TC3 Alumni Association
2011 Alumni Awards Program

Distinguished Alumni Award
Community Leadership Award

Call for Nominations

Nomination Form

2010 Award Recipients

Chauncey Bennett III

Chauncey was nominated by Chris Bennett, his wife.  Chauncey was graduated from TC3 in 1982 with a degree in Criminal Justice. 

For the past seven years, Chauncey has served as University Police Lieutenant for SUNY Cortland.  He was responsible for planning, organizing and implementing the first joint, multi jurisdictional Active Shooter/Immediate Deployment Police Officer Training in Cortland County.  This training joined officers from NYS University Police, Cortland City Police and Sheriff’s Department, NYSP, NYS Park Police, and NYS DEC Police training in nationally approved tactics to deal with an active gunman situation in our communities.  Chauncey has been the owner and operator of several musical groups, currently Taylor Made.  For 30 years the band has donated time and raised money for thousands by playing music to benefit those from fire loss, cancer victims, automobile accidents, raising money for charities such as Red Cross and Diabetes’s Foundation.  Chauncey’s 20 years of working at SUNY Cortland has also given him many opportunities to work, help and guide many of the students attending TC3.  A person would be hard pressed to find someone who has not worked, attended a seminar or had interaction with Chauncey.

Melissa Clawson

Melissa was nominated by Alan Pedersen, Vice President Human Resources at Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca.  Melissa is a 2004 Nursing Graduate.  Since joining the Cayuga Medical Center staff in 2003 as a Hospital Aide, Melissa continually increased the scope of her role moving into a position of Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Professional Nurse and now one of two Team Leaders in the Emergency Department.  Melissa possesses a very positive can do attitude and consistently demonstrates strong natural leadership abilities.  She has continued to develop her clinical skills, has pursued and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and has served as a volunteer nurse in Bolivia.  She is the Emergency Management System liaison for the community, region and Cayuga Medical Center.  Melissa is also a stroke educator, certified to perform stroke education for staff and EMS providers in the hospital and through the community.