The FACT² Excellence in Instruction Awards, Excellence in Instructional Support Awards, and Excellence in Administrative Leadership Awards are system-level honors conferred to acknowledge and provide system-wide recognition for consistently noteworthy achievement and to encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence. These awards underscore SUNY’s commitment to the use of technology to support access to superior education, to advance the boundaries of knowledge, and to serve the public good. Through these awards, SUNY publicly proclaims its pride in the accomplishment and personal dedication of its Instructional Faculty, Technology Support Professionals, and Administrative Leaders.   Please use this opportunity to showcase the excellent work being performed on your campus.  Awards will be presented at CIT May 20-23, 2025. 

There are six awards:

• FACT² Excellence in Instruction: Community Colleges
• FACT² Excellence in Instruction: State-Operated and Statutory Campuses
• FACT² Excellence in Instructional Support: Community Colleges
• FACT² Excellence in Instructional Support: State-Operated and Statutory Campuses
• FACT² Excellence in Administrative Leadership: Community Colleges
• FACT² Excellence in Administrative Leadership: State-Operated and Statutory Campuses

FACT² Excellence in Instruction Awards

These two awards recognize SUNY full or part-time teaching faculty, working individually or in collaboration with others, engaging in innovative uses of technology in the teaching and learning process. A recipient of this award has incorporated new or existing technology in ways that enhance the curriculum and engage students using methods and strategies that are scalable and transportable to other settings.

FACT² Excellence in Instructional Support Awards

These two awards recognize excellence by full or part-time instructional support persons involved in supporting innovative uses of educational technologies to meaningfully improve teaching and learning by working individually or in collaboration with teaching faculty in the strategic application of curriculum within SUNY. The recipient or team receiving this award has demonstrated excellence through instructional support practice, and the ability to recognize pedagogical opportunities and to devise strategies for infusing the curriculum with innovative use of technology that aligns with learning outcomes.

FACT² Excellence in Administrative Leadership

These two awards acknowledge leaders who facilitate the use of technology by faculty and professional staff to create, enhance, or expand a service, program, or activity that advances student success. A recipient of this award has demonstrated significant and positive leadership by promoting innovation in programmatic offerings, related academic endeavors, and investments that inspire culture change. Examples of persons eligible to be nominated for the award would include but not be limited to campus and institutional leaders such as Department Chairs, Deans, Directors, and Senior Administrators such as Chief Academic Officers, Chief Information Officers, Vice-Presidents, etc.

You are encouraged to read through the FACT2 Awards Criteria Rubric (*PDF) and to use this opportunity to nominate someone you know, or yourself, for Excellence in Instruction, Excellence in Instructional Support, or Excellence in Administrative Leadership for 2025.

Submit a Nomination

FACT²  Awards nominations are due by December 9, 2024.

FACT² Award Recipients

Community Colleges – Dr. Fabiola Riobe, SUNY Rockland Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges – UB Educational Design Collaborative, University at Buffalo

Core Members:  Michelle Connolly, Ken English, Derek Farkas, Beth Fellendorf, Maggie Grady, Kevin Hartman, Jeanne Myers, Cheryl Oyer, Co-Chair, Amanda Ramia, Lisa Stephens, JonJay (Jay) Stockslader, Steve Sturman, Co-Chair, Robin Sullivan

Affiliate Members: Jeremy Jungbluth, Kathryn Kendall, Christine Kroll, Jessica Kruger, Rebecca Rotundo, Thomas Slomka, Athena Tsembelis

Excellence in Instruction

Community Colleges – Ms. Erin Frye, SUNY Broome Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges: Dr. Ryan Irwin, SUNY Albany

Excellence in Instructional Support

Community Colleges: Dr. Robin Hill, SUNY Suffolk County Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges: Dr. Billie Bennett Franchini, SUNY Albany

2021 Award Recipients

Excellence in Administrative Leadership

Community Colleges – Dr. Camille Karlson, SUNY Suffolk Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges  – Mr. Vikram Pagpatan, SUNY Downstate

Excellence in Instruction

Community Colleges – Dr. Yu Zhang, SUNY Suffolk Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges  – Dr. Katrina Fulcher-Rood, SUNY Buffalo State

Excellence in Instructional Support

Community Colleges – Mr. David Wolf, Schenectady Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges  – Mr. Ed Beck, SUNY at Oneonta

2020 Award Recipients

Excellence in Administrative Leadership

Community Colleges – Ryan McCabe, Finger Lakes Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges  – Dr. Frank Vander Valk, SUNY Empire State College

Excellence in Instruction

Community Colleges – Sean Maley, Finger Lakes Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges  – Dr. Karleen West and Dr. Suann Yang, SUNY at Geneseo, Team Award

Excellence in Instructional Support

Community Colleges – Chrisie Mitchell, Dutchess Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges –  Kathi Dutton, SUNY at Oswego

2019 Award Recipients

Excellence in Instruction

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges –  Dr. Jessica Kruger, University at Buffalo 

Excellence in Instructional Support

Community Colleges – Co-winners:

Tony DeFranco, Tompkins-Cortland Community College

Online Learning and Academic Technologies Team:  Tamara Cupples, Jose Diaz, Antonia Blatchford, Fashion Institute of Technology, Team Award

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges –  Meghan Pereira, SUNY Buffalo State

2018 Award Recipients

Excellence in Instruction

Community Colleges – Kyunghee Pyun, Fashion Institute of Technology 

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges  – Anurag Purwar, Stony Brook University

Excellence in Instruction

Community Colleges – Instructional Development Team: Tom Capuano, Jeremy Case, Andrea Gilbert, Martha Kendall, Andrea Kingston, Anjali Parasnis-Samar, Alice Wilson, Monroe Community College, Team Award

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges –   Julie Powell, Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine

2016 Award Recipients

Excellence in Instruction

Community Colleges –Judith Littlejohn, Instructor from Genesee Community College 

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges – Dr. Kathleen Gradel, SUNY  Fredonia. 

Excellence in Instructional Support

Community Colleges – Linda Lamb, Bill Pelz, Tabitha Carter, and Cara Boepple, Herikmer Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges –  Two Awards:

Cherie Van Putten from the University at Binghamton and Robin Sullivan from the University at Buffalo, Team Award

Anne Reed is an Instructional Designer from the University at Buffalo

2015 Award Recipients

Excellence in Instruction

Community Colleges –Christina Rau, Nassau Community College

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges – Brian Olsen, Upstate Medical

Excellence in Instructional Support

Community Colleges – Brian Gomez, Rockland

State-Operated and Statutory Colleges –  Lisa Melohusky, Fredonia

Resources

• State University of New York (SUNY)
• FACT2 Resources
• Join the FACT2 Listserv