Lori Mould ’14, a current graduate student with the college, was presented with a special commendation by the SUNY Board of Trustees and Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher at the regularly scheduled meeting of the board, held Nov. 5 at the SUNY Global Center, 116 E. 55th St., New York City. 

The commendation reads: “Special commendation is presented to Lori Mould, in recognition of outstanding service and significant contributions to the entire SUNY system as president of the SUNY Student Assembly and as a member of the SUNY Board of Trustees.”

The commendation is signed by the chancellor and H. Carl McCall, chairman of the board.

Mould was elected president of the SUNY Student Assembly April 5, 2014 and was sworn in as the student trustee June 9 of that year, a first for a SUNY Empire State College student.

All SUNYSA presidents represent all SUNY students as a full, voting member of the board, during their one-year term of office.

At the meeting, the chairman, chancellor and Thomas Mastro, current SUNYSA president, who also is an undergraduate student at Binghamton University, and other members of the board, praised Mould.

“I had the honor of working with Lori last year as her vice president,” said Mastro. “Lori brought unique ideas and strategies on how to move the organization in the direction that all SUNY students look for. Lori brought to us issues like sexual assault and ways in which we can improve our campuses at all levels of higher education. Thank you Lori.”

“Lori was a strong and dedicated leader of the student assembly this past year,” said McCall. “Her work helped us put in place some key policies, including sexual assault prevention, which will protect students for years to come. Lori ensured that the student voice was present at all of the discussions we had at the board table, reminding us that our votes would change the lives of the over 465,000 students that she represents. We wish her all the best in her endeavors and are happy she will still be a big part of the SUNY family.”

“What Lori did for us is, I think, two-fold. First of all, she showed us the courage it takes for a mature person to return to school,” said Zimpher. “We say all the time that there are seven million New Yorkers who need to do that, but it is hard to do. As much as we try at wonderful places like Empire State College to meet the needs of our adult population, I know we can and will do better. You were a model for all of us and, of course, Lori is still at it, working on her master’s degree.

“And secondly, and Tom (Mastro), I think you will agree, she was a testimony to the fact that the SUNY Student Assembly represents the entirety of our sectors, not only our two- and four-year institutions, but our graduate students as well. I think that (graduate student representation) needed to be lifted up as well, and that’s what Lori Mould did.”

“I am so honored to have served the nearly half million SUNY students last year,” said Mould. “I learned so much and loved advocating for all SUNY students. My thanks go to the students who had faith in my abilities and everyone at Empire State College and SUNY for their guidance, help and support. I am truly blessed.”

Mould may be the only two-time recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. As a SUNY Empire student, she was recognized in 2014 and, as a Genesee Community College student, where she also was Phi Theta Kappa, she earned SUNY’s most prestigious student award in 2010. She also is a 2014 SUNY ACT Scholarship recipient.

Mould completed a bachelor’s in art, with a 3.9 GPA, and is currently working on her Master of Arts in Adult Learning. Her graduate work focuses on higher education and veterans.