The State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam) is a public college located in Potsdam, New York, United States. Founded in 1816, it is the northernmost member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Potsdam athletics teams are nicknamed the Bears.
The SUNY Potsdam men's ice hockey team has competed in the NCAA since 1976. Most recently, they played in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), which is a Division III athletics conference. As charter members of the Division III SUNYAC conference, the SUNY Potsdam Bears have a long history of competition.
In 2011, SUNY Potsdam athletics was placed on NCAA probation due to an inadvertent error in the awarding of international student-athlete grants.
Notable Alumni
SUNY Potsdam has produced many successful individuals in various fields. Here are a few examples of recent graduates and their achievements:
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- Travis Crickard ’11: As a young hockey player, dreamed of one day becoming a head coach in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Years later, after completing his undergraduate degree at SUNY Potsdam, a master’s degree at the University of Ottawa, and working for numerous hockey organizations around Canada, he has reached his goal.
- Olivia Cook ’24: A standout hockey player in her youth, went on to achieve great success as a Division I athlete and make a significant impact in both her Mohawk community of Akwesasne and in remote First Nation communities throughout Canada.
- Jakia Howard ’24: One of the most talented athletes to ever play on the women’s basketball team, wrapped up her final season with 1,192 points, third-most in the history of the program.
- Wilber Parada ’20: When arrived at SUNY Potsdam his freshman year, he already had a vision for his future. His plans to one day become a Doctor of Physical Therapy would involve years of hard work, completing undergraduate and graduate degrees, and passing the National Physical Therapy Examination.
- Adam Kelley ’20: After sustaining a season-ending ankle injury his sophomore year, followed by a concussion his junior year, was told that he could no longer play competitive soccer. Despite the devastating news, his connection with soccer remained strong, and he remained on the sidelines to coach his peers.
- Kiernan Morgan '22: Experience a day in the life of , A criminal justice major with a minor in business administration, and an athlete on the men’s volleyball team.
- Jeffrey Schulz '20: , who is majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry, keeps very busy balancing his academic life with a leadership role on the men’s soccer team. He has been on the SUNYAC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll and President's list three times and was awarded Coaches' MVP and Players' Player of the Year.
SUNY Potsdam: A Brief Overview
Founded by Benjamin Raymond in 1816 as the "St. Lawrence Academy". In 1834, the academy was chosen by the New York State Legislature to exclusively offer a teacher education program for its senatorial district. In 1866, the State Legislature ended its funding of teacher education departments in private academies, and began establishing several normal schools throughout the state. The Village of Potsdam was thus named as one of four locations for new normal schools, and in 1867, the St. Lawrence Academy became the Potsdam Normal School.
By 1886, the Potsdam Normal School had become the first institution in the United States to offer a normal training course for public school music teachers in the United States. Founded by Julia E. Crane, it is now known as the Crane School of Music.
The State University of New York was founded in 1948, and Potsdam became one of its founding members, and was thus renamed New York State Teachers College at Potsdam. During the 1980s, despite the college's traditional strengths in music and education, the college gained recognition for its quickly blossoming mathematics program under the guidance of Clarence F. Stephens. Since that time, enrollment has declined by 43%, and the student body now hovers at around 2,500 students.
The campus is in the village of Potsdam, approximately a half hour drive from the Canada-United States border. It is situated in the St. Lawrence Valley, between the St. Lawrence River and the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, approximately 20 miles from the border of Adirondack Park. The school sits on 240 acres (97 ha) and consists of 44 buildings.
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SUNY Potsdam mens hockey player Tyler Young
Barrington Drive runs through the center of the campus, with all academic buildings on the northwest side of the street, and all campus life and residence buildings on the southeast side. The college has two libraries, the Frederick W. Crumb Memorial Library in the center of the academic quad, and the Crane Music Library in Schuette Hall at the Crane complex. The college also has six performance facilities. Hosmer Hall, Snell Theatre, and Wakefield Recital Hall are all located in the Crane School of Music, while the Proscenium Theater, the Black Box Theater, and the Dance Theater are located in the college's new Performing Arts Center. SUNY Potsdam is home to the Charles T. Weaver Museum of Natural History and the Roland Gibson Gallery.
The affiliated non-profit organization that provides dining services and runs the union market and college bookstore on campus is known as PACES or Potsdam Auxiliary College Education Services.
In 1981 and 1986, under Hall of Fame coach Jerry Welsh, the basketball team won the NCAA Division III national championship.
SUNY Potsdam has four a cappella groups on campus: The Potsdam Pointercounts, founded in 1993, the A Sharp Arrangement founded in 1994, the Potsdam Pitches founded in 2007 and Stay Tuned founded in 2012. All four groups have competed in International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella run by Varsity Vocals.
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