Alumnus Shares ‘Passion and Purpose’ through Campaign Launch

It’s hard to believe that just two years ago I was working at WTOP and getting ready for another season of Laker hockey. I was fortunate during my senior year at SUNY Oswego to wear hats such as WTOP General Manager and Communications Intern with the Alumni and Development Office. Who would’ve ever imagined that both those positions would help me get to where I am today?

About midway through my internship, beginning of April 2014, I was invited into a meeting with then Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Kerry Casey Dorsey ’81 and Campaign Manager Melissa Manwaring ’01. They explained and showed me plans they were working on to launch With Passion and Purpose with a television show that would have a studio audience and broadcast to the greater SUNY Oswego community online. I walked out of the meeting with ideas of what it would take to make the show work from a technical standpoint, who we could feature from the SUNY Oswego campus, and probably the biggest thought: I’ve got a job before I graduate. This was a lot to take in all at once. I knew I would need some help, beyond the amazing resources available through Alumni and Development, so I asked and was allowed to hire Blaise Hill ’14 as my intern.

(from left) Then Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Kerry Casey Dorsey ’81, Tomorrow Show Producer Matt Bishop ’14, President Deborah F. Stanley, ESPN SportsCenter Anchor Steve Levy ’87, Campaign Launch Student Intern Blaise Hill ’14 and Campaign Manager Melissa Manwaring ’01 in 2014 at campaign launch.

From June 1 to October 16, 2014, Blaise, Melissa, Kerry, MJ Herson and I worked on every part of the show; we gathered video from virtually every school on campus, lined up guests to appear live during the show, designed the stage and lights, etc. We would not have been able to accomplish these tasks without the help of our Alumni and Development Office, the President’s Office, schools on campus, CTS and Patrick Moochler who helped us get connected with Time Warner Cable Sports (who provided the production truck for the live broadcast).

We had six months from conception of idea to day of broadcast. We worked on the show up until hours before we went live. There are a lot of great stories that we all could tell from this experience, and I’m always willing to share.

SUNY Oswego made it possible for me, and continues to make it possible for current and former students, to succeed. I could not have imagined starting my career anywhere else, and I’m honored that I was chosen to produce The Tomorrow Show, which is proving to be so important for future endowment opportunities with SUNY Oswego. Kerry and Melissa, thank you for trusting me and believing that the instruction I was given during my Oswego tenure could help launch a campaign. You reinvested in SUNY Oswego’s education by placing your faith in me!

Matthew Bishop ’14 is a graduate of SUNY Oswego who produced and directed The
Tomorrow Show to launch the With Passion and Purpose: The Campaign for SUNY Oswego. He now resides in Buffalo, N.Y., and directs the morning news at WKBW 7 Eyewitness News.

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