Upstate Institute News and Announcements

Michael Fitzgerald, recently retired commissioner at the Madison County Department of Social Services (DSS), has been appointed to serve as Gretchen Hoadley Burke ’81 Endowed Chair in regional studies for the 2024–25 academic year. Fitzgerald brings a wealth of practitioner experience, a deep commitment to community, and a strong relationship with the Upstate Institute and Colgate University. 

The Upstate Institute is among the Colgate sponsors supporting the upcoming “Dark Skies in Appalachian Identity, Culture, and Sense of Place” symposium in April. The symposium will bring writers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, scholars, and scientists to Colgate April 4–6 to explore the human connection to the dark night sky.

Emma Sholl ’11 credits a law course sponsored by the Upstate Institute with starting her on the path to her current role as lead attorney of the Health and Benefits Section at the Nashville office of Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. 

The MAD Ideas lecture series continues this spring, offering free events for the Madison County community presented by local experts from area colleges and universities, through Cornell Cooperative Extension Madison County. The lecture series is supported by funding from the Upstate Institute, and brings top thinkers to share their ideas and research topics, and spans a wide variety of topics, including agriculture, health, youth development, and ecological sustainability.

A variety of enrichment presentations facilitated by local experts will be offered this spring for the Hamilton community through the LifeLong Learning Program (LLP), sponsored by Colgate's Upstate Institute.

I spent half my time kayaking on lakes and ponds observing Loon behavior and checking for leg bands. This banding information can be used to indicate information about the year the loon was banded, mating patterns, and migration patterns, which all inform our understanding of loons' behavior.

Jorge Parada Cisneros '25: During my time at Young Scholars Liberty Partnerships Program, I met the incredible staff and students to get a better understanding of the program and its goals. My research provided tools, techniques, and resources for the program and its staff to help assist the students in the program and set them up for success.

I have gained valuable insights academically and professionally through working on the Oneida County History Center’s newspaper rehousing and exhibition planning project.

The Mansion House museum tells the living history of this remarkable place and Community, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with the Mansion House this summer as an Upstate Institute Fellow. Collaborating most closely with Tom Guiler, Director of Museum Affairs, and Theresa Batty for graphic design, I have been researching and designing a museum exhibit about four lesser-known Oneida Community members. We are investigating how their stories contribute to a more multi-dimensional and personal understanding of the Oneida Community and its history.

Through the Upstate Institute Summer Field School, I had the opportunity to work with the United Way of Mid Rural New York, which recently merged the United Ways of Chenango, Delaware and Otsego, and Madison.