State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras met Rhon Glasgow, student recipient of SUNY Empire State College's Richard L. Brodsky Scholarship for Public Service, to discuss Glasgow’s commitment to a career in public service upon graduation.

SUNY Empire established the Richard L. Brodsky Scholarship for Public Service in 2020 in honor of the late Richard L. Brodsky, a 14-term assemblyman from Westchester County, who served the lower Hudson Valley community for 27 years. Throughout his career, he became a mentor to many, including Malatras.

“This scholarship was created to remember the legacy of a person who really believed in public service, who was Richard Brodsky,” Malatras said. “It’s great to see people who want to do good in the world receive this scholarship.”

With dreams of working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Glasgow hopes to focus on disaster management as a career after graduation.

“Since Hurricane Katrina 15 years ago, I had the opportunity to do some volunteer work in New Orleans and saw how the disaster affected the populations down there,” Glasglow said. “It’s been my drive to work in that field, but I needed to go back to school in order to do so.”

Glasgow is completing his fourth semester at SUNY Empire, majoring in business, management and economics.

“When it came time for me to go back to school, I wondered how I would manage the time commitment with the constraints of working 40 to 50 hours a week,” Glasgow said. “But it’s been great. It’s renewed my interest in learning, and I can apply what I’ve learned in the real world.” 

Glasgow said the pandemic was the final push he needed to return to school and pursue his dream of working in public service. Malatras praised Glasgow for his focus on public service.

“You’re also forging your own legacy by going back to college and dedicating yourself to public service to helping others,” Malatras said. “Those are the unsung heroes that we need more of in our society and the people we need to lift up.”

To make a donation to the Richard L. Brodsky Scholarship for Public Service, visit www.esc.edu/Brodsky.