In the early 1970s SUNY Potsdam established the Reading Center in Satterlee Hall. The purpose of the center was to match college students' needs for experience with elementary students' reading needs. The program was informally named the Reading Clinic. Many students from northern New York benefited from this program for more than 20 years.
In 2002, the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association received a bequest from former teacher Rebecca V. Sheard, who graduated from the Potsdam Normal School in 1916. Rebecca Sheard believed that you should support one or two things that are close to your heart. The Alumni Association honored Rebecca's philanthropy by making a gift to the campus to renovate the Literacy Center. The gift allowed the college to leverage a state matching grant to fund the renovation of the Literacy Center.
In 2012 Diana Nole '87 funded the renovation of Satterlee 312 and 314 to become the Math and Science Center. This space was updated and furnished with collaboration stations which allow students and instructors to share information via technology. This space continues to undergo renovations with purchase of new furniture for the remainder of the space in fall 2021 and extensive technology updates in spring 2022. The mission for this space is to support STEM education and providing the greater Northern New York area with a space for technology advancements and innovation.