SUNY Celebrates Student Research Grant Recipients
June 23, 2026
SUNY's Pettigrew Fellowship Advances Research on the Significant Impact Women have had on New York State and the Region
Winners Selected from Buffalo State University, SUNY Geneseo, and SUNY Oswego
Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today celebrated the winners of the annual Dr. L. Eudora Pettigrew Women's History Summer Research Excellence Grants for student researchers. The winners for the Pettigrew Fellowship are Bobbi Griffith of SUNY Geneseo, Michaelangelo Hill of Buffalo State University, and Isabella Richmond of SUNY Oswego.
"SUNY prides itself on being an institution where scholars have the resources to dive into the most critical research subjects," said SUNY Chancellor King. "With thanks to the SUNY Board of Trustees and through initiatives like the Pettigrew Research Excellence Grants, we pave the way to new discoveries in underrepresented fields. Congratulations to Bobbi Griffith, Michaelangelo Hill, and Isabella Richmond for their well-earned recognition, we look forward to seeing how their work advances our understanding of women's history and New York State history."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "SUNY has a long history of promoting research opportunities. The support of programs such as the Dr. L. Eudora Pettigrew Women's History Summer Research Excellence Grants ensures the legacies of women in history are continued to be studied and celebrated. We applaud our dedicated undergraduate students and their faculty mentors for their work to preserve women's stories."
The Dr. L. Eudora Pettigrew Women's History Summer Research Excellence Grants are named in honor of the first Black college president in the SUNY system. This initiative provides SUNY undergraduate students with the opportunity to pursue an innovative community-based applied-learning experience in women's history. Working under the advisement of campus faculty members, and each receiving a stipend and other financial support, those selected will conduct original research at New York historical sites, libraries, historical societies, museums, and other institutions.
Dr. L. Eudora Pettigrew Women's History Summer Research Excellence Grants were awarded to the following research topics:
- Bobbi Griffith of SUNY Geneseo — Advancing Gender Equity in Education: A Comparative Study of Women Educators in New York and Reykjavik, Iceland
- Michaelangelo Hill of Buffalo State University — Dorothea Dix: Pain and Progress
- Isabella Richmond of SUNY Oswego — The Untold Contributions of Indigenous Women to New York History
State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, said, "New York's history was written without many of the women who made it. These three students are helping to correct that. They are conducting original research on women left out of the record and putting that work in front of the public. I thank Chancellor King and the SUNY Board of Trustees for making it possible, and the late Dr. Pettigrew for her perseverance and dedication to higher education."
State Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, said, "Congratulations to Bobbi Griffith, Michaelangelo Hill, and Isabella Richmond as the newest Women's History Summer grant recipients of the Pettigrew Fellowship. Dr. L. Eudora Pettigrew was the first Black woman to be a college president in the SUNY system. She served at Old Westbury for 12 years, starting in 1986. The fellows, selected from Buffalo State University, SUNY Geneseo, and SUNY Oswego, respectively, will advance research on gender equity, the life of Dorothea Dix, a mental health advocate who also fought for the rights of Native Americans, and indigenous women and their role in New York's history. The grant will allow them to conduct original research by granting them access to historical sites, libraries, historical societies, museums and other institutions throughout the Empire State."
State Assemblymember Chantel Jackson said, "As Chair of the New York State Legislative Women's Caucus, I am proud to celebrate programs that invest in preserving the stories of the women who have shaped our state and our nation. The Dr. L. Eudora Pettigrew Women's History Summer Research Excellence Grants empower young researchers to uncover histories that deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered. By supporting this work, we are ensuring future generations understand the impact women have made across every community. Congratulations to this year's fellows for continuing that important legacy."
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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