Junior psychology major Ariel Gutman-Gates earned the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Leader Award at the NODA Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education Region IX Conference, March 8 to 10 at SUNY Oneonta. The award noted Gutman-Gates’ dedication to Oswego’s orientation program as a Laker Leader and other college activities, including coordinating the SHOP (Students Helping Oz Peers) food, clothing and personal items pantry. The college’s Orientation Office also was recognized for Innovative Program for the Orientation Express Bus, a service that connected New York City-area students with orientation programs that previously earned a SUNY Council of Chief Student Affairs Officers and the Office of University Life award. In addition, Gutman-Gates and sophomore human development major Jade Laplante (pictured, from left) won awards at the conference for their case study presentations; Gutman's team earned "Best Communication Skills" and Laplante's team won "Best Overall Presentation." Two Laker Leaders, sophomore human development major Olivia Harrington and junior broadcasting/cinema and screen studies major Andrew Nimetz, successfully graduated from the Returning Orientation Leader Institute, a 1.5-day intensive leadership workshop.

Rebecca Burch of the human development faculty published “The Wedding as a Reproductive Ritual” in The Review of General Psychology. Her article investigated the rituals, symbols and ceremonies associated with marriages across several cultures to compile evolutionarily salient events and symbolism related to producing offspring.

Women’s ice hockey head coach Diane Dillon earned the 2018-19 Spirit of Community Award from United Way of Oswego County at its March 13 Salute to Volunteers and Leadership Giving Luncheon. Dillon has woven community service and the spirit of giving into the women’s hockey program since her arrival at SUNY Oswego in 2006, and since then has become integral to the nationally recognized community service activities of the college’s athletics department. Long a member of the State Employees Federated Appeal Committee, Dillon has been key to her team’s affiliation with the Big Sister-Little Sister Program with Oswego minor hockey, Pink the Rink for breast cancer research, the Holiday Skate with the Lakers fundraiser, team assistance at the United Way’s Stone Soup Luncheon, athletics’ fall leaf-raking program for city of Oswego senior citizens and other service projects.

Professor Sarfraz Mian of the department of marketing and management in the School of Business moderated a session called “Founding Dos and Don’ts” at the SUNY Conversations in the Disciplines Workshop on University Technology Transfer and Commercialization: Incentive, Infrastructure and Impact. The panel featured leaders of a variety of startups and entrepreneurial enterprises as well as experts in the field.