May 18, 2026

Coffee Break is on an every-other-week schedule through the summer.

Please send announcements to newsletter@sage.edu by end of day

Wednesday, May 27, to appear in the June 1 issue.

🚨 Reminders

We'll host a joint employee merger forum update on Wednesday, May 20, at 3 p.m. Find the Zoom link for the forum here.

The Employee Recognition event is Thursday, May 21, at noon in the Armory, Albany. HR is still accepting RSVPs.

Summer hours (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) begin this week and run through Friday, August 7.

In the News

A graduate celebrates at the 109th commencement held at MVP Arena in Albany on Saturday (Kaseem Gomez/Russell Sage College Marketing and Communications.)

Commencement Coverage

Read all about our commencement ceremony on Saturday, including the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters awarded to Patricia Timpano Sparrell '78, an alum and former board of trustee chair.

Our grads were also celebrated in the news:

WAMC featured our father-son graduates both named David Davis – and soon-to-be M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and Community Psychology students – in this story.

The Times Union wrote about Emilie DeGroff, a graduate of our Expressive Arts in Mental Health program who also serves as a volunteer firefighter and will be entering our M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and Community Psychology program with a goal of helping first responders.

And Spectrum News has been interviewing Emilie, as well as Doctorate of Educational Leadership graduate Tony Rivera, for two feature stories, so look for those soon!

A group of young men in casual shirts and khakis stands on a stage with five graduates in caps and gowns holding diplomas, in front of a large organ.

The Times Union featured a photo gallery from the special graduation ceremony for baseball student-athletes in the Class of 2026, who missed Saturday’s commencement to compete in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.

Congratulations to our Gators and Some Baseball Headlines

We're so proud of our Sage Gators, who fell in their second elimination game of the NCAA Division III Championship tournament this weekend to Penn State Harrisburg. Our Empire 8 regular season and conference tournament champions, who ended their run ranked No. 12 in the nation, have posted a historic season. We are proud of their play, but also who they are off the field.

Baseball Coach Matt Marsh and athletes Evan Grimes and Joe Karpierz spoke to News10 about the team’s incredible season and hosting the NCAA regional.

The Troy Record and Saratogian reported on how Marsh implemented “Gotta earn it” as the team’s slogan and a prophetic dream Grimes had leading up to the E8 tournament.

Faculty Mentions

Sociology Professor Michelle Napierski-Prancl was quoted in The 10 Most Common US Last Names — and the Fastest‑Growing Ones and The Unusual Baby Names Surging in America for Newsweek (republished on MSN) and The Most Popular Baby Names of 2025 for AARP (included in the Chronicle’s Daily Briefing newsletter).

Four friends and a play in the Troy Record and Saratogian is a fun read about the connections between Theatre Professor David Baecker, graduates Ethan Botwick and David Girard, and actor John Romeo, who collaborated on a staged reading of Below the Belt at Theatre Voices last week.

Students and Alumni In the News and Around the Web

Nutrition Science student and The Plant Slant influencer Liam Layton was interviewed by the Times Union (republished on Yahoo! Life.)

Albany’s 2026 Tulip Queen Syaira Liverpool will begin the Professional School Counseling master's program this fall.

State Senator Jake Ashby honored Physical Therapy graduate Kathryn Biel, DPT, as the 43rd Senate District’s 2026 Woman of Distinction.

The Middleburgh Central School District appointed Educational Leadership graduate Nicholas P. Comproski as its elementary school principal.

Way to Go!

Book cover titled "A Complete Guide to Teaching Sexuality Education for Students with Developmental Disabilities."

New Book From Cheryl Ostryn

Cheryl Ostryn, Ph.D., BCBA-D, associate professor of Applied Behavior Analysis, coauthored A Complete Guide to Teaching Sexuality Education for Students with Developmental Disabilities, published by Greatness Achieved Publishing Company.

Baseball player in gray uniform swinging a bat during a game.

Gators Earn Empire 8 Postseason Honors

Baseball’s Darren Dengler (pictured) was named the Empire 8 Tournament Most Valuable Player and four team members earned all-conference honors.

Softball earned postseason recognition, with Annalise Tyler earning first team All-E8 honors and Alina Ferguson named to the E8 Championship Tournament Team.

Celebrate success: Please help us keep the Wall of Wins going strong this summer! Shout out a colleague or share your own achievements today!

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

Events

Looking for something to do? New events are added to The Chomp online calendar every day. Check it often to see what is going on!

Have an event to promote? Add your event to The Chomp, then email the details to newsletter@sage.edu.

Baseball player in a green jersey and black helmet running during a game.

THURSDAY on Proudly Sage — Meet Student-Athletes: Can’t Hide Our Gator Pride

While most of us will be at the Employee Recognition event this Thursday afternoon, the Proudly Sage webinar featuring a Q&A with Assistant Athletic Director Garrett Cobb and three standout student-athletes, will be happening concurrently for fans and alumni. Please share the registration link for the May 21 webinar with your students and networks and watch the Proudly Sage webpage for the recording.

Mental Health Awareness Month Webinars

Presented by HR

Laurel Petersen Solo Show

Laurel Petersen, office coordinator in the Nutrition Science department and Art + Extended Media student, has an exhibition of 40 illustrations at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts this June. There will be an artist reception on June 6, 2-4 p.m.

Book Discussion: The Manager Method by Ashley Herd

June 10-July 22

Rensselaer County Sexual Assault Response Team Conference

June 10, Bush Memorial, Troy

Free! Register for the SART conference or email SART@sphp.com for information about continuing education credits.

TIAA on Troy Campus

June 17, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Cowee Hall, 2nd Floor Conference Room.

Keep in Mind

Join the Employee Pickleball League: Matches on the Albany campus begin in late May. Beginners welcome. Find more info and sign up for pickleball.

Fitness Center Summer Hours: Albany FitStop is closed through August 23. The Troy Fitness Center will be open Monday-Friday, 3:30-5:30 p.m., June 1-July 31 (closed June 19, July 2-3).

Registering for summer or fall classes? Fill out HR’s tuition waiver form.

Access past issues of IT’s newsletter in the Sage Guard Newsletter repository.

Free CDPHP Cycle! Membership: Download the app at www.cdphpcycle.org and use promo code RussellSage.

Take a Break with the Wellness Center:

🌿 Book the massage chair in Albany

🌿 Book the massage chair in Troy

🌿 Purchase health essentials, including contraceptives, pain relief, menstrual care, and basic first aid at the Troy Wellness Center’s vending machine.

Find past issues of Coffee Break in the newsletter archive.

For reference:

Thanks for Reading!

Send announcements for the Coffee Break (employees) to newsletter@sage.edu by the end of the day Wednesday to appear in the next issue.

The Solutions student newsletter will resume in the fall.

newsletter@sage.edu

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