SUNY Adirondack students honored with Chancellor's Awards

QUEENSBURY, New York (April 28, 2026) — SUNY Adirondack is proud to announce this year’s Chancellor’s Award winners, recognized at a ceremony yesterday by SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr.

SUNY Adirondack alumni Lucas Van Dyke and Audrina Hill — each of whom graduated in December — were awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, the highest honor bestowed upon a student by the university.

The SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence acknowledges students for outstanding achievements that demonstrate integration of SUNY excellence into many different aspects of their lives, including academics; leadership; diversity, equity, inclusion and justice; campus involvement; civics and service; research and development; or creative and performing arts.

“SUNY Adirondack is incredibly proud of Lucas and Audrina for this well-deserved recognition,” said SUNY Adirondack President Anastasia L. Urtz, J.D. “They exemplify what it means to be engaged, compassionate and driven students, using their experiences here to grow as leaders and make a meaningful impact in their communities.”

Hill, a Queensbury native, earned an associate degree in Psychology from SUNY Adirondack, then enrolled at SUNY Plattsburgh Queensbury. She applied to Cornell University for the fall 2026 semester, to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology.

“I experienced what it was like to struggle with mental health and it took me a while to find a therapist that made me feel seen, heard and validated,” Hill explained. “She really just opened my eyes, and I realized, ‘This is what I want to do, to help people the way she helped me.’”

At SUNY Adirondack, Hill was an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) student and was active in the Sustainability Club.

Van Dyke is from Franklin (Delaware County), where he graduated in a class of 15 students. He earned a degree in Criminal Justice: Police Science from SUNY Adirondack, then transferred to a bachelor’s degree program at SUNY Potsdam, where he is a dispatcher in the campus police department and will be a resident assistant (RA) in the fall.

While at SUNY Adirondack, Van Dyke was an RA; president of Pride Club; student senator-at-large; a mental health advocate; served on the Diversity Committee, Residence Hall Association and Safety Advisory Group; a member of Active Minds; an English tutor for Upward Bound; and a TRIO SSS student.

He also worked in Student Life and had an internship with Saratoga Springs Police Department. “I look back at my calendar and think ‘When did I eat? Sleep? Breathe?’” he laughed. “SUNY Adirondack saved my life. I would not be the person I am today if it weren’t for SUNY Adirondack and the opportunity I got there."