Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, hosted a delegation from SUNY Potsdam on the floor of the New York State Assembly in recognition of the school's bicentennial.

Russell, who represents the 116th Assembly District, told her colleagues the representatives traveling to Albany for the Tuesday event included school President Kristin Esterberg, staff and SUNY Potsdam students.

The charter founding the college, initially known as St. Lawrence Academy, was signed on March 25, 1816, marking the culmination of a nearly four-year process from when the residents of Potsdam had sent a formal petition to the New York State Board of Regents seeking to establish the school.

Russell, speaking on the floor in the Assembly chamber, said the efforts to charter the school started in 1812, but initial efforts were derailed by the War of 1812.

"It got delayed a little while. There were significant battles and skirmishes fought during that war in the North Country," she said.

The college, one of the first 50 in the country, has a long and proud tradition. The St. Lawrence Academy opened its doors for the first time on Sept. 30, 1816. The Academy was later chosen to become part of the new Normal School system, officially becoming Potsdam Normal School in 1867. The Crane Normal Institute of Music, which later became The Crane School of Music, was founded in 1886.

In 1942, the institution became Potsdam State Teachers College, along with all other Normal Schools. Finally, in 1948, the State University of New York was established, and the campus would come to be known as SUNY Potsdam.

Russell said the school's accessibility near the northern border has made it the college of choice for large numbers of North Country students over the years as well as offering programs that have attracted students from around the state, nation and world.

"I would like to express my gratitude for the role SUNY Potsdam has played to keep the American dream alive for residents of New York State and the North Country," she said.

She noted she was providing the SUNY Potsdam delegation with a proclamation honoring the college on its bicentennial.

Russell said her mother and sister are graduates of SUNY Potsdam so the college always holds a special spot in her heart.

Assemblyman Marc Butler, a SUNY Potsdam graduate whose assembly district also covers a portion of central St. Lawrence County, joined Russell in recognizing the college on its bicentennial.

Speaker Pro Tempore Jeffrion L. Aubry congratulated the SUNY Potsdam delegation on the college's 200th anniversary.

"This is an accomplishment and a tribute to the school, to the community and to the state," he said.