Maybe you formed a group of friends here that you remain close with to this day. Maybe you had a professor whose guidance and knowledge made a profound impact on you. Maybe you played a sport and learned important lessons about leadership and overcoming obstacles. Or maybe you even launched that dream job you always wanted thanks to the degree you received at Alfred State.

No matter how you have been impacted, the ways in which your life has been changed by Alfred State matter because, big or small, you would not be who you are today without them. Similarly, the lives that you change each and every day would not be the same without you.

The theme of this issue of the Alumni and Friends Magazine is “Be a Life Changer,” which is also the theme of our new Major Gifts Campaign. We recently launched this campaign to make an even greater impact on our students, donors, and campus by raising $8 million. You will read more about this campaign on the following pages of this magazine.

You will also read about several Alfred State Pioneers whose lives were changed thanks to Alfred State and who are also life changers themselves, including Burt Zweigenhaft, an accomplished executive in the specialty-biotech pharmaceutical and oncology care ecosystems; Robert Healy, an accomplished architect; and Alan and Mary Ellen Hunt, who have built rewarding careers at Armada Hoffler, a real estate investment trust. You’ll also read about Jess Lippa, who is changing lives as a faculty member and a family nurse practitioner.

Finally, I want to mention a big change that is taking place in my own life. With mixed emotions, I am formally announcing my retirement from the presidency at Alfred State College effective June 2021.

Alfred State has been an extraordinary place to work, and interacting with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of ASC has been one of the many highlights of my time here. I am grateful to SUNY, appreciative of the employees of Alfred State College, honored to have met so many excellent students, and proud of our graduates.

I wish all the best for this great institution and for all of you Pioneers going forward. I am grateful for the ways in which Alfred State has changed my life and I am honored to have served as your president.

Respectfully,

Dr. Skip Sullivan, President