SUNY Orange Foundation & Alumni Engagement

06/18/2026

🎭 🎭

This week's Throwback Thursday takes us back to 1960, the College's 10th Anniversary yearbook, when members of the Apprentice Players came together to share their love of theatre, friendship, and community.

The Apprentice Players were an active theatre organization whose members staged productions including The Crucible and Up the Sky. Beyond the stage, they gathered for coffee hours and social events, and even traveled to New York City together to experience live theatre.

More than 65 years later, this photo is a reminder that creativity, connection, and student involvement have always been part of the SUNY Orange experience.

👀 We know there are some familiar faces here! Do you recognize anyone in this photo? Tag them below or share your memories of student life at SUNY Orange. 🍊

06/17/2026

Ten years of honoring loved ones. Ten years of giving back. Ten years of changing students' lives. ❤️⛳

Earlier this week, members of our Foundation team had the pleasure of attending the 10th annual Paul Rickard Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing hosted by Coach Thomas Rickard and his family.

The outing honors the legacy of Coach Paul Rickard, a longtime men's basketball coach, mathematics department chair, and passionate advocate for community colleges whose belief in accessible education inspired all seven of his children to attend SUNY Orange. In recent years, the event has expanded to also honor Maureen Rickard, a former nursing instructor whose dedication to educating future healthcare professionals left a lasting impact on generations of students.

Today, their legacy continues through scholarship support that creates opportunities for students while bringing alumni, friends, and community members together each year in celebration of family, education, and service.

We are especially proud that Coach Rickard and his siblings are all SUNY Orange alumni, continuing a family tradition of giving back to the institution that helped shape their lives.

Congratulations to the entire Rickard family on celebrating this incredible milestone, and thank you for your unwavering commitment to helping students pursue their dreams!

06/11/2026

Last week, some of the SUNY Orange Foundation & Alumni Engagement team had the opportunity to attend the SUNY Council for University Advancement (CUAD) Conference, where advancement professionals from across the SUNY system gathered to share ideas, best practices, and innovative approaches to supporting students, alumni, and donors.

Throughout the conference, colleagues from SUNY campuses shared successful programs, initiatives, and strategies that are making a difference at their institutions. We also had the opportunity to hear from SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. about exciting developments taking place across the SUNY system.

We are grateful to the organizers, presenters, and fellow attendees for creating such a valuable learning experience and look forward to looking for ways to apply some of what we learned here at SUNY Orange.

Thank you to SUNY CUAD for a wonderful conference! 💙🧡

06/08/2026

This spring, SUNY Orange celebrated the graduation of two exceptional student leaders, Maurice Davoren and Ryan Chien , whose impact on our campus community extended far beyond the classroom. 🎓💙🧡

As Student Senate President and Vice President, these scholarship recipients and honors students worked tirelessly to support their fellow students, strengthen student engagement, and help build connections across campus.

Throughout the year, they also became valued partners of the SUNY Orange Foundation, helping strengthen connections between students and the Foundation while encouraging future student leaders to continue that partnership.

Their accomplishments are many. One was recognized with the Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence, while the other was named to Phi Theta Kappa's All-New York Academic Team. Both demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and service during their time at SUNY Orange.

As friends, classmates, and student leaders, they helped make a lasting impact on the SUNY Orange community, and we are excited to see where their next chapters take them.

Please join us in congratulating Maurice and Ryan and wishing them success in all that comes next!

05/28/2026

This year, Stella has served as the student representative on the SUNY Orange Foundation Board, helping bring the student voice to the table through thoughtful insight, collaboration, and a genuine commitment to supporting her fellow students.

Last week, Stella graduated from SUNY Orange, and during our final board meeting of the academic year, we had the opportunity to recognize and celebrate all she has contributed throughout her term. While we would normally be saying goodbye, we are excited to share that Stella was officially accepted into SUNY Orange’s nursing program and will be returning this fall.

The Foundation Board proudly voted to welcome Stella back for another year as student representative, and we are incredibly grateful for her continued leadership, positivity, and willingness to always lend a hand.

Congratulations, Stella, on your graduation, acceptance into the nursing program, and continued service to the SUNY Orange community! 💙🧡

05/26/2026

05/26/2026

One of our favorite SUNY Orange commencement traditions each year is alumni pinning. 💙🧡

Before graduates cross the stage, alumni volunteers welcome them into the SUNY Orange alumni community by placing an alumni pin on their gowns — symbolically marking their transition from students to alumni.

Surrounded by the excitement, pride, and celebration of commencement day, this meaningful tradition helps connect generations of SUNY Orange students and alumni while celebrating the accomplishments of our newest graduates.

Thank you to the alumni volunteers who helped welcome our newest graduates into the SUNY Orange alumni community during this year’s commencement celebration.

Congratulations to the SUNY Orange Class of 2026! 🎓

05/22/2026

Thank you to everyone who supported SUNY Orange Foundation during Hudson Valley Gives! 💙🧡

Because of the incredible generosity of our community, we raised $20,770 to help support scholarships, emergency assistance, educational programs, learning opportunities, and student success initiatives for SUNY Orange students.

We truly could not do the important work we do to support students and the college without the generosity, advocacy, and encouragement of our donors, board members, alumni, friends, faculty, staff, and community supporters.

Thank you for helping create meaningful opportunities and brighter futures for SUNY Orange students.

If you would still like to support SUNY Orange students, gifts can always be made through our website:
www.sunyorangefoundation.org/types-of-gifts