POTSDAM — SUNY Potsdam will launch the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in the college's history during a weeklong series of events Oct. 19-24.

The public launch of “Deeply Rooted, Future Focused: The Campaign for Potsdam” will include campus and community events featuring students, alumni, faculty, staff and area residents.

Events will include art exhibits, music performances, athletic activities, research demonstrations, alumni gatherings and community events.

“This is a campaign about the future of SUNY Potsdam, and that future belongs to all of us,” SUNY Potsdam President Suzanne Smith said. “Our students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, families and neighbors all help make Potsdam what it is. This week is an invitation to come together, celebrate what we have built over more than two centuries, and imagine what we can build next — together.”

The campaign is intended to support student success, learning opportunities, academic and creative programs and the college's long-term financial needs.

The campaign follows a record year of fundraising for the college. During the 2025-26 fiscal year, the Potsdam College Foundation secured $10,026,698 in new gifts and commitments, surpassing the previous annual fundraising record of $6.2 million set during the college's last comprehensive campaign in 2011-12.

The foundation's 2025-26 total was nearly 70% higher than the previous year and more than $3.8 million above the previous record, according to SUNY Potsdam.

“Despite our fundraising success to date, this campaign is about more than numbers,” said David Davin, vice president for college advancement. “It's about making new opportunities possible: scholarships that allow a student to stay enrolled, instruments and equipment that change what can happen in a classroom, faculty mentorship that opens new paths, and experiences students carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

Public events during the week include:

Tuesday, Oct. 20

•   Fall Art Stroll, noon to 1 p.m., featuring a guided tour of the SUNY Potsdam art collection.

Wednesday, Oct. 21

•   Fall Harvest Buffet, Lehman Dining Hall, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The all-you-can-eat lunch is $12.
•   “f4 & See It: An Exhibition of Photojournalism” closing reception, Gibson Gallery, 5 to 7 p.m., featuring the work of Stephan Savoia, class of 1975.

Thursday, Oct. 22

•   Thank A Giver Day, 1 p.m., a campus tour highlighting spaces, scholarships and programs supported by donations.
•   LoKo Arts Presents Bruce Rodgers, class of 1971, “Navigating the Future Without a Map,” Kellas 106, 6 p.m. Rodgers is the founding executive director of the Hermitage Artist Retreat.

Friday, Oct. 23

•   WISER Botanical Garden ribbon-cutting, 4 p.m., celebrating the opening of the Wagner Institute for Sustainability and Ecological Research Botanical Garden.

Saturday, Oct. 24

•   Legacy Celebration and Campaign Launch Announcement, Knowles Conference Center, 1 p.m. The event will include the formal announcement of the campaign goal, fundraising progress and major gift commitments.
•   Bears Block Party, 4 p.m., Academic Quad.
•   Festival of Lights, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Academic Quad. The public event will include music by SFM, Glocade mini-golf, light displays, giveaways, hot cocoa and coffee, followed by a drone show.

SUNY Potsdam said the campaign will support scholarships, academic programs, student experiences, facilities and faculty initiatives.

The college, founded more than 200 years ago, has not yet publicly announced the overall campaign goal. That figure and fundraising progress will be unveiled during the Oct. 24 launch event.

To learn how you can make a difference for SUNY Potsdam students, visit www.potsdam.edu/giving.