SUNY Canton Public Relations Wins SUNYCUAD Awards for Excellence

The SUNY Canton Office of Public Relations earned four awards for outstanding creative work this year from the SUNY Council for University Advancement (SUNYCUAD). The awards were presented at the organization’s annual conference held in Albany.

Senior Media Relations Manager and Photographer Gregory E. Kie received a best of category award for Excellence in News Writing for an article about Akwesasne Mohawk artist Arihhonni (Honni) David’s artwork display on campus. David is a Native American children’s book author and illustrator whose writing credits include the popular Marvel Comics Universe’s Mohawk character, Kahhori.

The coverage continues a series of award-winning writing surrounding Native American initiatives at the college which began with Mohawk Names Initiative. The college has seen its indigenous population expand in the past three years and subsequently launched a Native American Student alliance. These efforts have been led by students assisted by Lecturer Daniel McLane, who teaches Sociology in the college’s School of Business and Liberal Arts.

Kie also earned a judges’ citation in the Excellence in Research Writing category for his press release titled, “SUNY Canton Faculty Member Puts Eyes on Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease.” The piece highlights a National Science Foundation grant to market an advanced eye-tracking system to detect indicators of neurodegeneration. The grant was awarded to Assistant Professor Mehdi Ghayoumi, who teaches in the Data Science and Analytics degree program.

“These honors speak to the significance of the stories we tell at SUNY Canton,” Kie said. “I’m incredibly proud to work with the students and faculty who serve as leaders in Indigenous initiatives and conduct innovative research.”

Publications Coordinator Matthew J. Mulkin received a judges’ citation for Excellence in Magazine Design for the 2026 edition of “After Canton.” The alumni publication’s theme was AI, and included a feature article about how the college’s faculty members are implementing the technology in a thoughtful and meaningful way.

Director of Public Relations and Web Designer Travis G. Smith received a judges’ citation for Excellence in Websites for the redesign of the college’s website, canton.edu. Launched in fall 2025, the new design integrates video and larger photos while increasing overall user-based functionality.

“Maintaining brand cohesion is one of the greatest challenges when launching a new website,” said Director of Public Relations Travis G. Smith, who also serves as the college's web designer. “While it's tempting to build something completely new from the ground up, we prefer to iterate and build incrementally, making thoughtful updates that stay true to our existing brand identity. The result is a design that feels both modern and familiar.”

The Office of Public Relations has earned previous SUNYCUAD awards for design, magazine production, video production, marketing, advertising, photography, website design and community relations.