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Ryan Jennings got to know a lot about Sage and the community on both campuses as he took classes in Troy and Albany, competed as a student-athlete and served as a student-ambassador with the Admission Office.
His cross-campus leadership experience helped him get elected as the first president of Sage’s new, unified Student Government Association during the 2020-2021 academic year. (Previously, the Troy and Albany campuses had separate student governing bodies).
Ryan — who graduated in May with a degree in Psychology — said he is proud to have been the first president of the new organization and to have represented current students as Sage transitioned to a unified coeducational college with two campuses.
Overall, he said, students were excited that the college would offer one student experience across both campuses. Still, he said, some — including himself — were nervous about how it would go, “but Dr. Ames and the staff did a great job with the transition.”
As SGA president, Ryan spoke on behalf of the student body in meetings with the Russell Sage College Board of Trustees, alumni boards and Middle States Steering Committee.
He also worked with the SGA executive committee and college administrators to provide an open forum for student concerns, and with club leaders to support extracurricular activities that complied with COVID-19 protocols. “It was a challenge,” he said of the pandemic’s impact on the student experience, “but we tried to rise to the occasion as best we could.”
Ryan is now a teaching assistant at Wildwood Programs, but he will remain active at Sage.
He begins Sage’s master’s program in Forensic Mental Health this fall, and — since the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed additional eligibility for student-athletes — he’ll compete again on the men’s volleyball team.
“I’m second in assists in Sage men’s volleyball history,” he said. “I hope to chase down the No. 1 spot.”