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Many people have commented on how great it is to be back on campus after so many months
away, including the vast majority of students. Safely returning to campus has required
flexibility and a willingness to recognize that the requirements and regulations remain
fluid. Thank you.
Vaccine Requirement- As you know, students with an on-campus presence are required to provide proof of
vaccination with the exception of those few students who receive medical or religious
exemptions. As of 9/13/21, 93% of our on-campus students have satisfied the requirement.
That number grows almost daily. About 81% of our faculty and staff have also uploaded
proof of vaccination. We received a very high number of requests for religious exemptions—far
more than a number of nearby colleges. About 30% of those requests were granted. Students
who received exemptions are required to test weekly, and may be excluded from on-campus
classes or presence if deemed necessary by changes in public health conditions.
Students who fail to comply with the vaccination requirement by September 27 will
be administratively withdrawn from any on-campus classes.
Thanks to Marketing & Communications, along with Enrollment Management and Student
Engagement, for communicating regularly with students about our health and safety
protocols and our vaccine mandate. They have used texts, emails, robo calls, direct
mail and a phone bank to encourage compliance.
Telecommuting- As you may be aware, SUNY has established a Telecommuting Policy. The final policy
was more restrictive than we anticipated. The policy, as currently written, extends
to the end of 2021. Telecommuting cannot be more than 50% of an employee’s normal
schedule. For example, for a full-time employee, remote work is permissible for no
more than five work days in any pay period. This program is not widely applicable
for faculty members who are expected to teach in person. This program is not intended
for positions that are primarily forward facing to the students or general public.
During the semester, we will explore flexible telecommuting options that may serve
both our employees and the College.
New People/New Structure- During the summer we successfully concluded two important searches. Sunil Samuel
has been hired as Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Engagement.
Uniting enrollment and student engagement will allow us to work cohesively with students
from the point of application to the point of graduation. Vice President Samuel brings
a wealth of knowledge and experience to the College and is known as a regional leader
in the enrollment field. Dr. Christopher Malone will join us this month as Associate
Provost. Dr. Malone was the founding dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Molloy
College and has a great deal of experience in academic administration, program development
and public policy.
Metrics that Matter- Over the summer The Wall Street Journal published some really interesting data on the ratio of student debt to incomes. By
this measure, many of our academic programs are national leaders in return on investment.
Here are the data and rank for some of our programs:
More recently, The Washington Monthly published its college rankings. These are based on contribution to the public good
in three broad categories: social mobility, research and promoting public service.
FSC ranked number 35 in the WM Bachelor’s Colleges Ranking (out of 244 colleges and
universities included) and first among SUNY schools on the list. We did particularly
well in two of the three categories placing 28th in social mobility and 23rd in service.
The WM Bang for Your Buck ranking measures a college’s success and capacity to help
non-wealthy students obtain marketable degrees at affordable prices. We placed #71–
Best Bang for Your Buck Ranking in the Northeast and 7th among SUNY schools (out of
393 colleges and universities ranked).
9/11 Ceremony- About 100 people attended our campus commemoration of the twentieth anniversary
of the 9/11 attacks. The simple, dignified ceremony was symbolically held during the
30 minute span between the collapse of the North and South Towers. Many people made
this event possible. Thanks especially to the organizing committee that included Andreia
Ramos, Keri Hauff, Eric Farina, Bill Steedle, Dan Daugherty, John Harford, Joanne
Ulrich, and Frank Capezza.
John Nader
President
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