By MATT LINDSEY

Thousands of students will return to the four colleges in Potsdam and Canton next week and discover new programs, renovated dorms, bicentennial celebration plans and a new sports designation.

SUNY Potsdam, which is celebrating its bicentennial in 2015-16, is offering three new baccalaureate programs in graphic design, exercise science and international studies. The school is also now home to the first Center for Applied Learning within the SUNY system and expects student enrollment to be up this year.

Clarkson University is continuing upgrades to the downtown campus, Clarkson Hall and the activation of a campus-wide landscaping master plan. Majors in occupational therapy and data analytics will be offered for the first time and enrollment numbers are expected to higher than 2014.

In Canton, St. Lawrence University will offer a new statistics program and is partnering with SUNY Buffalo’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences to create an undergraduate-professional school program. Gunnison Memorial Chapel, seriously damaged by fire in 2013, has now been restored and a formal reopening ceremony is planned. SLU will welcome one of the largest freshmen classes ever.

SUNY Canton sports teams will now compete at the Division III level and teams can participate in post-season play. Several buildings have received renovations including improvements to windows and ceilings making them more energy-efficient. Enrollment is on par with last year as college admissions personnel focus on transfer students.

200th For SUNY Potsdam

SUNY Potsdam is approaching a milestone as the institution embarks on bicentennial celebrations. Founded in 1816 as the St. Lawrence Academy, SUNY Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges and the oldest institution in the SUNY system.

The bicentennial celebration kicks off this fall, and will include a 200th birthday celebration in March 2016, highlighting the signing of the charter of St. Lawrence Academy.

The college is also planning for “what the college’s third century of excellence will look like,” Pres. Kristin G. Esterberg said. “I invite all of our alumni, students, employees and neighbors—past and present—to tell us your hopes and dreams for our future, through this important first phase of our strategic planning process.”

SUNY Potsdam will have three new baccalaureate programs this year. The new program in graphic design and new media offers two tracks for art students seeking the in-demand degree, either a Bachelor of Arts course of study or Bachelor of Fine Arts option. In addition, SUNY Potsdam is now offering interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degrees in exercise science and international studies.

Over the summer, construction and renovations have been underway in the Frederick W. Crumb Memorial Library to house the first Center for Applied Learning. Set to open this fall, the center will offer a “one-stop shop” for information on internships, study abroad, student research and more.

The college is undertaking renovations in Sisson Hall to expand the Center for Diversity, which will now occupy the second floor. The updated space will be ready for student use by this January.

This year, all master’s and bachelor’s graduates will be awarded their degrees and honored in one campus-wide ceremony, on Saturday, May 22 during the Bicentennial Commencement Ceremony. SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher will offer the keynote address at commemoration in the Academic Quad.

This is the final full academic year of Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which aims to raise $32 million by the close of the bicentennial. The campaign has raised over $30 million for scholarships, programs and strategic priorities at the college. The campaign culminates next fall.

As of early August SUNY Potsdam had 3,758 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled for the fall semester.

“Because students can enroll right up through the first day of classes, typically this number goes up by approximately 150 late registrants by the time classes begin so our enrollment for the fall will probably be just shy of 4,000 students, which is even with last year,” said college spokeswoman Alexandra Jacobs Wilke.

Classes begin Aug. 31.

Campus-Wide Renovations

Renovations in Clarkson Hall for the Health Professions programs will be complete this month, creating office spaces and learning facilities for the Physician Assistant Studies, Physical Therapy and new Occupational Therapy (OT) programs. The project includes the OT program’s new Smart Simulation Lab, which simulates an actual living space that incorporates high-tech solutions to everyday challenges, such as low vision supports, adaptive driving equipment and simulators, assistive technology devices and environmental controls.

Phase I of Clarkson’s evolution of its Downtown Campus has been completed with renovations to the historic Old Main building, which houses the North Country’s first green data center using IBM technologies and research facilities for the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries. Phase II will outfit spaces throughout Old Main’s center core with business incubator tenant space; outfit the Beacon wing; and construct a colocation data center this fall.

A new central chiller plant is being constructed, which will bring improvements to occupant comfort and save $500,000 per year, college officials say. The chiller provides cooling for the Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) building, Rowley Laboratories, Schuler Educational Resources Center and Clarkson Science Center buildings. Construction will be completed in early 2016.

Renovation and maintenance work was performed this summer on residence halls and apartments including bathroom renovations, replaced flooring, updates to several entrances and a new laundry facility.

Demolition and cleanup of Clarkson’s new Maple Street entrance was completed and the area will remain greenspace.

Upgrades to the Snell Field grandstands and campus sidewalks, maintenance and painting in CAMP, and landscaping also took place throughout summer.

A solar array on 12 acres of land just outside of the village near Damon Field Airport was activated last November and generates close to 10 percent of Clarkson’s electricity.

The 27-month OT program taps into in engineering, science, entrepreneurship and the arts to prepare students to become occupational therapists.

Clarkson will also offer a new master of science degree in data analytics. Data analytics or “big data” is one of the most in-demand career paths in today’s marketplace, the college representatives say.

The merger of Union Graduate College into Clarkson University was approved by the state Education Department Board of Regents and will be implemented this January. The merged entity will be called Clarkson University, with Union Graduate College in Schenectady to become the Clarkson University Capital Region campus.

The university will welcome 14 new full-time faculty members this year.

Clarkson’s freshman class is predicted to be larger than 2014, but enrollment figures are not finalized until October, according to university officials. Classes begin Aug. 24.

New Programs at SLU

The state Education Department this summer approved St. Lawrence’s new Bachelor of Science degree in statistics, giving students the opportunity to major in a newly recognized academic discipline.

While playing an important role in the liberal arts, statistics has also become increasingly valuable in the information-era. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects 27 percent growth in the field from 2012 to 2022, faster than average for all other occupations.

A new affiliation agreement with SUNY Buffalo’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will create a three-plus-four (3+4) undergraduate-professional school program, in which students can earn both their bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Buffalo.

Other existing health-degree agreements include Buffalo’s doctor of dental surgery program as well as Clarkson University’s physical therapy and physician assistant programs and New York University’s nursing program.

Missing its iconic copper spire since a fire toppled it in October 2013, Gunnison Memorial Chapel was made complete when a new spire was installed May 1. Pieces of the new spire came from different manufacturers throughout the country and were assembled in Campbellsville, Ky., before making the 865-mile trek to Canton.

The chapel reopened May 17 for the Baccalaureate Service of Celebration preceding Commencement, also the first time the campus heard the Bacheller Memorial Chime ring again since the fire. Plans for a formal reopening ceremony this fall are underway to recognize the restoration work and rededicate the chapel’s purpose as a place on campus for contemplation and assembly.

St. Lawrence named Bob Durocher Director of Athletics, following the retirement of Margie F. Strait who served from 1997 to January 2015. Durocher, who joined St. Lawrence in 1990 as the head men’s soccer coach and led the team to a NCAA national championship in 1999, will oversee the strategic leadership of all sports programs, staff and facilities of the Athletics Department. He will also chair the University’s sports studies and exercise science minor program.

St. Lawrence University will welcome more than 680 members to the Class of 2019, one of the largest groups of first-year students in the institution’s history.

A new partnership between the offices of Career Connections and Volunteer Services created the inaugural St. Lawrence University Public Interest Corps, or SLU PIC.

Functioning as a paid 10-week internship, the program partnered five selected St. Lawrence University students with various local service organizations. They included the Boys and Girls Club of Massena, GardenShare, St. Lawrence Valley Renewal House, the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY). The interns took on specific projects in order to assist these organizations better meet their intended goals.

Classes begin Aug. 26.

Division III Sports Designation

SUNY Canton’s athletic teams will become full members of the NCAA and play at the Division III level for the first time beginning Sept. 1. SUNY Canton completed its provisional status in just three years, a full year earlier than most other colleges. Teams will now be eligible for NCAA postseason competition during the upcoming academic year.

“It is a tribute to the hard work the SUNY Canton Athletics staff have done to make sure that our programs meet and exceed the expectations of the NCAA,” Szafran said. “Our student-athletes consistently demonstrate their outstanding dedication in their sport and their studies.”

In the past four years, the college has added five new sports and doubled the number of student athletes, in addition to doubling the number of female athletes.

SUNY Canton’s total enrollment this fall is approximately 3,250 students, which is on goal for the year and very similar the fall 2014 enrollment, according to college officials.

“Our Office of Admissions has been targeting transfer students,” college spokesman Greg Kie said. “Following their efforts, our largest enrollment increase was from students who started at another college and have decided to complete their education at SUNY Canton.”

The college renovated several buildings across campus over the summer months. Notably, French Hall and the Southworth Library Learning Commons have been upgraded with larger and more energy-efficient windows and roofs.

President Zvi Szafran will start his second year this fall. The president is very involved with student life on campus and frequently attends student functions and athletic events, college officials said.

New and returning students who want to have a discussion with the president are invited to have a chat in person or via email.

Two buildings were recently renamed to honor former college leaders. Grasse River Suites will reopen to students as Kennedy Hall, named for SUNY Canton’s third president, Joseph L. Kennedy. The former Faculty Office Building has been renamed MacArthur Hall after the college’s second president, Earl W. MacArthur.

During the past year, SUNY Canton started a video campaign to highlight its signature programs and key alumni. Most of these videos are available on the SUNY Canton website, or by visiting the SUNY Canton Public Relations channel on YouTube.

Students begin classes Aug. 24.