Around the SUNY Oswego campus

Cheerleaders, a 35-piece pep band and a spirited student-staff delegation welcome Al Roker, class of '76, home to SUNY Oswego on his arrival March 30 at Oswego Airport to kick off the college's appearance in Rokerthon 3 on NBC's "Today" show. This scene set the tone for the 24 hours of spirited, intense and fun activity to come. 

We did it! Excited students celebrate as Guinness World Record adjudicator Michael Empric (left) announces that SUNY Oswego has shattered the record for the most skaters in a conga line on ice with 593. The old record of 353 was set on Nov. 12, 2013, at the Ice Rink Canary Wharf in the United Kingdom. Al Roker hosts the final day of his Rokerthon 3 challenges March 31 as (from left) college President Deborah F. Stanley, WTOP-TV general manager Justin Dobrow (face partially hidden) and student choreographer Allison Anthony admire the plaque awarded by Guinness.

SUNY Oswego's attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest conga line on ice snakes its way -- for five minutes -- along the Marano Campus Center arena's ice March 31 on NBC's "Today" show, in rhythm to Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine's "Conga." 

Excited skaters -- nearly all students -- await their cue early the morning of March 31 in the Marano Campus Center food and activity court to take the ice for Rokerthon 3, live on NBC's "Today" show. Skaters had from 4:45 to 6:30 a.m. to lace up for the record attempt.

As an NBC videographer tapes a Rokerthon 3 preshot, NBC chief meteorologist Al Roker speaks March 30 with senior meteorology major Ashante McLeod-Perez in Steve Skubis' "Dynamic Meteorology" class in Room 401 of the Shineman Center. Roker made his way to a variety of meaningful venues for preshot spots for the March 31 telecast on NBC's "Today."

Interviewer Lamont Sadler (right), an on-air talent for student-run WNYO-FM, speaks with NBC "Today" show co-host Al Roker and college President Deborah F. Stanley March 30 in WNYO's Marano Campus Center studio for a preshot spot for SUNY Oswego's participation in Rokerthon 3 on March 31.

Al Roker '76 meets March 30 with Fritz Messere ('71, master's in '76), now retired as founding dean of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts, on the meteorology observation deck of the Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation. Roker returned to his alma mater numerous times during fellow Oswego alumnus Messere's tenure as professor of communication studies and dean, naming the Al Roker Television Studio and strongly supporting the annual Media Summit in honor of Roker's and 1977 alumnus Louis A. Borrelli Jr.'s beloved broadcasting professor, the late Lewis B. "Doc" O'Donnell. 

WTOP-TV's all-student crew gathers March 30 as an NBC videographer tapes a segment for the following day's telecast of the "Today" show. The station's general manager, Justin Dobrow (standing at left in the dark green shirt), a senior broadcasting major, led SUNY Oswego's effort to apply for participation in Rokerthon 3, then spearheaded coordination of NBC's visit to campus for the live show.

Brandon Roth, early-morning reporter for NBC affiliate CNYCentral.com (WSTM, WTVH and WSTQ), interviews SUNY Oswego students Jasmine Gomez (left) and Emily Notaro after Mary Canale, the college's vice president for alumni and development, randomly drew their names March 31 on the "Today" show for $5,000 scholarships each. Gomez, a sophomore biochemistry major from Brooklyn, received her award from the Oswego College Foundation, while NBC awarded a scholarship sponsored by PurePoint Financial to Notaro, a senior business administration major. The drawing was one of many on-air highlights during Rokerthon 3 from Marano Campus Center arena.

Al Roker fires up the crowd in Marano Campus Center arena during a live hit March 31 on NBC's "Today" show. SUNY Oswego was one of only five universities and colleges -- the others were Oklahoma, Tennessee, Loyola (Maryland) and Northern Michigan universities -- chosen to participate in Guinness World Record challenges as part of Rokerthon 3.

NBC's crew (foreground) gathers around "Today" show co-host Al Roker to celebrate the conclusion of the March 31 "Today" show's numerous live hits from Marano Campus Center arena as the college reached an official count of 593 on the ice for a world-record-setting conga, hundreds more in the stands, and an early-morning turnout of scores of faculty, staff and student volunteers. College President Deborah F. Stanley later sent an all-campus message that read, in part, "Thanks to Al Roker, the NBC 'Today' show and, most importantly, all of you, the entire nation witnessed Oswego spirit in action this week.  We did it … YOU did it. My heartfelt thanks goes out to you all."

Lakers ice hockey player Mitchell Herlihey (third from left) leads the "For the Kids" fundraising effort to benefit the Child Advocacy Center of Fulton. Herlihey and other committee members from the hockey team and from Delta Kappa Kappa fraternity meet March 23 with college President Deborah F. Stanley (center). From left are Kevin Villarreal, Nicholas Drumm, Herlihey, Stanley, Conor Malone, Tyler Fey, Kevin Reilly and Christopher Waterstreet.

Civil rights leader Malcolm X (actor Jimonn Cole) and his wife, Betty Shabazz (Chelsea Lee Williams) embrace against a backdrop of Nation of Islam leaders during an imagined trial following Malcolm X’s assassination. Written specially for The Acting Company’s three-year educational project, playwright Marcus Gardley's script echoed strongly of the play with which it was paired, Shakespeare’s "Julius Caesar," vividly showing how friendship, even love, can turn to murderous rivalry under the corrupting influence of power and ambition.

The Acting Company's William Sturdivant (with mic), who played Caius Cassius in an adaptation of "Julius Caesar," makes a point March 27 during a post-performance talkback session with the audience in Waterman Theatre. From left are Tatiana Wechsler (in back), who played Trebonius, a singer and Messala; N’Jameh Camara (Calpurnia, Cinna and Lucilius), Joshua David Robinson (Casca and Titinius) and Austin Purnell (Soothsayer and Pindarus). Shakespeare's play, twinned with Marcus Gardley's "X" the following night, capped a three-year, nationwide project of The Acting Company, partnering in this region with SUNY Oswego's Artswego, Le Moyne and Hamilton colleges, and community arts organizations.

Former vice presidential candidate and environmental activist Winona LaDuke speaks March 28 in Sheldon Hall ballroom as part of the I Am Oz Diversity Speaker Series. LaDuke, co-founder of Honor the Earth, a Minnesota-based organization, advocates for Native American environmental issues, including opposition to the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline.

Amy LaLonde, a 2012 SUNY Oswego alumna and current doctoral candidate at University of Rochester, speaks March 23 in in Room 176 of the Shineman Center on "Applications of Bayesian Model-Based Clustering: Hospital Charges in NYS, Child Neurodevelopment and Female Physical Activity" as part of SUNY Oswego's Science Today lecture series.

SUNY Oswego's student-driven Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) recently received a 100 percent score of the Quality Site Requirements in its Internal Revenue Service field audit. The free School of Business program continues in three locations through tax season. Shown working at a recent session are accounting majors (seated from left) Elena Margrey and Jason Krause, and (standing) Derek Holden. 

Joining a panel discussion titled "Navigating the Workplace" on March 20 in Marano Campus Center auditorium are (from left) alumnus Khayri Klass, class of 2016, operations analyst for National Debt Relief; Earnest Washington, director of campus life; Arlene Quinones '15 and career coach Jennifer Roxas of the Office of Career Services.

SUNY Oswego alumni Ashley Domenech (singing) and Don Levine (percussion) sit in with Oswego Jazz Project at The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook. SUNY Stony Brook's director of jazz studies, Thomas J. Manuel, co-founder of the museum, educational outreach and entertainment venue, raved about Oswego's faculty combo and broached the idea of an annual appearance. Eric Schmitz, OJP member and music faculty member at Oswego, said, "All in all, a delightful evening and a strong foundation from which to build future recruitment/alumni efforts on Long Island." (Submitted photo)

Students from Shokouh Haddadi's "Analytical Chemistry" class attend a March 29 lecture on "Analytical Chemistry in a Regulated Environment" by Richard Hartwick, chief scientific officer for PharmAssist Inc. The industry visit was sponsored by the Center for Experiential Learning, Career Services and the chemistry department. In front (from left) are Hartwick; Frances Nucero, director of human resources for PharmAssist; and the company's chief executive officer, Jeffrey Evans, a 1985 alumnus (master's in 1987). In the second row (from left) are Sheila Cooley of the Center for Experiential Learning, Mallory Bower of the Office of Career Services, Thomas Brown of the chemistry faculty, student Kim LaGatta, Haddadi, and students Caden Bonzerato, Connor Landers, Lukas Benjamin and Shaun Henderson. (Submitted photo)

Students from computer science and human-computer interaction visit Welch Allyn in Skaneateles on March 22 for a career exploration information session and tour. John Lane, director of electrical technology for Welch Allyn, led the tour. The trip was sponsored by the college's Center for Experiential Learning. Dr. Christopher Harris (in back), a computer science faculty member, and Sheila Cooley of the Center for Experiential Learning accompanied the students. Students (from left) are Michael Claudio, EunSeo Bang, Zachary Boronka and Abhishek Rauniyar.

SUNY Oswego students (from left) Peter Mancarella, Derek Smith, Alex George and Eusebio (Omar) Van Reenen pause in front of the U.S. Capitol last month as they represent Oswego and all State University of New York students in Washington, D.C., to advocate for issues that push students forward. Van Reenen, who submitted the photo, is a SUNY Oswego Student Association senator and the SA representative to Faculty Assembly.