CAZENOVIA — Cazenovia College announced that two Syracuse businessmen, Joseph F. Serbun and Marc Jones, have recently joined its board of trustees. 

Serbun is executive VP and chief banking officer at Community Bank, N.A. The 35-year banking-industry veteran has been with Community Bank since 2008 and previously spent 23 years in senior management positions at Partners Trust Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. 

 A lifelong resident of the Syracuse area, Serbun earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from SUNY Oneonta. He has been active in a number of community organizations, including 20-plus years as chairman of the loan committee for the Greater Syracuse Business Development Corporation. 

Jones is the “visionary” and principal behind Dreissig Apparel Inc. and Fan Hands LLC, the college said. He was born and raised in Syracuse and graduated from Christian Brothers Academy as an all-state and all-Northeast U.S. running back his senior year. Jones played football at the University of Tennessee, where in 1991, he graduated with a degree in psychology. 

 Jones next played professionally in the German Football League. In 1999, he founded his business, Dreissig Athletic. The company designs and manufacturers Jones’ own brand of athletic apparel. In 2007, he also invented a novelty product called Fan Hands, which is designed to enhance the sound of the clap for sports fans when they attend sporting events. 

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — SUNY wants to help more of its educational opportunity program (EOP) students pursue degrees in its medical schools. 

EOP serves New York’s “disadvantaged students from underserved communities” and seeks to help them “gain access and succeed” in undergraduate programs.

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced the pre-med opportunity program (Pre-OP) initiative during a Feb. 18 visit to Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Pre-OP is part of the Chancellor’s SUNY for All initiative.

Building from SUNY’s EOP along with the medical-pathway programs at SUNY’s Upstate Medical University, University at Buffalo, Downstate Health Sciences University, and Stony Brook University, the SUNY for All Pre-OP will provide academic support, mentorship, clinical exposure, assistance with medical college admission test (MCAT) preparation, academic coaching, and workshops.

The SUNY Pre-OP is set to begin this summer with 25 students, which would be expanded based on initial results and further funding. To be considered for the program, candidates must be a SUNY EOP sophomore or junior on a pre-medical track, have a grade point average of 3.2 or higher, and have successfully completed two semesters of general chemistry and two semesters of biology. 

Malatras will convene a group made up of system administration and the SUNY medical schools to lead in designing the program to ensure compliance with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education accrediting body and to help select the students for Pre-OP.

A final plan for the SUNY for All pre-med OP will be provided to Malatras by June before the first Summer 2021 class.