SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech is proud to announce that Associate Professor Kim Tarvis and Assistant Financial Aid Director Rebecca Burton have been named 2026 recipients of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, the State University of New York’s highest honor for faculty and professional staff.
Rebecca Burton — Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service
Rebecca Burton has been a cornerstone of the College’s Student Financial Services office since joining the institution in 1996. In the three decades since, she has grown into her role as Assistant Director of Financial Aid, bringing initiative and creativity to everything she does and allowing the office to run more efficiently and better serve our students. You will always find Rebecca stepping up to new challenges with a sense of enthusiasm that lifts everyone around her, qualities she also brings as a trusted colleague in both the SUNY and the New York State Financial Aid Administrators Associations.
Kim Tarvis — Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Associate Professor Kim Tarvis takes teaching to new levels. Her passion and the joy she spreads through education are evident to all who meet her and are lucky enough to learn from her. You can often find her giving guidance to students late into the evening, advising and traveling with them to competitions, and designing learning experiences that bring the material to life in memorable ways. Kim is widely respected as an expert in agricultural education, and her active involvement in conferences and professional organizations has earned her national recognition, including teaching awards recognizing the professional standard she sets every day.
“Kim and Rebecca each represent something special about this institution: people who give far more than their role requires and inspire everyone around them to do the same,” said President Dr. Marion Terenzio. “Kim’s creativity in the classroom and her investment in her students’ growth remind us why hands-on, engaged education is at the heart of what we do. Rebecca has spent three decades building trust with students at some of the most consequential moments of their college journey, and continues to do so with grace and kindness. Their dedication to our students is a gift to this institution, and I could not be more proud to see them honored with SUNY’s highest recognition.”
The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence is conferred by the SUNY Chancellor to recognize and honor those who consistently show superior professional achievement and to encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence.
