Purchase College Students Honored by State University of New York

From Purchase College: State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher presented awards to 256 students across the university system on April 5 at the Empire State Plaza in Albany.

Three Purchase College, SUNY students were among the select group of students to receive the prestigious 2017 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence.

Graduating seniors Natalie Black, Sarah Goldstein, and Emily Tatham each received the award, which recognizes students who have best demonstrated the integration of academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, campus involvement, or career achievement.

"It is my honor to celebrate the achievements of students who have surpassed SUNY’s highest standards of academic excellence and leadership both on and off campus," said SUNY Chancellor Zimpher. "Every student we recognize today has demonstrated a strong commitment to their degree program, home campus, greater community, and much more. Congratulations to all of the students receiving this year’s award.”

Each year, SUNY campus presidents establish a selection committee that reviews the accomplishments of exemplary students. Nominees are forwarded to the Chancellor’s Office for a second round of review. Finalists are then recommended to the Chancellor to become recipients of the award. Each recipient receives a framed certificate and medallion, which is traditionally worn at commencement.

Purchase College President Thomas J. Schwarz said, “We congratulate the three honorees on receiving this prestigious award, which is the highest student recognition in the statewide university system. We have no doubt that Natalie, Sarah, and Emily will continue to make us proud of their accomplishments in the years to come, and wish them well in their endeavors.”

Purchase College Honorees

Natalie Black (arts management) has been on the Dean’s List for three consecutive years and received numerous academic achievement awards through the Education Opportunity Program (EOP). She was co-captain of the Purchase Step Team and a member of the Soul Voices Choir on campus. In addition, she volunteers in her church community, at a local nursing home, and on campus as a peer mentor.

Sarah Goldstein (psychology) has been on the Dean’s List since her first semester at Purchase College. She divides her time between serving as a teacher’s assistant for two upper level classes, developing research experiments, and working at Footsteps, a nonprofit organization in Manhattan that assists former ultra-Orthodox Jews. As vice president of the Psychology Club, she has helped grow the budget and get more students engaged. She won the Outstanding Junior in Psychology award and became a mentor in bystander intervention, teaching incoming students how to respond in crisis situations.

Emily Tatham (dance) will be graduating from the Conservatory of Dance at the top of her class. She enjoyed additional study at Codarts University in the Netherlands. As an ambassador for JUNTOS Collective, Emily has traveled to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala to build community through dance performance and education. She has also taught dance workshops in Ethiopia, India, and Panama, and in New York at assisted living and Alzheimer’s care facilities.

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