Pictured, left to right: Eric Struening (Advisor), John Alden, Laura Green, Stephanie Bernard, Erich Faller, Joe Simonds, Dan Healy, and Ken Carroll (DU National Youth and Engagement Chair)
SUNY Cobleskill’s Student Chapter of Ducks Unlimited was hailed on the national stage in July as a 2024 Silver All-American Collegiate Chapter and this year’s Grand Slam Award winner.
The current committee members of the College’s Ducks Unlimited Chapter accepted the Silver All-American Award at the national organization’s 12th Annual Collegiate Leadership Summit in Memphis, Tenn. from July 17 through 20. More than three hundred students attended, representing 77 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. The chapter’s membership is typically around 25 to 30 students each year.
The Silver All-American Collegiate Chapter designation honors a record-setting year of fundraising for the club in which it raised more than $53,296 at its Tenth Annual Outdoorsman’s Night Out event in November 2024. That money is pooled with other collegiate fundraising efforts and put toward wetlands and waterfowl conservation efforts across the U.S., overseen by the national Ducks Unlimited organization. Silver All-American chapters are those that raise between $50,000 and $74,999 annually.
The Grand Slam Award is given to a collegiate chapter that shows an increase in total revenue from all events, total attendance from all events, and volunteers as compared to the previous calendar year.
“These students have demonstrated exceptional commitment to conservation and leadership that goes far beyond their years,” said Eric Struening, advisor for College’s Ducks Unlimited Chapter. “Raising over $53,000 while maintaining a small but dedicated membership of just five students is truly remarkable. Their success at the national level reflects their genuine passion for protecting our wetlands and waterfowl for future generations. I’m incredibly proud to see them recognized alongside chapters from major universities across the continent.”
“It was a memorable experience meeting with fellow chapters throughout the country and attending the sessions,” said Laura Green, the Chapter’s Social Media Chair. “I felt very proud to represent SUNY Cobleskill at the national level, where we were being nationally recognized against larger chapters. It was a positive experience, and we came away with many new ideas on improving our chapter in the years to come.”
“I am very lucky to have attended the summit as it gave me a chance to connect with different chapters and helped push my professional development,” said Joe Simonds, Chapter Treasurer. Receiving the Grand Slam Award along with the Silver All-American Award is an experience like no other and makes the accumulation of our efforts within the last year feel out of this world!”
The Chapter’s trip to the Collegiate Leadership Summit was made possible through an Applied Learning Grant from the SUNY Cobleskill Foundation, the College’s Student Government Association, and fundraising efforts by Chapter members.
SUNY Cobleskill introduced its Student Chapter of Ducks Unlimited in 2012 as the first Collegiate Ducks Unlimited Chapter in New York State. In 2024-2025, 104 collegiate chapters hosted 208 events and raised $3.69 million for wetland and waterfowl conservation.
