Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

SU-sponsored Orange Orators Toastmasters Club earns Toastmasters International’s highest honor

Friday, July 16, 2010, By News Staff
Share
AwardsCommunity

The Orange Orators Toastmasters Club, sponsored by Syracuse University’s Office of Human Resources, has earned the President’s Distinguished Award, Toastmasters International’s highest honor. The award is bestowed upon a club based on a set of 10 criteria established by the organization and is achieved by fewer than 15 percent of Toastmasters Clubs worldwide.

What makes the accomplishment noteworthy is that the Orange Orators Toastmasters is a young club, just three years old. Chartered in 2007, the club overcame formidable odds, gained critical membership and pulled together a team of enthusiastic officers and members. Under the leadership of club president Susan Watts, process manager in SU’s Information Technology and Services’ Enterprise Process Support group, the Orange Orators club completed nine of the 10 goals required by Toastmasters International to earn the award.

“The success of our club has been a collective effort with everyone in the club pulling together—playing different roles at different times—but all pulling for the common goal,” says Watts. She also cites the support of the Office of Human Resources and area Toastmasters leadership for guidance and coaching.

The mission of a Toastmasters Club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every individual member has the opportunity to develop oral communication and leadership skills, which in turn fosters self-confidence and personal growth. The Orange Orators Toastmasters Club is committed to helping individuals become better speakers and leaders in a fun and supportive environment. Using the time-tested Toastmasters format, members gain poise and confidence in their public speaking abilities, allowing them to succeed in whatever path they choose in life.

The Orange Orators Toastmasters Club meets in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons at E.S. Bird Library, on the SU campus, Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m. Membership is open to SU faculty, staff, students and the general public. For more information, contact Carolynn Rayome at cmrayome@syr.edu.

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit organization serving more than 250,000 members in 106 countries, through a worldwide network of 12,500 clubs. Since its founding in 1924,Toastmasters has helped more than four million men and women develop public speaking skills and become confident communicators at work and at home. For information about this and other local Toastmasters clubs, visit http://www.toastmasters.org.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • VPA Announces New Drama Department Chair
    Tuesday, July 1, 2025, By Erica Blust
  • Syracuse Views Summer 2025
    Tuesday, July 1, 2025, By News Staff
  • 250 Years Later, Declaration of Independence Still Challenges, Inspires a Nation: A Conversation With Professor Carol Faulkner
    Monday, June 30, 2025, By Kathleen Haley
  • Philanthropy Driven by Passion, Potential and Purpose
    Monday, June 30, 2025, By Eileen Korey
  • Libraries Receives Grant for Book Repair Workshop
    Monday, June 30, 2025, By Cristina Hatem

More In Campus & Community

Libraries Receives Grant for Book Repair Workshop

Syracuse University Libraries’ Department of Access and Resource Sharing received a Central New York Library Resources Council Catalyst Grant for $2,000 to provide train-the-trainer workshops on book repair to local school district media specialists. Preservation librarian Marianne Hanley submitted the…

Boom! Where to Watch Fireworks in CNY This Fourth of July

Get ready to light up your Independence Day with a bang! From lakeside launches to park-side pyrotechnics, Central New York (CNY) is bursting with fireworks displays to celebrate the Fourth of July. Here’s your guide to the best local shows…

Retiring University Professor and Decorated Public Servant Sean O’Keefe G’78 Reflects on a Legacy of Service

For most of his time as a public servant, Sean O’Keefe G’78 adhered to a few guiding principles: Step up when someone calls upon you to serve. Be open to anything. Challenge yourself. Those values helped O’Keefe navigate a career…

Jorge Morales ’26 Named a 2025 Beinecke Scholar

Jorge Morales ’26, a double major in history and anthropology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with a minor in English and textual studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the highly competitive…

Registration Open for Esports Campus Takeover Hosted by University and Gen.G

Syracuse University and global esports and gaming organization Gen.G have opened general registration at campustakeover.gg for its first Campus Takeover Sept. 20-21. The two-day conference will bring students and administrators to Syracuse to highlight career opportunities within the esports industry…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.