Albany, NY – SUNY Canton junior Francesco Palumbo has earned the State University of New York Association of Council Members and College Trustees annual award for Excellence and Student Initiative Scholarship, SUNY announced in a letter on August 9th.

The ACT Award focuses on a student's academic achievements and service to their campus and/or community. Every SUNY school was eligible to nominate one student for this highly respected award. The award includes a $1,000 scholarship for Palumbo and an additional $250 donation in the student's name to the charity of his choice. Palumbo said his charitable donation will be made to Canton High School's Golden Bear Booster Club.

Palumbo, a member of the Roos baseball team and a sports management major, will begin his junior year this fall. Through his first two years he has been a huge part of not only the SUNY Canton family but the local community.

"Francesco is a tremendous contributor to our baseball team, the athletic department and his Sports Management major," Athletic Director Randy B. Sieminski said. "He works incredibly hard in the classroom, on the field, in the office and in the community. We are extraordinarily proud of his accomplishments. This is a remarkably prestigious state-wide award."

Palumbo served as the lead marketing manager and promoter for the baseball team's inaugural Clemente Cup tournament, which was held in Spring 2016 in Puerto Rico in honor of the late Roberto Clemente. During the trip he helped troubleshoot numerous technological issues, recorded video and pictures and created a blog that the Clemente Foundation features to promote the event. Palumbo has also been crucial in driving the Athletics department's new media initiatives as he has helped to create the Roos Sports Media club on campus and trained other students in video editing.

"Francesco is the true definition of what it means to be a student-athlete and has had a profound impact on SUNY Canton as well as the greater community," Director of Athletic Communications and Marketing Nate Hart said. "He has been crucial to the recent growth and success of our athletic department and promoting not only the baseball team but our entire Roos program. During perhaps his busiest semester to date this past spring he was able to balance coursework, playing baseball and three jobs all while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. His work ethic is unmatched."

Palumbo is also involved in the greater local community as he is working with North Country Sports Net on promoting college, high school and community sports this summer. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and has volunteered at the St. Mary's School and church along with local softball, baseball and basketball clinics.

While serving in all these capacities and more he has also been a top student carrying a cumulative grade point average of 3.69 including a perfect 4.0 during the Spring 2016 semester. He has received numerous awards for his academics including being named to the Empire 8 Baseball President's List as well as the USCAA All-Academic Team. At the Athletics department's end of year banquet he was honored with the Male Make-A-Difference award to a standing ovation from his peers for having a profound impact on the department as well as the campus community.

"Francesco is a gift to all of those who know him," said Frederick Saburro, the baseball team's faculty athletic liaison. "He inspires me and everyone around him to be a better person."

Palumbo will be honored with the SUNY-wide ACT scholarship at an awards luncheon on Saturday, October 1, 2016 at The WoodCliff Hotel in Rochester, NY.

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About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses, as well as 10 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 15 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.