The Presidential Scholars Program empowers motivated and talented SUNY Potsdam students to create their own independent projects in service of their academic and career goals.

Students selected for the competitive program are required to draft an educational plan and complete a project with the guidance of dedicated faculty mentors. Generous funding from program donors supports the completion of student projects. For eligibility and requirements, see Admissions Criteria & Expectations.

Students seeking to go beyond traditional classroom experiences are strongly encouraged to apply to the Program. To learn about what Presidential Scholars are doing now and what they've done in the past, see Current projects. Eligible students are notified annually in late summer preceding the fall application period.

2025 Information Sessions:

The information session below will be held in the Lougheed Learning Commons lobby from 4 - 5 p.m.

Thursday, September 4
Friday, September 5

Application Deadline:

Thursday, October 9, 2025 by 4 p.m.

Questions?

Schedule an appointment

Dr. Thomas Baker
Lougheed Learning Commons, Suite 107
(315) 267-2507
appliedlearning@potsdam.edu

Funding for the Presidential Scholars Program comes from gifts to the Potsdam College Foundation from alumni, friends, faculty and businesses who support higher education at SUNY Potsdam and believe in self-directed learning.

The Presidential Scholars Program is especially appreciative and grateful for the generosity of Mildred Eveline Post and Bill Farley in support of funding student scholars and program activities.

Fabric of Learning

Weaving together academic research and applied learning experiences, Emily Bailey ’24 and Annabelle Kahle ’26 have been immersing themselves in unique hands-on research projects through the Presidential Scholars Program—examining the history of homespun garment manufacturing and using historical tools to create costumes that their ancestors would have worn.

Musically Driven

As she pulls the microphone close and hits record, Tatiana Merced ’24 captures audio for her “Musically Driven” podcast series—part of a multi-year presidential scholars project to examine how people of color have shaped the fabric of music history.

Helping Those in Need

Always encouraged by her mother to help those in need, Kristy Coyle ’22 harnessed those values while pursuing a degree in community health at SUNY Potsdam. During her senior year, she received funding through the Presidential Scholars Program to completed a research project focused on food insecurity, which culminated with her organizing a food insecurity and nutrition education conference at the College.

Discovering her Path

Marie Amell ’21 excelled as an art student during her four years at SUNY Potsdam. An honors student at the College, she was accepted into the prestigious Presidential Scholars Program where she conducted research on animation techniques and then created a film that she presented to faculty and staff at the end of her senior year.

Kadiatou Balde '19

As part of her Presidential Scholars project, Kadiatou studied historical and contemporary women in Islam from primary sources, including the Quran and hadiths, as well as modern books all written by women.