focus on vocal studies. Looking ahead, he plans to continue through a master’s program at SUNY Potsdam and return to his hometown to teach at Pierson High School.