Geneseo celebrates the inauguration of Dr. Melinda Treadwell
Photo Courtesy of SUNY Geneseo
This past Friday, Oct. 23, Geneseo welcomed its fourteenth president, Dr. Melinda Treadwell. Dr. Treadwell started on the Geneseo campus last year in October of 2025, and since then has continued to make her mark on the campus as both a president and a member of the broader Geneseo community.
President Treadwell spent her early life in central Maine. On her Office of the President page, it is noted that “Treadwell was the first in her family to attend college. She earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial safety with a minor in chemistry from Keene State College and a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from Dartmouth Medical School, completing her dissertation, ‘Activation of Vascular Endothelial Cells in Response to Mineral Fibers.’”
Dr. Treadwell was named interim President of Keene State in 2017. According to The Keene Sentinel, “before being appointed interim provost at Keene State, Treadwell was also vice president of academic affairs at the college.” She went on to serve as dean of Professional and Graduate studies. She was also Keene State’s first Alumna President, as noted by Keene State in their article on her transition to SUNY Geneseo. According to that article, Dr. Treadwell had a long history in Keene State, including as a “[s]tudent-athlete, alumna, faculty member, and academic administrator before becoming president.”
Geneseo’s inauguration theme, “Together Towards Tomorrow,” serves as a reminder of community and a focus on the journey forward into a new Geneseo—a place that welcomes everyone, from community members to the faculty and student body. In fact, the college marked the historic event using a “Together Toward Tomorrow Community Passport.” According to the college’s website, the passport “was created to help bring the College and the community together by encouraging exploration, connection, and engagement.” It encouraged many members of the student body to explore other places within campus they may not visit as much, as well as venturing into Main Street businesses.
The inauguration itself capped a week of events meant to connect the college with its neighbors in the broader community. Student and alumni gatherings—and recognition of faculty and staff—were all part of the celebration for the last few days. In her inaugural address, Dr. Treadwell outlined “commitments to student success, academic excellence, belonging, and responsible stewardship. She emphasized shared governance and collaboration as essential to fulfilling those commitments and strengthening the college’s connections across the region,” as reported by Livingston County News (LCN).
Included in the celebration were representatives from more than two dozen colleges and universities, who all proceeded alongside Geneseo faculty into the auditorium. Dr. Treadwell herself would then dance down the aisle and across the stage to a song which was noted to be chosen by her children. Right after, The AfroCANS played their way through the auditorium and gathered around her, saying her name in a rhythmic chant that Provost Mary Toale would later echo in her opening speech.
Other speakers echoed the central theme of togetherness. Student Association President Lucas Pastwik, who is a graduating senior, said, “the college’s future is a shared responsibility.” Harry Howe, the chair of the College Senate, would continue the message and praise President Treadwell’s leadership and commitment towards the future through collaboration with students and faculty.
Community is something deeply important to Geneseo, as the college has long been linked to its surrounding peoples. The college makes up much of the Town of Geneseo population, having a rough estimate of 4,018 students according to Geneseo’s 2025 report. The town itself has been cited to have roughly 10,234 residents according to the last NY Census record from 2020. “Every year,” VisitGeneseo writes, “over 4,000 college students call Geneseo home.” Community is also what originally drew President Treadwell to Geneseo. In her meeting with representatives of Livingston County News and The Lamron, she said that she “felt incredibly welcomed by the student body” and expressed her commitment to helping the students know that she is there for them. She was enthusiastic about her new placement in Geneseo, citing it as “the place I should be.”