Update from Farmingdale State College President John Nader, PhD

July, 2018

The new amphitheater behind the Campus Center.

Message to All Faculty and Staff

July, 2018

Space Utilization Task Force - Thanks to the nine members of the Space Utilization Task Force who submitted a very comprehensive report in May. The report includes numerous recommendations—some of which can be implemented in the near term and others that will require more time. These recommendations will require communication and deliberation. The Task Force concluded that we need not add classrooms on a near-term basis given some of the improvements that are underway. There are multiple recommendations—including possible course schedule adjustments—that can help allow for growth in the semesters ahead. A summary of the Task Force recommendations is being prepared and will be shared with the campus. I recently met with the academic department chairs to summarize and discuss the report.

Smart Growth - The Task Force convened in response to the myriad demands on space and staff prompted largely by enrollment growth. Going forward, I envision an enrollment strategy that allows us to realize the benefits of growth without unduly taxing our facilities and spaces.

This strategy will be focused on:

Hybrid and online opportunities
A program to attract adult learners
Recruiting—specifically for our new programs
Building partnerships with Suffolk and Nassau community colleges that may allow for locating baccalaureate degree completion programs at Community College sites. We already lean heavily on transfers. This may allow us to build on these relationships and relax some of the demands on our campus.

Why is there a need for incremental growth? Straightforwardly, the College depends on growth in order to make ongoing improvements. We have a budget (not including IFRs, Foundation, or ASC) of around $72 million. About $60 million of this comes from student revenues. State support amounts to $12 million, and remains pretty flat. Many of the projects and initiatives that take place on campus occur as a result of our enrollment as do the funds available for travel, research and equipment.

Recycling - I hope you've seen our recent announcement about improving and expanding our recycling efforts. I appreciate the Sustainability Committee's efforts, and the willingness of Administration and Finance to embrace this. Of course, improving and complying depends on all of us to willingly and correctly use the containers provided. Next step: reduce the use of bottled beverages and water in favor of reusable dispensers. This will help move us from recycling to reducing our waste flow.

Policy Changes - There are new campus policies addressing three areas: tobacco use, third party free speech and student rights and assembly. These have all been discussed campus-wide. In the first instance, please keep in mind that tobacco and vaping use will be limited to parking areas and the gazebos that are being installed on campus. The free speech policies were adopted in order for us to protect first amendment assembly and free speech rights while assuring that the fundamental academic mission of the College is not disrupted.

Campus Projects - The campus is undertaking multiple construction projects this summer. These include the completion of the women's softball field, improvements at the Melville Road entrance, an upgrade of the Nold Athletic Complex entrance, external work on Knapp Hall and the ongoing work on the Great Mall. We are also planning for a substantial renovation of Lupton Hall and installing fire sprinklers in Alumni Hall. Some of this work will create traffic congestion and some inconvenience. It may be best to use the Route 110 entrance while the Melville Road work is underway. That project is being done in conjunction with the Town of Babylon and should dramatically improve safety.

Student Athletes - Farmingdale is a place where the term student-athlete really applies. We had 62 student-athletes named to the winter/spring Academic Honor Roll of the Skyline Conference. We had 17 student-athletes competing in men's and women's track & field named to the All-Academic Team of the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

Student Opinion Survey Data - It's always important to review the results of our work and reflect on student perceptions. Thanks to Pat Lind-Gonzalez for sharing the results from the 2018 Student Opinion Survey. The response rate for the survey was 19%, which was lower than the 2015 SOS.

Many general performance measures are up about 1 ppt. from the previous administration of the survey in 2015, except for a large gain (+4.6 ppts. to 65%) in students having a high overall impression of the quality of education at this college. In addition:

The vast majority of students (88%) indicated that Farmingdale met or exceeded their expectations.
72% of students would definitely or probably choose to attend Farmingdale again if they could start over, and 79% are satisfied or very satisfied with the college in general.
86% consider Farmingdale to be a good value when comparing the cost to the quality of education.

There were large gains in satisfaction with academic advising.

67% of students are satisfied or very satisfied with general academic advising (up from 58% in 2015), and 71% are satisfied or very satisfied with academic advising in their major (up from 63% in 2015).

In terms of academic services, there were also gains in satisfaction with library resources (+4 ppt. to 74%), the availability of internships (+6 ppt. to 40%) and the availability of online courses (+6 ppt. to 49%).

There were significant improvements since the last survey regarding satisfaction with several college services and facilities including financial aid services, the campus transportation system, the course registration process, the college bookstore and with health and wellness programs.

Campus renovations have resulted in a 7 ppt. increase in satisfaction with classroom facilities (to 64%). However, satisfaction with parking has fallen to 20% (from 28% in 2015), and satisfaction with the Campus Center has fallen to 50% from (55%). In many areas, a significant share of students did not indicate their level of satisfaction but instead indicated either that that they did not use the service in question, or that this service was not applicable to them. There are other areas of some concern, especially regarding student engagement with the campus. This is certainly a challenge given our student profile.

Six Months After Graduation Survey - Once again, the employment and education outcomes self-reported by our graduates remain strong. 27% of 2016-17 graduates responded to the survey. (that is down slightly.) Here are some highlights:

92% of survey respondents who earned a baccalaureate degree indicated that they are continuing their education and/or are working.
89% of survey respondents who earned a baccalaureate degree reported being employed by a company, self-employed, or holding an internship. Of those who are employed, 75% are employed full-time.
More than three-quarters (77%) of employed survey respondents who earned a baccalaureate degree are working at a job that is closely related (43%) or somewhat related (33%) to the degree they earned at Farmingdale State College.
25% of employed survey respondents who earned a baccalaureate degree reported salaries of at least $60,000 (Nursing alumni comprise approximately one-third of respondents with salaries in this range). 45% reported salaries of $40,000 or more.
More than two-thirds (68%) of employed survey respondents who earned a baccalaureate degree feel that Farmingdale State College prepared them well for their current position.

It's hard to believe it's been eight weeks since our spring commencement. I wish everyone an enjoyable and relaxing summer as we head toward the fall 2018 semester.

Last Modified 2/18/21