Mace bearer and SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus Michael Jabot with Honors students.
National Geographic Explorer challenges audience to recognize the value of different perspectives as university celebrates 200 years of impact
National Geographic Explorer Chris Bashinelli encouraged members of the SUNY Fredonia community to value their differences, listen to one another and recognize the impact they can have on others during the university’s Bicentennial Convocation on Friday.
Bashinelli delivered the keynote address, “The Power of Human Connection: Renew Inspiration and Bring Our Best Selves Every Day,” before students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members gathered in King Concert Hall Friday.
“The deepest gift that you can give to this world is the difference that only you can make,” Bashinelli said.
Bashinelli, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, began his professional career as an actor and appeared on the HBO series “The Sopranos.” He later created and hosted “Bridge the Gap,” a documentary series featured on PBS and the National Geographic Channel. His work has taken him around the world, including China, Japan, and Uganda; from living with nomadic herders in Mongolia to spending time with the Oglala Lakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
The adventures provide an entry point, he told the audience, but the places he has visited are not the central message. “The adventure, the National Geographic, living with nomads, that is not the bottom line,” Bashinelli said. “The bottom line is transformation.”
Throughout his address, Bashinelli returned to the value of perspective and the idea that people do not need to share the same background or experiences to learn from one another. “You have something that no other person on this planet has,” Bashinelli said. “You have your perspective. You have your background. You have your story.”
The convocation was one of the signature events of SUNY Fredonia’s yearlong Bicentennial celebration, “Celebrating Two Centuries of Impact,” marking the beginning of higher education in Fredonia with the opening of Fredonia Academy in 1826.
Fredonia President Stephen H. Kolison Jr. used the occasion to reflect on the generations of people who have shaped Fredonia and the responsibility of today’s university community to carry that legacy forward.
“We are not simply celebrating years. We are celebrating people,” Kolison said. “We are celebrating the countless lives touched, the dreams realized, the barriers overcome, and the contributions made by generations of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters.”
Kolison noted that Fredonia Academy opened its doors to just 15 students on Oct. 4, 1826, after local citizens invested in the idea that education could create opportunity and strengthen their community. That commitment, he said, has remained at the heart of Fredonia through two centuries of change.
“Today, we gather as a community connected across generations, institutions, cultures, and experiences,” Kolison said. “As we reflect on two centuries of achievement, we are reminded that the true measure of impact is not found in buildings or milestones alone, but in the lives we touch and the futures we help create.”
The ceremony also included greetings from representatives of state and federal officials and Fredonia Mayor Michael Ferguson, along with representatives of the SUNY system and academic delegates from other universities. Ferguson presented a village proclamation recognizing Fredonia’s Bicentennial and the university’s contributions to the community over two centuries.
Music was featured throughout the ceremony, with performances by Fredonia’s African Drumming groups, Faculty Brass Quartet and Fredonia Chamber Choir, along with organist Father Sean Duggan. The ceremony concluded with the singing of the Fredonia alma mater.
The Bicentennial Convocation was made possible through the Maytum Distinguished Lecture Endowment and the Williams Visiting Professorship Endowment held by the Fredonia College Foundation.
SUNY Fredonia’s Bicentennial celebration continues throughout the 2026-27 academic year with special events, programs and opportunities for alumni, students and community members to participate. More information is available at 200.fredonia.edu.
