Alpha Delta sorority her senior year.
Elizabeth (Jackson) Rhody '57 treasures her memories from SUNY Potsdam—living in the Elm Street dorms, wearing her purple Alpha Delta sorority jacket, viewing the winter carnival ice sculptures and nurturing her passion for education.
Liz graduated with a major in elementary education and a minor in fine arts, and her Potsdam experience served as the integral cornerstone of her exceptional career.
“Potsdam offered me the world,” Liz shared gratefully.
Upon graduating, Liz worked as a second grade teacher in Rochester, N.Y., and then received her master’s in education at Tufts University, just outside of Boston. Liz remained in the Boston area and eventually began a new career in publishing, serving as an elementary editor for Ginn & Company. She then became a national consultant for the company’s SWRL program, traveling across the country to promote their phonics initiatives for beginning readers.
Reflecting on her storied career, Liz shared, “It’s interesting where Potsdam carried me and what I was able to do with the skills that I learned for the rest of my life.”
Through it all, Liz never abandoned her passion for education, eventually becoming a volunteer and donor for various educational organizations, including her alma mater.
“I was working with my financial planner, and we were discussing things that I might do, so I got in touch with Potsdam and learned about charitable giving opportunities,” Liz recalled.
Liz established a charitable gift annuity with SUNY Potsdam in 2007. This giving method allows Liz to receive income for life and designate the residuum to a scholarship in her name at Potsdam.
In order to support SUNY Potsdam students during her lifetime, Liz started giving to the Elizabeth Rhody ’57 Scholarship annually to provide outright support for nontraditional students.
Potsdam in 2019 for the Legacy Luncheon.
"I wanted a non-traditional student because I was thinking of the person that may never have had the opportunity to go to school and now could go," Liz shared. "I think it may have something to do with leaving one job and going into another job, which I did a couple of times. It's like starting over."
Liz’s favorite part of giving to Potsdam is learning about and meeting her scholarship recipients, like Tabitha Brown ’20, a mother of two who was offered a fresh start to explore a teaching career after homeschooling her own children through high school.
Upon meeting Liz at the 2019 Legacy Luncheon, Tabitha shared, “I am so thankful that people out there are willing to invest in other people’s futures—because it’s changing trajectories of people’s lives.”
While on campus for the luncheon, Liz visited the Rebecca V. Sheard Literacy Center, where she discovered that the resources she had helped develop and promote at Ginn & Company still influenced the work being done in the field of literacy today. In order to celebrate this connection and ensure her legacy of literacy continues at Potsdam, Liz has designated the Literacy Center as a beneficiary in her estate plans.
“My bequest will allow me to positively impact students of all ages, from the elementary school level to current teacher candidates and into later adult years,” Liz explained. “It’s quite a legacy, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to give back.”
A bequest ensures your legacy at SUNY Potsdam and the continued success of the programs dearest to you. To learn more about giving to SUNY Potsdam through your estate plan, visit potsdam.edu/bequest or request our Estate Planning Guide.