July 7, 2025

The next issue is on July 21. Please send your news to newsletter@sage.edu by the end of the day, Wednesday, July 16.

Fun Stuff Next Week: Scroll to the events section for links to sign up for Coffee Hour IRL and Sage Night at the Tri-City ValleyCats.

What's New

Student Sage Marketing Campaign Wins Prestigious CASE Award

Russell Sage earned a GRAND GOLD Circle of Excellence Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for the Student Sage marketing campaign. Only 21 grand golds were awarded out of 4,460 nominations (477 of them winners) from 640 institutions in 33 countries. From the judges:

"This entry shines through its innovative outreach, resourceful execution achieving impressive return on investment, and overall strategic success, making it a standout example for others to follow."

Read more about Sage's win on the CASE website. 

CSTEP Students to Share Their Summer Research — All Welcome! 

Students Samira Sefadine Ismail, Dua Sadiq, Takia Scott, and Jessica Korbieh will present research at the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program's Summer Research Symposium on Friday, July 11. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Shea Learning Center library in Troy. 

Ismail will present "Seasonal and Circadian Influences on Children's Growth"; Sadiq will present "CRISPR Gene Editing and the Current Political Climate"; Scott will present "The Risk of Lung Cancer"; and Korbieh will present "Unequal Access: Addressing Structural Barriers for Black Women in Healthcare."

Faculty members Mary Rea, Emilly Obuya, and Stephanie Bennett-Knapp mentored the students.

Please RSVP for the research symposium and email CSTEP Associate Director Katie Smith if you are available to be a poster reviewer. This is an energizing and inspiring opportunity to learn more about what students are studying!

David Baecker in Oklahoma!

Professor of Theatre David Baecker is Andrew “Pa” Carnes in Playhouse Stage Company's Oklahoma! in Washington and Tawasentha parks this summer.

Behind-the-scenes, he’s gotten to know a future Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences colleague — the father of one of his costars!

Find Oklahoma! dates and showtimes.

In the News

🟢🔷 The Aphasia Center at Russell Sage College helps those with language disorder (CBS6-WRGB)

🟢🔷 Russell Sage President Matthew Shaftel Joins Boards of Regional, State, and National Higher Education Leadership Organizations (Sage.edu)

🐊🐊 Geri Seif is the new women's lacrosse coach; Kaiden Simpson was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District men's cross country and track and field team; and Leah Madore is one of the Capital District's Sports Women of the Year. Catch up on more athletics news at sagegators.com.

Two Awards for Early Career Success for Interior + Spatial Design Grad 

Danielle Kadtke ’21 has worked on major projects from NYC transit to Boston’s pro women’s soccer stadium. Another high-profile project — the expansion of Stony Brook Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Department — helped earn her two “30 Under 30” honors. Read how Russell Sage prepared Kadtke for success.

ECAR Update

The college's Every Campus A Refuge chapter recently welcomed a young woman from Afghanistan. If you are available to help her get settled and find community in the Albany area, please complete the ECAR volunteer interest form. Thank you for making our community a place of welcome and hope.

Way to Go!

Congratulations to alumna and Vice President for Student Life Trish Cellemme, honored with an Alumnae/i of Influence Award by the Russell Sage College Alumnae/i Association at Reunion last month. Hear from Trish and other alumni award recipients in this YouTube video.

Wall of Wins

Please continue to share the everyday victories that make this college community exceptional: Wall/Google Doc of Wins.

Do you have good news to share? Send it to newsletter@sage.edu!

Events

Wednesday, July 16

🧋 Coffee Hour IRL, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Buchman Plaza, Troy (rain location, Buchman). RSVP for Coffee Hour IRL and add Coffee Hour IRL to your Google Calendar.

Saturday, July 19

⚾ Sage Night at the Tri-City ValleyCats, 6:30, Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, 80 Vandenburgh Ave, Troy. Use the code Sage to purchase discounted tickets ($9) to the baseball game (Share the link and code with friends and family, too!)

Thursday, August 21

🟢🔷 Opening Day (more info forthcoming)

Reminders

Volunteers Needed! Intercultural Cafes, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays (Spirituality Center, Troy) and Thursdays (West Hall, Albany), are friendly gatherings where English language learners practice conversation with volunteers. Drop in, or email Nana Owusu-ofori (Troy) or Noora Ahmed (Albany) to learn more.

Find past issues of Coffee Break in the newsletter archive.

Free online fitness classes: Log in at BODi/Beachbody on Demand with

Username: Recreation@sage.edu and Password: Thrive2020

Free CDPHP Cycle! membership: Free daily bike rides with the CDPHP Cycle! app and the promo code RussellSage: www.cdphpcycle.org.

Coffee Hour links: Find Coffee Hour recordings; see the Coffee Hour schedule or sign up to present; or email the Coffee Hour team at innovation@sage.edu.

Moodle help: Find updated Moodle links and important information for summer 2025–spring 2026 in this PDF. You can also schedule a training session with Sage Online via the Training Request Form. 

Access tuition benefits for employees: Complete the tuition waiver PDF for fall 2025 and submit it to hr@sage.edu.

For reference:

• Institutional Response to Federal Issues
• RSC and ACPHS Strategic Merger FAQs

One Last Thing

Why don’t alligators like fast food in the summer? Because they can’t catch it — it’s too hot to chase!

Next Issue

The next issue of Coffee Break is on July 21. Please send your news to to newsletter@sage.edu by the end of the day, Wednesday, July 16.

Solutions: The Newsletter for students will return when the fall semester begins.

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