Update from FSC President Nader, PhD

May, 2023

Spring 2023 Commencement

Commencement- Thanks to the many, many volunteers and participants who took part in our Spring Commencement. Nearly 1,100 students crossed the stage and we received many favorable comments about the event. Tom Azzara, Lynn Marsh, and Doug LoPalo deserve special thanks for their ongoing efforts. They have chaired the Commencement Committee through Covid era Car-mencements, winter ceremonies, and our outdoor spring events. This is an enormous amount of work that extends well beyond the days leading up to our graduation ceremonies.

PaintCare Day- Our Sustainability Office held a highly successful PaintCare event on campus in late April. What a success! The hauler collected 24 cubic yards boxes of latex paint and 13 cubic yard boxes of oil based paint. Nearly 4,000 gallons of paint were collected and will be remade into new paint or responsibly recycled. Thanks to Sustainability Coordinator Maia Roseval who organized the event which was the states most recent PaintCare Day.

Route 110 and Melville Road Safety- You may remember that last fall an FSC student was struck by a vehicle at the Route 110 and Melville Road intersection. Following that accident, we called together local officials from the town, county, and state levels to explore ways to calm traffic and make that intersection safer for pedestrians. I am pleased to report that, at our request, New York State Department of Transportation has followed through and is now creating a much safer crossing. This will include improved crosswalks, pedestrian push buttons, signal heads, and countdown timers. The DOT has also requested greater speed enforcement in that vicinity. We have made some improvements on College property to improve visibility and safety.

Estée Lauder Companies- The College’s applied learning partnership with the Estée Lauder Companies is off to a very good start. The program began this spring and provided six students with direct experience at ELC in microbiology, business continuity, and special analytical services. Recently ELC hosted a green chemistry in the lab event focused on developing EL products with sustainability in mind. By all accounts Estée Lauder is extremely pleased with FSC students and the partnership is poised to expand.

Welcome!- Three members have recently joined our staff. Chris Maio has been hired as Chief Communications Officer. Chris was previously at Stony Brook University working in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences where she led their communications and marketing efforts. Chris is experienced in developing brand-building programs in both higher education and the private sector. In her new capacity, she will lead our efforts to raise the profile and prominence of Farmingdale’s programs and people. Karen Contino joins FSC in the newly created title of College Communications and External Relations Manager. She brings with her over two decades of communications experience and extensive knowledge of local and state government. She previously served in communications and support roles under Nassau County Executives Thomas Suozzi and Laura Curran. In addition, she worked with Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini. Karen began her career as a reporter for the Nassau Herald specializing in education coverage. Kim Parris has signed on as Director of Special Events and Scheduling. As the demands on campus spaces continue to increase, this new position will be integral to managing and improving the growing number of internal and external events held on campus. Kim joins us from Stony Brook University where she served as Interim Director of Advancement Events and was responsible for major fundraising celebrations and activities. She will be instrumental to planning and executing major college-wide events as well as the use of campus facilities by outside groups.

Lavender Graduation- FSC held its first Lavender Graduation on May 2, to honor LGBTQIA+ seniors for their accomplishments and contributions to the College. Five students attended the ceremony and received lavender graduation cords to honor their success and determination in achieving their academic and personal goals. Family, friends, and members of the College community joined the inaugural celebration.

Interaction Design Accreditation- Congratulations and thanks to Jack Harris and the faculty and staff of our Bachelor of Science in Interaction Design program which has received accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), joining our Visual Communications program. Attaining NASAD recognition is a significant accomplishment and helps fulfill the College’s goal of gaining external accreditation in eligible programs.

Biggest Loser Winners- Congratulations to Mary Villani and Erica Chase who were crowned the biggest losers of the Biggest Loser Email competition! The Risk and Compliance Office and Information Technology are very appreciative for the participation of the campus community in the Biggest Loser Email Competition. During the month of April, over 2 million emails were deleted. This far exceeded expectations.

Offshore Wind Training Institute- FSC will received nearly $900K in funding for three proposals advancing offshore wind technology training and education, as part of the initial round of $4 million in funding awarded by the OWTI. FSC received three of ten awards that included successful proposals from University Centers, Colleges of Technology, and Community Colleges across SUNY. The FSC proposals receiving funding include:

Online Training Workshops for MWBEs and Small Startups in the Offshore Wind Industry (Award: $258.5K): A series of short, non-credit bearing workshops that will provide participants with educational opportunities without having to take extended time away from their businesses, and which they can immediately apply to their operations. The workshops offer training to MWBE's and small startups at no cost to eligible learners.

Offshore Wind Workforce Microcredential (Award: $500K): A new Microcredential program offers new courses and advanced training focused on offshore wind technology. The training will address near-term or immediate needs in the offshore wind industry and focus on monitoring the structural integrity of wind turbine blades and diagnosing micro-cracks.

Wind Turbine Technician (WTT) Certificate Global Wind Organization (GWO) Training (Award: $132K): GWO offers in-person safety training, applying to the operation and maintenance associated with wind turbines. The addition of GWO training to the WTT academic credential offers two cohorts of participants the opportunity to explore the physicality of the profession, and better prepares graduates for the workforce. This training will be implemented in collaboration with SUNY Maritime College.

John Nader
President