SUNY Geneseo Celebrates Inauguration of President Melinda D. Treadwell

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and SUNY Trustee Robert Duffy install Melinda D. Treadwell as SUNY Geneseo’s 14th president. (SUNY Geneseo/Keith Walters ’11)

SUNY Geneseo formally installed Melinda D. Treadwell, PhD, as its 14th president on October 23, bringing students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners together to celebrate the future of New York’s Public Honors College.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. presided over the installation in Wadsworth Auditorium. The ceremony capped a week of inaugural events organized around the theme “Together Toward Tomorrow,” connecting the college and its neighbors through community celebrations, student and alumni gatherings, and recognition of faculty and staff.

“This is a place that shapes people. And when people discover their gifts, find their purpose, and know they belong, they carry those strengths into their communities—and help build a better world,” Treadwell said.

Installation Week began on October 17 with a Community and Campus Festival in the Village of Geneseo, bringing people together for an afternoon of food, music, activities, and connection. (SUNY Geneseo/Mat Johnson)

The inauguration comes during a period of growing demand and national recognition for Geneseo. This fall, the college welcomed nearly 1,400 first-year, transfer, and graduate students, its largest incoming class since 2019. In September, US News & World Report ranked Geneseo No. 5 among public liberal arts colleges nationally. Geneseo was also the only public institution on the publication’s Best Value Schools list for National Liberal Arts Colleges.

In her inaugural address, Treadwell outlined commitments to student success, academic excellence, belonging, and responsible stewardship. She emphasized shared governance and collaboration as essential to fulfilling those commitments and strengthening the college’s connections across the region.

Speakers representing the college community described a future shaped by the contributions of students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

“The inauguration theme, Together Toward Tomorrow, is particularly meaningful because it reminds us that Geneseo’s future is a responsibility we all share,” said Lucas Pastwik ’27, president of the Student Association. “The decisions we make today, and the opportunities we work to create, will shape students’ experiences.”

Inauguration events included a party for students with the president on the College Union patio. (SUNY Geneseo/Mat Johnson)

Harry Howe, distinguished teaching professor of business and chair of the College Senate, recognized Treadwell’s commitment to service and collaborative leadership.

“Faculty admire the ethos of service that brought you to academic leadership, the discovery that you made early in your career that leadership can solve problems and empower colleagues,” Howe said.

Alumni also affirmed their role in supporting Geneseo’s next chapter.

SUNY Geneseo alums, donors, and friends of the College enjoyed an a cappella choir performance during an inaugural eve celebration on October 22. (Carole Volpe/Hudson Street Studios)

“As the story of Geneseo continues to unfold, we look forward to helping shape its next chapter alongside you,” said Rita Rogan ’19, president of the SUNY Geneseo Alumni Association.

Before joining Geneseo, Treadwell served as president of Keene State College in New Hampshire, where she joined the faculty in 2000. The first in her family to attend college, she earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial safety with a minor in chemistry from Keene State and a doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology from Dartmouth Medical School.

About SUNY Geneseo

Founded in 1871, SUNY Geneseo is New York’s Public Honors College. Geneseo provides a distinctive, equity-centered honors experience that equips students with the knowledge and skills to build a better world, guided by the values of learning, creativity, belonging, civic engagement, and sustainability.