Update from Farmingdale State College President John Nader, PhD |
October, 2016. |
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As part of the College's commitment to diversity, 42 international flags have been installed at Bunche Plaza.
I want to share with you some of the important developments that have been taking place over the past few weeks. The progress we are making is due to the hard work by our faculty and staff which is propelling us to the forefront of SUNY institutions. As I pledged last month, I will regularly keep you apprised of important topics and new developments. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me. Bunche Plaza - As you know, I’ve tried to make continuous improvement of the campus appearance a priority. Thanks to the timely work by our Physical Plant and Facilities staffs, we now have 42 international flags decorating Bunche Plaza. The flags are not only an aesthetic enhancement of the Plaza, but also speak to our commitment to diversity and inclusion. Campus Center - I hope to continue making incremental improvements to the appearance of our campus. Soon you will see some changes in the Campus Center that should enhance its appearance. It’s my hope that these will further build the College’s identity and brand. Internship Development - Thanks to Laura Joseph, Allison Puff, Tom Corti and Henry Sikorski for working on a detailed proposal to better support and improve our internship programs. This work is very timely. SUNY is clearly focused on applied learning opportunities and a number of campuses have already committed to making such an experience a required part of all curricula. This is certainly an area where we should excel. Every large employer with whom I’ve visited has extolled the virtues of having our students as interns. Often these firms hire interns into good jobs following graduation from FSC. Strategic Plan - The Committee on Planning and Resource Allocation will soon begin the process of creating a new strategic plan for the College. Thanks to Gonca Altuger-Genc, Kerry Lutz and Richard Vogel for agreeing to serve as co-chairs. I’ve drafted a formal charge for the CPRA and asked that they build on the prior plan, and on the work of the campus committees and groups that are making recommendations in the areas of DEI, Residence Life and strategic enrollment management. Instead of having Cabinet members serve on the CPRA, I’ve asked each to nominate someone from the sub-cabinet level to serve. This may help broaden the perspectives that are included in discussing the new plan. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan - Thanks to Veronica Henry and the many members of the DEI Task Force for completing a timely plan for submission to SUNY. More importantly, the plan includes action items and recommendations that can be implemented as we move forward. The draft plan is being reviewed with the FEC and with cabinet. For those who wish to read it, the Plan will be available through the intranet. The Plan makes our commitment clear and includes mission and values statements and a definition of diversity. DIFR/Residence Life Committee - Thanks to the groups lead by Jeanne Soto and Ellen Weber that have made a number of very substantial recommendations and delved into a very challenging and difficult issue. It is very clear (to me, at least) that we need to make some significant changes if our residence halls are to be filled and have a campus commitment to a better student experience. Many of the recommendations call for steps to make the residential experience more flexible and student centered. January Commencement - The Commencement Committee has recommended holding our mid-year event on January 23,2017 at 1:00 p.m. This is due, in part, to the renovation of the Nold Gym. We simply could not be certain that the work would be completed in time for a late December event. I’m hopeful that the later date might permit more faculty participation as the date is just prior to the start of the spring term and does not conflict with grading, year-end obligations, holidays, etc. Shuttle - The shuttle service between the Farmingdale LIRR Station seems to be a hit. There are between 650 and 750 riders per week. The service is funded through a student transportation fee. Accordingly, we must make the service available first to students. Of course, any available seats are open to faculty and staff and we have had a number join our students. Building for Applied Social Sciences - The College is moving forward with its plans to build a new BASS. We received the plans for this in late summer and are now working to build support. The Legislative Breakfast in late September was focused on the importance of the building. Four of our state legislators and a number of labor leaders joined us for the event. We continue our advocacy efforts as this $35 million structure will allow us to better serve our students and the residents of Long Island. Thanks to the many members of the campus community who joined us for the event. Farmingdale of the Future - SUNY is asking every campus to discuss its enrollment prospects and practices as the university formulates a strategic enrollment plan. Let’s be honest: this is driven, in part, by the enrollment problems experienced by some campuses and the changing demographics of New York State. FSC is in a good position. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, our enrollment growth over the past five years is the most robust in SUNY. That does not mean that we can or should remain exactly as we are. The state did not renew the rational tuition plan and is unlikely to cover the costs of any negotiated salary increases. This makes sustaining enrollment crucial to the stability we enjoy. We will need to build on our recent successes. That may mean looking beyond our current student profile and beyond the boundaries of our campus. I will undoubtedly share more about this in the weeks and months ahead. |
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