Spreading joy and positivity around the SUNY Brockport campus
In 2024, SUNY Brockport’s Vice President for Enrollment Management, Sara Kelly, began the Random Acts of Kindness program. Once a month, she and one of the division’s directors travel around campus to surprise students with kind gestures such as golf cart rides to class, donuts, merch, or even photo ops with Ellsworth.
“The program was inspired by the fun and energetic atmosphere of orientation,” Kelly said. “We wanted to find a way to spread kindness and brightness into the lives of our students throughout the year. Students really love it. It’s a fun way to engage.”
In addition to creating fun moments and connections with students, Kelly says it has also been a great way to collect student feedback and direct students toward campus resources.
“I always ask students, ‘How’s your experience? What are you stressed out about? What can we help with?’ Especially during midterms,” she said. “It’s great to hear things that are going well and to recognize the faculty and staff who have helped a student out.”
During one outing, Kelly and Thomas Chew, Director of New Student and Transition Programs, went around academic buildings and handed out Brockport shirts to students they “caught” studying.
“That was a fun way to recognize students that were focusing on school and working hard,” Kelly said. “We wanted to show them that we see you working hard, we see you trying.”
The program has been well received by students, demonstrating the impact that even small, simple kindnesses can have on the campus community. Kelly and her team continue to think of new and creative ways to show the student population that they are seen and cared for.
“Sometimes I’ll be calling Tim Hortons the day before to say, ‘Hey, I need to order 200 donut holes,’” Kelly explained. “Students will say, ‘I’ve had a really rough week, this is exactly what I needed.’ And that’s exactly why we do it.”
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