SUNY Cobleskill is proud to announce that the State University of New York has presented Dr. Stephen “Doc” Mackenzie with the Distinguished Service Professorship Award. The SUNY Cobleskill community celebrated Dr. Mackenzie’s award with words of praise from President Marion A. Terenzio, Provost Susan Zimmermann, Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources Timothy Moore, presentation of a letter to Dr. Mackenzie from SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson, and car parade in his honor.
The award is conferred upon instructional faculty who have achieved a notable reputation for extraordinary service not only to the campus and to SUNY, but also to the community, the State of New York and even the nation, over multiple years. The award is reserved for faculty who epitomize excellence in their profession, and in doing so, distinguish themselves and honor SUNY. Distinguished Faculty are automatically members of the SUNY Distinguished Academy, which encourages a continuing commitment to high quality instruction, service to our campuses and the State, and strong leadership development for newer faculty.
Dr. Mackenzie was the driving force behind the establishment of SUNY Cobleskill’s Canine Training and Management bachelor-degree granting program, the first and only of its kind nationwide and which has garnered international attention. The program was developed in response to the significant increase in emphasis on canines in society, and particularly to the growing need for search and detection dogs in the wake of September 11. Launched in 2019 as an immediate success, the program attracts students from around the country and abroad, preparing them to enter canine-related fields including national security, law enforcement, veterinary medicine, canine-assisted therapy and much more.
In 2015, Dr. Mackenzie was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, and received a Master Trainer of the Year award from the North American Police Work Dog Association in 2017, recognizing him for his work with utility, cadaver, narcotics, and wildlife detection dogs. As a pillar of SUNY Cobleskill’s Animal Science Canine concentration for nearly 40 years, the school established an endowment in his honor to purchase equipment to support the Canine Training and Management program.
Dr. Mackenzie is widely recognized for his work with law enforcement agencies nationwide, and has been a Deputy Sheriff for the Schoharie County Sheriff’s Office for 25 years, serving as their K-9 handler and trainer for seven years. He is the author of Decoys and Aggression: A Police K-9 Training Manual, Aggression Control: Teaching the “Out” and Police Officer’s Guide to K9 Searches. He is a court recognized expert in animal behavior at both the state and federal levels in both criminal and civil cases. He is a Nose Work trial judge for the National Association of Canine Scent Work and a frequent instructor at police dog seminars across the United States and Canada. Dr. Mackenzie holds a PhD in the genetics of behavior from Cornell University.
This release was issued by SUNY Cobleskill, 06/23/2020
