James D. Colby and Robert Phillips are recipients of the 2008 State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor's Awards for Excellence.

They were among 228 faculty, librarians, and professional service employees within the SUNY system honored with a certificate and cast bronze medallion. The awards are announced after a SUNY advisory committee reviews nominations from faculty, students, and colleagues throughout the 64-campus system.

Colby, director of JCC's Weeks Gallery, received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service. From 1983 to 1996, Colby served as an associate professor of art and gallery director at JCC's Cattaraugus County Campus. He became director of exhibitions and galleries at the Jamestown Campus in 1997.
A prior recipient of the JCC President's Award for Excellence and Faculty Award for Excellence, Colby earned a bachelor's degree at SUNY Brockport and a master’s degree at the University at Buffalo. He has curated over 100 visual art exhibitions and organized cultural events during his tenure at JCC.

Colby, a former freelance photographer, has been active in the Society for Photographic Education as a portfolio reviewer at the organization's national conferences. His photographs have been included in group and solo exhibitions throughout New York state and are featured in public and private art collections.

Dr. Phillips, a biology professor at the Cattaraugus County Campus since 1990, received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees at Texas A&M University and a doctorate at SUNY Buffalo.

Dr. Phillips has also served as JCC's transfer articulation agreement coordinator since 1998, working with representatives from other colleges to negotiate transfer articulation agreements for JCC graduates.

Dr. Phillips taught previously at Marian College and served as an educator at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. He has conducted research and published articles on streams in western New York.