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January, 2019
Happy New Year Edition
As we close out 2018 and head into 2019, I want to share some important developments on campus.
Winter Commencement - Our winter commencement is scheduled for Wednesday, January 16, in Nold Hall. It appears we will have a record number of mid-year graduates for this event. Our valedictorian will be Tunisia Solomon. Many of you know Tunisia as an outstanding Applied Math student, campus citizen, vocalist and athlete. Tunisia's work at Brookhaven National Lab was accepted for presentation at MIT's IEEE Undergraduate Research Technology Conference in fall 2018. Fittingly the Grand Marshall for the winter commencement will be our Mathematics Chair, Carlos Marques, who has built a remarkably strong program in his discipline.
Centennial Commencement - Thanks to Keri Franklin and Karen Gelles who are co-chairing a very sizeable committee that is planning campus events as we move toward our centennial commencement on May 21, 2019. We will soon be publicizing and promoting these events, which will begin with a kick-off party on February 11. The semester will include a number of celebratory activities and some interesting information about the College's past as well as a 5k run and a garden party. I am particularly pleased that Chancellor Kristina Johnson has agreed to be our centennial guest speaker. This will be a special celebration and one for which we will try and engage the entire campus community.
Technology Committee - Thanks to our technology committee for proposing to increase the flexibility for programs to use tech fee money and for providing greater spending latitude to the individual departments and schools. This will better allow the academic areas to articulate their needs and to budget for and carry out purchases according to these needs.
Water Policy - As you may know, the College has tried to move away from the use of plastic bottles of water for campus events. Thanks to Aramark, we have begun to move towards using large vessels of water at some gatherings. The Sustainability Committee has written a proposed policy that is in draft form. Your thoughts and comments are welcome. We are also hoping to install more filtered water filling stations on campus. This is a difficult issue as many people have become accustomed to using bottled water and campus guests often expect it to be available. However, we have received favorable comments on our efforts to reduce the use of plastic bottles.
Building and Grounds Projects - As you can tell, we are undertaking and completing a number of projects around campus. The following is a summary of some of the projects underway or in some phase of design.
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Knapp Hall - The College is working with the State University Construction Fund to completely renovate the old kitchen area in Knapp Hall. Demolition and baseline restoration have progressed well and the campus just signed the contract with the architect for the next phase of the project. Options include consolidating the location of grant-funded programs such as Smart Scholars, GEAR-UP, STEP, C-STEP, and Liberty Partnership.
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Laffin Hall - We are looking at the opportunity to enhance Laffin Hall as the center for student services into a more official and visible welcome center for the campus. The design may include a new welcome desk, dedicated first floor space for admissions and financial aid advising functions, as well as a long-term plan to incorporate a tour room.
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Broad Hollow Bioscience Park - We are working with key stakeholders and the Broad Hollow Bioscience Park board of directors to rethink the approach on Building 1. After many years of vacancy and in light of space challenges on campus, we will be considering a mixed-use model for Building 1 that would yield benefit for the College. The BHBP was recently awarded $750,000 from the Regional Economic Development Council to work on this building, which should make it better suited for college use.
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Sinclair Hall - A design for an outstanding abatement project on the first floor of Sinclair Hall as well as a renovation project in the kitchen area on the second floor has been proposed. This project will update and revise existing space as well as yield additional space for classrooms, offices, and laboratories. We will look at the end use of Sinclair to determine what opportunity might exist with a reconfigured facility.
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Lupton Hall - Contracts are in place to replace the roof on Lupton Hall. The project is funded at $9.8 million and the timing is to be determined. The proposed $34.8 million project to completely overhaul the HVAC systems has gone back to design in order to revise the approach. There is a significant challenge in phasing this project given the magnitude, the limited funding, and the need to complete the project in phases. In the meantime, the College is working to make some modest improvements to aesthetics in Lupton Hall ahead of next year's visit from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
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Nold Athletic Complex - We are nearing completion on a new entrance to the Nold Athletic Complex, which includes updated pavers, signage, a digital message board, and a bus shelter.
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Melville Road Intersection - Just before the start of the fall 2018 semester we cut the ribbon on the reconfigured Melville Road intersection. This new intersection is a vast improvement to safely direct traffic. We have received some very positive feedback since it opened.
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Softball Field - The bleachers, press box and lighting are now installed and operational. This project is nearing final closeout and will be available in the spring for the women's softball team.
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Great Mall - The latest phase of the Great Mall project is progressing. This updated exterior landscaping and hardscaping will be a much-needed improvement across the campus and will eventually provide a useful conduit connecting academic buildings, parking, and student services and activities.
University Police and Island Harvest - University Police collected nearly 750 pounds of food on behalf of Island Harvest's holiday season food drive. University Police took on this important task at a very busy time, but really helped fulfill the spirit of the season. Thanks to all of you who supported this project.
I wish each of you the very best as we head into a new year.
John Nader
President
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