In the spring of 2021, the Maya Gold Foundation welcomed SUNY New Paltz student Dayna Thomas as the newest member of the Board of Directors. Dayna's connection to the Maya Gold Foundation precedes her newly appointed position; she was a member of the Youth Action Team during her high school years, and has served on multiple committees prior to Board appointment. "Through my work with the Foundation in the past, I have learned the importance of creating a local and global community. On my two trips to Nepal with the Foundation, I was able to help empower others which simultaneously helped me empower myself," says Dayna. Dayna is a graduate of New Paltz High School and currently a Graphic Design student at SUNY New Paltz. She was recently recognized as a Fall 2020 Dean's List member. Dayna believes that her past involvement with the Maya Gold Foundation has prepared her for this new role as a Board member. She shares that "as a Board member I am looking forward to continuing to help plan important events for our community as well as working to create meaningful experiences and connections for future trips to Nepal. The Maya Gold Foundation has allowed me the opportunity to give back to the community that raised me in a meaningful way."

Student Angelina Montez Examines Meatpacking Labor Exploitation During Pandemic Angelina Montez '22, a junior double majoring in communication and women's, gender, and sexuality studies, received a spring Academic Year Undergraduate Research Experience (AYURE) award for her research project, "Understanding the Communicative Conditions of Meatpacking Labor Exploitation amid the COVID-19 Pandemic," which she's conducting with faculty mentor Kathleen P. Hunt, an assistant professor of communication. The research project contrasts the internal working conditions of meatpacking employees with their companies' public-facing media and public relations campaigns. Their research has found that companies misrepresent general worker safety as well as COVID-19-specific safety measures in an attempt to rewrite the narrative that is playing out in factories across the country. By emphasizing employees' essential worker status and their dedication to supporting their employees during this crisis, companies project a public image as proud protectors rather than profiteers. The team is focusing on presenting their findings at upcoming academic conferences with future plans to publish in an academic journal. Montez also hopes that COVID can be a catalyst for positive change regarding the working conditions of underrepresented groups. She will continue her work with food systems and environmental communication as well as issues of workers' rights and environmental advocacy.

SUNY New Paltz announces its Dean's List for the spring 2021 semester, a recognition for students who excel academically and earn at least a 3.3 grade-point average in a semester with a full-time course load.

SUNY New Paltz announces the conferral of graduate & undergraduate degrees to May 2021 graduates

SUNY New Paltz presents students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Masters of Fine Arts who presented their student theses.

The SUNY New Paltz Department of Theatre Arts presented "Romeo and Juliet," April 17th and 18th.

SUNY New Paltz students participated in the Listen Forward Student Recital: New Music New Voices, April 13th.

SUNY New Paltz students participated in the Listen Forward Student Showcase on April 6th.

SUNY New Paltz Art History students participated in the 2021 Undergraduate Art History Symposium, April 9-11.

Two SUNY New Paltz students recieved the 2021 Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence

SUNY New Paltz awarded students with the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) grant for summer 2020.

SUNY New Paltz recognizes students awarded Academic Year Undergraduate Research Experience (AYURE) grants for the spring 2021 semester.

SUNY New Paltz recognizes students who will participate in the musical performance "Getting Up Is Easier," March 20 & 21.

SUNY New Paltz recognizes students who participated in the live staged reading of "Tell Them Tomorrow," Feb. 27-28

SUNY New Paltz recognizes students who participated in the spring 2020 Stepping into Diversity Conference.

The SUNY New Paltz Department of Theatre Arts presented "The Killing Fields," Feb. 6-7.

SUNY New Paltz incoming first-year students participated in the 2020 AC^2 STEM Prep Camp.

SUNY New Paltz recognizes students in the AC^2 Program who were awarded the CSTEP Community and AMP Outstanding Scholar Awards.

SUNY New Paltz students completed the 2020 AC^2 Summer Research Program.

SUNY New Paltz recognizes students who served as AC^2 Study Group Leaders for the spring 2021 semester.

SUNY New Paltz recognizes students who served as AC^2 Study Group Leaders for the fall 2020 semester.

SUNY New Paltz senior engineering students participated in the Virtual Engineering Project Review for the Fall 2020 semester on December 11, 2020.

SUNY New Paltz recognizes students serving on the editorial board at the New Paltz Oracle.

SUNY New Paltz recognizes BS Visual Arts and BA graduating seniors who exhibited work in the Fall 2020 Senior Exhibition, "Inner Visions."

SUNY New Paltz recognizes recipients of the 2020-2021 Academic Year Undergraduate Research Experience (AYURE) Awards

SUNY New Paltz recognizes students in the AC^2 Program who were awarded the Book Awards for Academic Achievement.

SUNY New Paltz announces its Dean's List for the fall 2020 semester, a recognition for students who excel academically and earn at least a 3.3 grade-point average in a semester with a full-time course load.

SUNY New Paltz recognizes the Student Senate members for the Fall 2020 semester.

SUNY New Paltz congratulates new and returning students in leadership positions as part of the New Paltz Student Association.

SUNY New Paltz recognizes graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) students for their exhibition "Opening DisClosed" at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum (WAAM).