09/24/2024
Barbara Galpin ’68, M ’74 taught physical education on Long Island for 35 years, always with one goal in mind.
“I taught with the idea that my students were going to pay it forward,” Galpin said during a SUNY Cortland event honoring her Friday. “I hope, to this day, that some of what I did made a difference in their lives.”
Galpin will continue making a difference for many years into the future, thanks to a naming gift to fund SUNY Cortland learning experiences intended to educate students through projects with positive real-life impact.
On Sept. 19, SUNY Cortland officials formerly re-named the Barbara A. Galpin ’68, M ’74 Institute for Civic Engagement in recognition of an alum with a long history in education, volunteerism and philanthropy.
“Your spirit and your compassion serve as an inspiration to all of us, especially our students,” Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum told Galpin during the naming ceremony. “It has been said there is no greater purpose than service to others, and your example is proof of that.”
In addition to her long history of going the extra mile for students, Galpin has traveled to developing countries around the world and assisted with vital initiatives, according to SUNY Cortland Vice President for Institutional Advancement Rich Coyne ’07. She has funded a dental van serving desperately impoverished communities within Ocala National Forest near her home in The Villages in Florida.
“An advocate, a volunteer and a philanthropist: that is Barb Galpin,” said Coyne, who hosted the event in the Galpin Institute’s meeting room and office in Moffett Center.
In addition to Coyne and Bitterbaum, Galpin Institute Director John Suarez and Jenna Kratz ’22, M ’23, a former civic engagement action intern for the institute, spoke at the ceremony, in which a bronze plaque with the new name was unveiled in the hallway next to the door of the office.
Kratz, in addition to being an intern, was also the very first recipient of the Barbara A. Galpin '68 Greater Good Scholarship, one of two scholarships Galpin is funding at SUNY Cortland.
“I had no idea what a pivotal point in my life that occasion was,” Katz said of receiving notice of her scholarship award while a high school senior. “I was able to do a lot in the four years that I was here. … The greater good scholarship allowed me to concentrate more on my education instead of having to work constantly.”
Kratz left a noticeable mark at Cortland. She was one of two Cortland students — and just eight in New York state — named a Major of the Year by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE).
As a civic engagement action intern, Kratz led several projects during the COVID-19 pandemic focused on student mental health concerns, from talks to awareness campaigns to a virtual 5K run. She created a mental health page for the SUNY Cortland website and organized “Save a Life Day” that provided training for students in naloxone training, stroke sign awareness, CPR and other lifesaving measures.
“The Institute really shaped how I face challenges,” Kratz said. “I had so many opportunities, and it would not have happened if Ms. Galpin hadn’t believed in the 17-year-old that wrote that scholarship essay and said, ‘Here, I’m going to help you.’”
For Galpin, giving back is simply a way of life.
“You have an opportunity to make a difference, and it’s in all of us. It’s not just me, it’s not just Jenna, but all of us,” Galpin said. “Cortland always did great things for me, and I wanted to give back to Cortland. As things progressed, I realized this is the best way to do it. I think this is going to make a difference.”
Suarez thanked Galpin for believing in the mission of the civic engagement institute and creating an endowment that would support programming for students, faculty and professional staff at the university.
Over the years, the institute played a key role in establishing the Cortland Cupboard food pantry to address student hunger. It promotes the development of mutually beneficial learning-by-doing-opportunities that address community and campus issues and improve the quality of life.
Recently, programming has focused on constructive disagreement, respectful engagement, critical thinking and encouraging student voters.
“Each year, our students contribute literally tens of thousands of hours of community service,” Bitterbaum said. “But the institute’s most important work is not about doing good deeds. The institute lives the motto ‘learning by doing.’
“The value of thinking critically about the challenges our communities face, and issues like food insecurity, homelessness and now civil discourse. I’m so proud of the many grants, awards and honorable distinctions the institute has earned. I’m even more impressed by the number of lives it has improved both on campus and in our community.
The impact of the Galpin Institute is that the most meaningful work that takes place here is not confined to this room in Moffett,” Bitterbaum said. “The institute has become a bridge and a staple in our Cortland community.”