College of Arts & Sciences, College of Education & Health, School of Business and Management, Library, Center for Global Education and Engagement, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Career Design Center, Student Accessibility Services, Center for Graduate Studies, McNair and other Trio Programs, Special Sessions & Online Programming, Scholar and Grant Development Office, Office of Accountability and Assessment, Honors College, Learning Assistance Center, and Institutional Research and Assessment.
Cabinet Member:
Dr. Monica Brasted, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Divisional Overview
Mission:
Provide academic excellence with experiential learning in professional programs and the liberal arts and sciences rooted in a commitment to student success.
Executive Summary for 2024-25:
Reorganization of the academic division has led to the development of the new School of Nursing, the creation of the College of Education and Health, the College of Arts and Sciences, and continuation of the School of Business and Management.
New administrative hires have been completed. Jana Craft has been appointed as the new Dean for the School of Business and Management (effective July 17), Kathy Peterson was selected as the inaugural Dean for the School of Nursing, Denise Copelton has been appointed at interim Dean for the College of Arts &Sciences, Summer Reiner has been confirmed as Associate Dean in the College for Education and Health, Jessica Sniatecki was appointed as Assistant Dean in E&H (a new position), and Susan Lowey was appointed Assistant Dean for School of Nursing. Monica Brasted has been appointed as Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Successfully implemented the Academics, Career, and Engagement (ACE) pilot program with over 100 students participating in this two-semester program. Preliminary data indicates the value of the opportunity, based on improvement in student performance, academic acuity, and career awareness.
The Experiential Learning Committee has recommended continued growth and coordination of EL activities for students. Three opportunities were identified: the Excellence in Experiential Learning (EEL) award, the EL Fellowship, and the Innovation Micro Grant program. Discussions about the implementation of these ideas are ongoing. Additional work is ongoing to develop the Engaged EAGLE program as a mechanism to promote and track student engagement as it relates to EL.
Section One: Alignment with Strategic Plan
Goal 1: To be a Great University at Which to Learn
Provide high-quality educational programs that challenge our students while meeting the needs of our community, employers, the State of New York and beyond.
Foster a culture of curiosity through engaging students via outstanding teaching, co-curricular programs, and meaningful experiential learning opportunities.
Enrich our learning environment through increased and sustained recruitment and retention of diverse students, faculty, and staff.
Foster a sense of belonging and a culture of kindness.
Academic Affairs Divisional Goal 1: Provide a diverse array of high-quality academic programs that foster intellectual growth and creative expression in an inclusive and welcoming environment.
Developed several new academic programs that will be initiated in fall 2025: Ed.D Educational Leadership, MHA, MS Chemistry, MS Computing Science (online or online degree completion) and Finance. New ODC approved for SOC (proposal hasn’t left campus). New program launching Fall 26: MS Nursing Education.
There has been a steady increase in total enrollment in Summer Session and Winter Session from the 2024 and 2025 academic years. This indicates success with a robust course schedule that accommodates both current matriculated Brockport and non-matriculated visiting students’ needs. They had a 13.7% increase between WI24 and WI25 enrollment with a 26% increase in graduate and 10% increase in undergraduate numbers. We’ve had an 11.7% increase between SU24 and SU25 total enrollment with an 11.8% increase in graduate and 11.6% increase in undergraduate numbers. The percentage of students who utilized ASC tutoring services.
Learning Assistance Center (LAC): Slightly more than 1,500 students (22% of the student body) used the Learning Assistance Center (LAC), resulting in 8,866 recorded visits for learning assistance, study skills workshops, and supplemental instruction. Compared to the previous year, the number of visits during the 2024-25 academic year decreased by about 11%. A higher percentage (88.1% vs 83.2%) of freshmen who utilized the LAC at least once were retained from fall 2024 to spring 2025.
The percentage students who utilized LAC services and identified as Black or African American was 13.7%. Among the entire student body, the percentage of Black or African American students is 10.7%. Moreover, students who identified as Black or African American and LAC services in the fall 2024 semester, persisted into the spring 2025 semester at a higher rate than their counterparts who did not utilize any LAC services in the fall (88.1% vs 85.5%).
A continuous improvement annual template was developed to align Program Student Learning Outcomes with competencies using Plan, Do, Check, and Act within an annual cycle to address student learning for developing program improvements.
Developed agreement with the Department of English to offer more sections of ENG 112 in fall semester to ensure that all incoming first-year students had the ability to complete this foundational course their first semester.
Created a welcoming environment for new students in the first six weeks. Departments partnered with the Division of Student Affairs, and offered activities in the first six weeks of fall term to promote student engagement and a sense of belonging.
Student Accessibility Services Observed continuous increase in the utilization of SAS services and students identifying as having a disability, serving 1,106 students in fall 2024 and 1,037 students in spring 2025, representing a 7% increase from the previous 23/24 academic year. Appointments for Accessibility Specialists relating to housing, accommodations, re-evaluations, assistive technology, the Academic Coaching Program along with others have greatly increased over the past several academic semesters, more than doubling from the 21/22 to the 24/25 Academic Year.
Goal 2: To be a University Engaged With its Community.
Utilize the talents and resources of the SUNY Brockport community to meet the economic and societal needs of our region.
Cultivate lasting and engaging relationships with alumni and partners that positively impact our academic community.
Celebrate and effectively communicate the SUNY Brockport vision and our successes internally and externally.
Nurture a welcoming, vibrant, and engaging campus community where faculty, staff, students, and visitors generate a sense of school spirit: Golden Eagle pride.
Academic Affairs Divisional Goal 2: Increase community engagement within the curriculum to support the needs of our students, Brockport, Greater Rochester, New York State and beyond.
Twenty departments reported 264 outreach/engagement activities with community partners/alumni.
SUNY Brockport hosts three federally funded TRIO programs administered by the Research Foundation for SUNY Brockport: Educational Talent Search (ETS); CSTEP/Ronald E. McNair Programs; and Upward Bound. Together, these programs support approximately 750 low-income, first-generation college-bound students across Western New York.
Educational Talent Search (ETS): ETS expanded its reach this year to include students from Thurgood Marshall Middle School, successfully meeting its goal of serving 650 students from Thurgood Marshall, Edison, and Monroe High Schools. The program also provided valuable field experience for a graduate student in SUNY Brockport’s Social Work Program. Notably, 112 ETS students earned their high school diplomas, and 73 enrolled in college or trade school.
CSTEP/Ronald E. McNair Programs: These programs celebrated significant academic achievements in 2024, with three alumni earning PhDs and 12 others completing Master’s degrees. Additionally, 25 participants presented their summer research projects at the Western NY Research Symposium, showcasing their scholarly work and research skills.
Upward Bound: Upward Bound served 70 participants this year, the largest cohort in program history. Among the 2018 cohort, 59% had earned a college degree by early 2025, nearly doubling the program’s goal of 30%. Furthermore, 100% of 2025 high school seniors graduated, and it is anticipated that most of this cohort will enroll in college in the fall 2025 semester. This will be confirmed once the data is available by the end of 2025.
Each School had a Dean’s Advisory Board that met regularly throughout the academic year.
The Career Design Center hosted 4 different hiring fairs, bringing over 150 employers to campus.
Through Community-Service Federal Work Study (Golden Eagle League) we were able to partner with 13 local employers and place 45 students in paid roles within partner organizations. This exceeded the required 7% of FWS money being allocated to community service roles.
A revised periodic program review template will be implemented this year which includes student engagement and experiential learning activities. These areas connect SUNY Brockport students with their needs and engage them with Brockport and the Greater Rochester community.
Successfully launched alumni mentoring program in the College of Arts & Sciences, pairing 9 students with alumni mentors for the academic year.
Brockport SBDC growth. Now one of the leading SBDC in NYS in terms of economic impact, clients served, and business starts. Brockport’s SBDC is also opening doors to local and regional high schools to help improve our recruitment, connecting students with service-learning projects for SBDC clients, and creating internship and networking opportunities for our University. In addition, SBDC has helped create a connection to local Brockport downtown businesses, serving as a host to local business events.
Executed the first Non-Profit summit program and event at Brockport Downtown, run by the Department of Public Administration. Attended by 125 local non-profit leaders, it highlighted the MPA program, and the Universities commitment to the greater Rochester Community. A great way to engage with professionals in the field, foster dialogue during challenging times, and highlight our MPA emphasis in Non-Profit Management.
Goal 3: To be a Sustainable and Thriving University for the 21st Century
Embed strategic student recruitment and retention practices across the University.
Demonstrate strong financial stewardship to ensure a fiscally healthy University.
Pursue environmentally sustainable strategies.
Enhance the University’s physical resources to ensure high quality and accessible learning, living, and working environments.
Increase private support to the University by successfully completing a Comprehensive Campaign.
Academic Affairs Divisional Goal 3: Produce graduates prepared for success in a contemporary society.
International student enrollment continues to grow. (see section 2, goal 3)
Graduate student enrollment continues to grow. (see section 2, goal 3)
For 2024-25 AY, 116 first-year admits with strong academic credentials (avg. 96.96 HS GPA, fractionally higher than previous years) opted to participate in the Honors College; approximately 16% of the first-year Honors class identifies as a minority.
SSEI: Developed a definition of equity-mindedness. (SUNY Brockport defines equity as providing equal opportunity and access to resources necessary for full participation and growth, including the elimination of social and structural barriers. Equity-mindedness means actively identifying and addressing the policies and procedures that create barriers to equal opportunities for the success of students, faculty, and staff.)
Conducted focus groups, in which 34 students representing 23 different majors participated. Among them, 47.1% were Black, 23.5% Hispanic, 20.6% White, and 5.9% Asian. Facilitators of the focus groups explored the sense of belonging of students, both academic and social, using a six-point scale, with one denoting low belongingness and six denoting high belongingness. The mean score for academic (social) belonging was 4.90 (4.70), with first-generation students reporting a significantly lower sense of belonging, both academic (4.20) and social (5.19).
The revised Periodic Program Review template focuses on growth opportunities for student success such as student success indicators, student perceptions of learning experiences, and experiential activities.
For the first time, the Annual Day of Giving included an option to direct funds to academic departments and had challenges between departments within each school. This incentivized donors to give to individual departments.
SOBAM Created more space for student interactions. Completed the Brockport Brand Builders gift from Advantage Federal Credit Union, and updated Hartwell Room 102. Opened the Fenton Student/Faculty collision space. This creates a student centric space near our Center for Student Success (with new signage), helping to encourage student/faculty/staff interaction. In addition, they added a free coffee cart encouraging even more student non-class interaction with staff and faculty in our Student Success Hallway.
Goal 4: To be a Great University at Which to Work
Create, improve, and sustain activities that will positively impact employee recruitment, retention, and success.
Enrich the working environment by enhancing the diversity of our student body and workforce.
Enhance effective working relationships within our shared governance framework.
Foster a sense of belonging, dedication and teamwork among administration, faculty, and staff.
Foster a culture that is inclusive, respectful, and kind.
Academic Affairs Divisional Goal 4: Create a diverse, inclusive, and supportive working environment that fosters faculty and staff success.
The Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Scholarship (CELT) expanded regular offerings beyond Everything DiSC, CliftonStrengths, and Crucial Conversations to include two-part Grants Basics sessions, an IRB Workshop, and EagleSUCCESS training each semester.
CELT’s New Faculty Onboarding activities during the fall 2024 semester largely took place in FBW 202 on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:00pm, introducing new faculty to key offices and teaching foci. New faculty who met criteria to be PRODiG faculty (from culturally underrepresented backgrounds or women in STEM fields) were invited to the PRODiG luncheon held on February 14, 2025, and two Zoom conversations with regional PRODiG faculty.
CELT convened the Online Education Committee (OEC) during the spring 2025 semester to explore how to centralize, track, and support online education at the University. The group focused on course- and program-based policies, ultimately developing draft strategic goals and determining that existing online education resources developed by our Instructional Design Team should be shared with campus departments and offices through a series of “road shows” during AY 2025-26. CELT convened seven NCFDD Faculty Success Program (FSP) alumni to select faculty to engage in the FSP during the summer (two faculty) and fall (one faculty) semesters. They also suggested instituting a campus-wide “virtual writing hour” offered via Zoom on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to provide virtual space for faculty to engage in writing projects. The FSP alumni suggested holding Literary Eagle or Faculty Learning Communities to recruit early career faculty for future completion of FSP.
CELT convened five mentors and mentees on January 23, 2025, and again on April 16, 2025. Dr. Lauren Lieberman guided faculty mentor-mentee dyads in goal-setting and supportive conversations.
At the behest of faculty, CELT began offering Zoom-based virtual writing hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:00 to 3:00pm during the spring 2025 semester, as well as a Writing Institute, which was held at the Empire State Room on May 10, 2025.
All Career Design Center team members were invited to bring a community partner to the office to train on a topic of their interest. This not only provided essential professional development but also enriched the team’s awareness on essential issues like community-specific obstacles to accessing opportunities (hosted by Campus ROC), legacies of bias and institutional racism (hosted by Our Local History) and principles of Experiential Learning (Dr.Marianna Savoca). This allowed us to deepen our connections with community partners.
The College of Arts & Sciences held its annual faculty/staff recognition event.
Faculty/staff/ students partnered with Admissions on recruiting events.
Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management collaborated regarding the National Institute of Student Success (NISS) at Georgia State University partnership. Recommendations to improve recruitment, retention, and student success will be provided at the culmination presentation on Aug 27th.
SAS sponsored Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) certification in conjunction with Residential Life. This is part of continued efforts to provide enhanced mental health support for students. Training was attended by SAS and Residential Life Staff. Approximately 30 staff were certified in MHFA.
Assistive Technology Specialist conducted 8 dept trainings on Title II/Digital Accessibility and 2 CELT trainings on Digital Accessibility.
Section Two:
Top five goals for 2024-25 and results (narrative, graphically, KPIs, etc.) and mapping
Mapped to which SP goal/objective (number and/or letter)? Univ Goal 1, AA Goal 2
Completed the ACE pilot program implementation. Piloted ACE2 with a specific focus on career readiness. In AY24-25, career coaches pushed into 4 class sessions to deliver career-readiness content and met individually with each ACE student. In AY25-26, Career Coaches will fully teach APEX2.
Implemented the recommendation from the experiential learning committee report to form a University wide committee with faculty and staff representation for each experiential learning pathway in addition to other key players (e.g., CELT Director, Co-Chair, Career Design Director, Co-Chair, Global Engagement Director, Undergraduate Research Director, Leadership & Civic Engagement Director, Honors Director)
Expanded CELT operations to better support faculty teaching and professional development needs.
SOBAM created 10 courses with embedded google certification options in the courses as mandatory or optional exercises.
Expanded Career Design Center to reflect academic restructure, providing a designated Career Coach to each School/College
The Career Design Center conducted over 100 workshops on career-readiness topics in 46 unique academic classes.
Faculty and staff were given the opportunity to learn about embedding NACE competencies into their curricula through a CELT Faculty Learning Community series.
Mapped to which SP goal/objective (number and/or letter)? Univ Goal 1, AA Goals 1, 3, and 4
Continued our initiative to return a small portion of the indirect costs generated through external funds back to the Deans to support the receiving department.
Reviewed suggestions produced by the research council to define the actions that need to be taken to promote research, beyond the traditional departments.
Implemented a year-round IRB. Reformulated internal funding programs that promote academic research and scholarship. Supported undergraduate research.
Faculty were guaranteed $500 in FSA funds and could apply for up to $2,000. This relatively new FSA process resulted in almost all FSA funds being spent compared to previous years.
Mapped to which SP goal/objective (number and/or letter)? Univ Goals 1 and 3, AA Goals 1 and 3
Center for Graduate Studies - graduate enrollments continued to grow in 2024/2025. Fall 2024 new enrollments of 408 were strong, but did not match the growth projection (473). Spring 2025 new enrollments of 246 exceeded the projection (185) by 61. Total graduate enrollments for fall 2024 and spring 2025 both surpassed our graduate growth goals for those semesters and greatly exceeded our total enrollments as compared to the prior year for each term. Fall 2024 total graduate enrollment of 1666 surpassed the projection (1660) by 6 and exceeded fall 2023 enrollments (1502) by 164. Spring 2025 total graduate enrollment of 1662 surpassed the projection (1639) by 23 and exceeded the spring 2024 enrollments (1568) by 94.
International Enrollment-This 2024-2025 academic year we welcomed 85 new degree seeking students, bringing our total international enrollment to 123 students. They are enrolled in over 20 academic majors and represent 25 different countries. Our largest student cohorts are from Nepal, Canada, Nigeria, and India.
Continued to expand graduate offerings. Monitored the approval of programs being evaluated by SUNY.
Continued to advance recruitment efforts for international students in critical locations including India, south Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Changes were made to GA/TA stipends and tuition to bring in more grad students.
Mapped to which SP goal/objective (number and/or letter)? Univ Goal 1, AA Goal 3
Completed the ACE pilot program implementation and evaluated its success in improving student outcomes.
Evaluated the performance of students completing MTH 110 and CHM 260 with the inclusion of recitation sections relative to prior years. Results showed an improvement in mean scores in both courses, with a bigger increase in MTH. Additionally, students, faculty, and recitation leaders all reported favorably on the recitations.
Continued leadership for the SSEI initiative, evaluating appropriate tools to provide students with a true sense of belonging by connecting Divisions across the University in support of student engagement
Section Three:
Top five goals for 2025-26 and brief action plans (limited to 100 words for each)
Mapped to which SP goal/objective (number and/or letter)? Univ Goal 1, AA Goal 2
Implement the revised APEX pilot program.
Reviewed and expand experiential learning opportunities for students.
Explored the integration of career awareness into APS sections.
Mapped to which SP goal/objective (number and/or letter)? Univ Goal 1, AA Goals 1, 3, and 4
Continue our initiative to return a small portion of the indirect costs generated through external funds back to the deans.
Departmental review and revision of APT documents including an evaluation, and possible expansion, of what counts as scholarly activity.
Create a digital database of successful grant proposals to serve as a resource for faculty applying for grants.
Mapped to which SP goal/objective (number and/or letter)? Univ Goal 1, AA Goals 1 and 3
Implement the new periodic program review process with a template for an annual continuous improvement process and a revised Periodic Program Review template based on for SAS programs.
Provide financial support (visit expenses and accreditation fees) for accreditation reviews with selected programs.
Continue the implementation of the new continuous improvement process in the College of Arts and Sciences with the inaugural Continuous Improvement and Planning Day event held May 22, 2025. SAS faculty members (125) attended the half-day session to meet with their program faculty and develop to discuss the annual continuous improvement template and develop competencies to support Program Student Learning Outcomes. This will be an annual event for SAS building upon cohesive assessment strategies and communicating program successes and challenges. The 2026 SAS Planning Day is scheduled for May 21, 2026.
SOBAM to review assurance of learning processes and assessment functions to ensure continuous improvement strategies are fulfilling AACSB accreditation standards.
Begin preliminary preparation for the Middle States accreditation process.
Mapped to which SP goal/objective (number and/or letter)? Univ Goals 1 and 3, AA Goals 1 and 3
Continue to expand graduate offerings. Monitor the approval of programs currently being evaluated by SUNY.
Continue to develop new program opportunities, particularly in-person programs that might be appropriate for international students. For example, complete efforts to develop an in-person MBA that combines content from business, math, and computing sciences.
Continue to advance recruitment efforts for international students in critical locations including India, south Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Review the GA/TA funding and allocation process to maximize return on expended funds.
Mapped to which SP goal/objective (number and/or letter)? Univ Goal 1, AA Goal 3
Complete the revised APEX pilot program implementation and evaluate its success in improving student outcomes.
Continue to evaluate the performance of students completing MTH 110 and CHM 260 with the inclusion of recitation sections relative to prior years.
Continue leadership for the SSEI initiative, evaluating appropriate tools to provide students with a true sense of belonging by connecting divisions across the University in support of student engagement.
Review recommendations of the NISS at Georgia State University partnership.
Section Four:
Additional Points of Pride (please provide at least five but no more than 10)
This year the Honors College piloted an embedded academic coaching program placing strong honors students in general English composition and math courses with high DWE rates. Honors academic coaches offer, supplemental instruction, and various forms of academic mentoring, depending on the needs of the particular class, to support struggling students and help them improve their performance in these foundational courses. The program began in spring 2025, embedding students in three sections across English composition and math. After positive preliminary results, they expanded it in fall 2025, to place students in 9 sections (possibly more), covering introductory statistics and all levels of first-year composition.
There has been a steady increase in total enrollment in Summer Session and Winter Session from the 2024 and 2025 academic years. This indicates success with a robust course schedule that accommodates both current matriculated Brockport and non-matriculated visiting students’ needs. We’ve had a 13.7% increase between WI24 and WI25 enrollment with a 26% increase in graduate and 10% increase in undergraduate numbers.
Built a predictive retention model that: 1) predicts first year full time fall to fall retention and 2) identifies the student most likely to not retain. It was well received by the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) team and has now moved on to phase two which includes incorporating the learnings about drivers of student retention and the students not likely to retain into student programs like campus visits, orientation, student success center, etc.
The major accomplishment for the Office of Accountability and Assessment has been continuing the development of the continuous improvement practices with the annual assessment cycle and periodic program review for SAS.
This year, the Career Design Center expanded our support of students by hiring additional staff within a liaison model of career development which establishes a designated staff member for each academic school or area. With this new model, we were able to directly reach students through: 101 professional development workshops conducted in 46 unique course sections and additional student groups, touching roughly 2,297 students; 1,260 individual student appointments in the Career Design Center. We also supported students financially through 227 Internship and Professional Experience Stipends, totaling $273,019.
Developed an operational definition of equity-mindedness, conducted student focus groups with support from the Student Voices Initiative of Motivate Lab of the University of Virginia, and selected faculty and staff to complete two courses, Fostering a Culture of Belonging and Promoting Active Learning, of the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE).
Second cohort of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students graduated May 16, 2025. The Department of Nursing completed a SUNY proposal for a Master in Science in Nursing Education, had a successful site visit, and received approval of this program on 5/20/25. The first students will enter this program in the fall of 2026.
The Thriving Institute uses psychology-based research to plan activities and initiatives that aim to help students thrive (not just survive). With assistance from two students who worked as peer mental health educators paid through the Empire Service Corps, the Institute hosted multiple events and activities throughout the academic year including, a Survival Pantry housed in Holmes Hall, workshops on test anxiety, a Wellness Fair, planting event, posts on thriving to social media (via the Institute’s social media accounts), guided meditations, collaborations with Drake library, and therapy dog visits.
EDC operated the Hartwell Mental Health Clinic this past year. The faculty provided clinical and administrative supervision to 42 graduate student counselors. The Clinic served over 100 undergraduate students for supportive counseling services.
In fall, they hosted over 25 women business leaders who were interested in mentoring our students networking event. This event, called Harvesting Success was run in conjunction with the Women in Tech students’ group. At the event, women business leaders at various career levels shared those experiences in both small table settings and a large room presentation. In the spring semester, Women in Business students participated in a downtown Rochester networking event called Innovate Her, put on in conjunction with the Brockport SBDC. They hosted Risk Week where 40+ students participated with professionals in the Risk/Insurance fields. Twelve students also attended a Risk World conference in Chicago. The first cohort of the business enrichment program launched fall 2024 with 21 initial participants. 19 participants completed the first semester of the required activities and were rewarded with $150 bookstore credit. 15 students are continuing to the fall 2025 semester.
