Good morning, everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break. I can hardly believe that we are already well into January and that classes start next week. It is an exciting time, but also a busy time so I appreciate you joining me today. When we met at the beginning of the fall semester, I spent some time talking about myself, since that’s the subject I know the most about. Although I could go on and on about myself some more, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about the provost’s team.
Now in the Fall, I said I wasn’t going to restructure. Well. The provost bug must have bitten me because I decided I wanted to do some minor restructuring within the provost’s office. I decided to reconfigure the Vice Provost for Curricular Innovation into an Assistant Vice Provost position. I envisioned this position as being responsible for areas related to the student experience, playing a key role in advancing the mission of fostering student success, belonging and career readiness. The Assistant Vice Provost is responsible for leading strategic initiatives that enhance the academic and co-curricular experience. This includes a focus on retention, experiential learning, and career preparation. The Assistant Vice Provost supervises several high-impact units, that I will detail later, and collaborates across divisions to ensure a holistic and inclusive student journey. I believe reconfiguring this position with a well-defined focus is going to better serve our students and advance the goals of the division and University.
I would now like to take a little time and introduce you to my team.
First, is Eileen Daniel, Senior Vice Provost. Eileen, please stand. Eileen has been at Brockport for over 45 years. She has worked in the Provost’s office for more than 16 years, contributing to academic operations and institutional initiatives, first as Assistant Vice Provost and then moving up into her current role as Senior Vice Provost. She has survived, I mean served, many different Provosts. People say I’m her favorite. Who are those people? Those people are me. Eileen supervises Graduate Studies, Student Accessibility Services, Special Sessions, Scholarship & Grant Development, and Institutional Research and oversees numerous initiatives. She is an invaluable member of the team with extensive institutional knowledge and experience collaborating with partners across campus. A fun fact about Eileen is that she loves to travel. I also want to take a moment to thank Eileen for filling in for me while I was on leave over break. I didn’t have to worry, knowing she was overseeing things.
Next, I’d like to introduce Kandie Gay. Kandie, please stand. Kandie serves as the Administrative Assistant 2 for the Senior Vice Provost and Assistant Vice Provost. Kandie has been at SUNY Brockport for 17 years. She has held multiple administrative positions during her tenure, including roles such as Administrative Assistant, Program Aide, and Administrative Assistant 2, underscoring a long-standing commitment to supporting campus operations. Kandie has been a part of the provost’s team since 2017. A fun fact about Kandie is that she makes amazing strawberry jam.
Next, is one of our newer members to the provost’s team, Tiffany Jewell. Tiffany, please stand. Tiffany joined the provost’s office in October when she became the Executive Assistant to the Provost. Tiffany has been a valued member of SUNY Brockport for more than fifteen years, she has held Administrative Assistant roles in the Alumni office, University Police and the School/College of Arts and Sciences. Her long-standing commitment to the university has been recognized through honors such as the 2025 Outstanding Service to the University Award, highlighting her exceptional dedication to campus operations and service excellence. She has the important job of keeping me on track and believe me it’s not easy. A fun fact about Tiffany is that she is a hard-core Bills fan so much so that her wedding was Bills themed. Go Bills!
Finally, our newest member of the provost’s team is Rey Sia. Rey, please stand. Rey joined the office a week ago as Assistant Vice Provost. This is his 25th year at Brockport and he has held various leadership roles over the years, including chairing the Biology Department and serving as Assistant Dean of the School/College of Arts and Sciences. He has also served on or chaired multiple campus wide committees over the years. Currently he is co-chair with Erin Rickman of the AcMo (Academic Momentum) committee. Something I will talk more about later. Rey supervises the Career Design Center, CELT, the Learning Assistance Center, Honors College, Center for Global Education and Engagement and CSTEP/McNair. A fun fact about Rey is that he loves sweets.
I wanted to give a brief introduction to each of the provost’s team members because I wasn’t sure everyone was familiar with them and the wealth of experience and institutional knowledge that each member contributes to the team for the benefit of Academic Affairs. They have also established great working relationships with our partners across campus, including student affairs and enrollment management. I am excited and honored to have such a wonderful team.
I’d now like to shift my focus to all of you and some of the highlights from the fall semester.
Enrollment & Academic Activity
First, the numbers tell an important story.
This fall, we saw real growth across the board. Undergraduate enrollment increased by 336 students, a 5.8% rise, and graduate enrollment grew by 110 students, a 6.6% increase from last year. In total, that’s 446 more students choosing Brockport—a 6% overall increase.
And we didn’t just grow in numbers. We offered an impressive academic portfolio:
- 806 undergraduate courses, with 1,692 sections
- 273 graduate courses, with 413 sections
That’s more than 2,100 sections taught by 297 full time faculty and 326 adjunct faculty. It’s a tremendous amount of work—and I’m grateful for every bit of your dedication.
Celebrating Student Success
I also want to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students.
This fall, we recognized:
- 1,145 students on the President’s List
- 1,980 on the Dean’s List with Honors
- 1,747 on the Dean’s List
These accomplishments reflect not only the students’ commitment, but your commitment—the mentorship, feedback, flexibility, and compassion you bring to the classroom every day.
Let me now highlight some divisional achievements from Fall 25.
Library
Let me begin with Drake Memorial Library.
This fall marked the completion of an 18 month project that transformed the analog finding aids of the Rose Archives into fully digital, searchable records. Thanks to this effort, our archival collections are now discoverable to researchers around the world.
The library has also expanded its commitment to accessibility, improving physical access through the main and lower level entrances and enhancing the digital accessibility of research guides.
Our Friends of Drake Library hosted their second annual Trivia Night fundraiser in October, raising funds for textbooks on reserve and stress reduction activities for students.
And finally, nearly all students enrolled in GEP 100 and GEP 125 visited the library this fall, where they were introduced to campus spaces, services, and research support.
CELT: Faculty Development & Learning Communities
Our Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching had another strong semester.
They expanded our Faculty Learning Communities, launched a new Reflective Practitioner Community, and hosted Literary Eagles book groups. Across these groups, dozens of faculty engaged in excellent conversations around AI and OER, accessible digital learning, inclusivity, and integrity in the age of AI.
Experiential Learning & Career Design
Experiential learning continues to grow.
This fall, 13 Innovation Micro Grant applications supported projects from 12 faculty and staff members, impacting 540 students across 9 departments and more than 30 community partners.
Digital Accessibility efforts also advanced campuswide.
The Digital Accessibility Roadshow trained 264 faculty members across 27 departments this fall — and when combined with Spring 2025 numbers, we trained more than 53% of all Brockport faculty, with the remaining departments scheduled for Spring 2026.
The Career Design Center awarded nearly $110,000 in internship and professional experience stipends to 70 students representing 17 majors and 53 different employers.
We also saw a strong semester for student employment:
SUNY Brockport employed 970 students across 96 departments — a 12% increase from last fall. We piloted new on campus peer mentor roles, expanded federal work study placements through the Golden Eagle League, and supported students through the Empire State Service Corps.
Global Education & Honors College
Global Education welcomed 52 new international students representing 10 different countries, enriching the global diversity of our campus.
The Honors College also had an exciting fall. We now have 455 Honors students, including 140 new first year students. Roughly 70 students are working on theses this year, with 85 more completing thesis prep coursework that positions them for next year’s projects.
Learning Assistance & Accessibility Services
Our Learning Assistance Center supported thousands (over 4600) of tutoring visits for math, writing, content tutoring, supplemental instruction, and academic success workshops. This included over 1,600 for math tutoring and nearly 1,800 for supplemental instruction. Mike Dentino and his team have also been working on renaming the center. I know this included surveying students.
Student Accessibility Services expanded its impact as well. They hired a new learning specialist for neurodivergent students, opened a downtown testing center, launched a digital accessibility website, and reached 34 GEP classes with academic coaching presentations. They now serve 1,221 students with disabilities and administered nearly 1,800 exams last semester — a 16% increase in total accommodations and appointments.
Graduate Studies and New Academic Programs
As previously noted, Graduate enrollment continued to rise, with 464 new graduate students- and a total graduate population of 1,775. We also launched several new programs—our EdD in Educational Leadership, MS in Chemistry, MS in Computing Sciences, and MHA in Healthcare Administration—reflecting our commitment to meeting regional needs and national demand.
And this fall, SUNY Brockport supported 53 graduate and teaching assistants across campus.
Scholar & Grant Development
It has also been a strong year for grant activity. SUNY Brockport secured continued funding for all TRiO programs and the Migrant Education initiative, even as many institutions nationwide saw cuts.
Our faculty secured significant new awards from major funders including the NSF, NIH, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the City of Rochester — totaling well over a million dollars in sponsored research.
College & School Highlights
College of Arts & Sciences
In honor of the Erie Canal’s 200th anniversary, three media production students created a documentary for the William Pomeroy Foundation. Their film highlights the canal’s historical significance and enduring legacy. Faculty led major artistic and cultural initiatives, including Neal Keatings partnership to produce a four year traveling art exhibition. Dance successfully completed its reaccreditation this fall.
College of Education & Health
Celebrated national recognition for the Addictions and Behavioral Health program in HCS ranked #9 nationally and statewide professional honors for its alumni and faculty. Inaugural CEH Faculty Research Symposium was held on Wednesday, November 12. Drs. Marisa Kofke and Amy Shema from ELID presented a hands-on visual art workshop that addressed themes of belonging, inclusion, and challenging the status quo for disabled people.
School of Business & Management
Reached record enrollment, nearing its five year goal of 900 undergraduates and exceeding 200 graduate students. Faculty shared research at state and national venues, and Public Administration Professors Keith Baker and Shihyun Noh were inducted as Fellows of the New York State Academy of Public Administration.
The School of Nursing
Celebrated a 94.6% first time NCLEX pass rate, a 100% certification pass rate for NP graduates, a smooth transition to school status, Instructor Janie Dennis, as a new Fellow in SUNY’s Nursing Simulation initiative, and a $40,000 grant to support simulation based education.
Acknowledging Accomplishments
This is only a sampling of the work that was accomplished during the fall semester. If you were tired and ready for a break in December, you were not alone. A lot of important work was done in the fall. So much that I can’t highlight it all today. I do want to share with you a couple of new ways, though, that we will be acknowledging faculty, staff, students, and alumni accomplishments this semester.
First, you may have noticed that the faculty accomplishment newsletter that the previous Provost created was not distributed in the fall. That newsletter pulled from annual reports and only focused on faculty accomplishments. I wanted to create a mechanism that could celebrate faculty, staff, students, and alumni accomplishments. This will be done using a new newsletter distributed twice a semester. The first issue was distributed in December. Tiffany has created a form that we encourage anyone to complete. You can highlight your own accomplishments, those of your colleagues, students, or alumni. She will then compile the submissions into a newsletter and distribute it mid-semester and again toward the end of the semester. We have a lot of wonderful things happening in our division and we need to let everyone know. These points of pride in the newsletter are one way of doing that.
John Follaco and his team have also designed emblems that are now displayed on faculty and staff member’s website directory pages to indicate that they are either a Chancellor’s award winner or a Presidential Excellence in Teaching Award winner.
I would also encourage you to continue to make submissions to the Daily Eagle.
Spring 2025 Initiatives
I hope that each of you were able to rest during the winter break, because we are going to be busy again this spring. I’d like to briefly highlight some of the initiatives we will be working on.
Academic Momentum (AcMo)
Brockport continues to make strong progress in supporting SUNY’s systemwide Academic Momentum Campaign, a multi year initiative focused on improving student success. Our work is guided by the Graduation & Momentum Task Force, a cross divisional team of faculty, staff, institutional research, advising, student services, and academic leadership. This group co-chaired by Rey Sia and Erin Rickman has been actively aligning Brockport’s Strategic Enrollment Management efforts with SUNY’s AcMo goals and the findings of the National Institute for Student Success diagnostic review.
SUNY has identified five critical areas that directly influence student success:
- On time (100%) and extended (150%) graduation
- Fall to fall retention
- First year completion of 30+ credits
- Gateway math and English completion
- FAFSA filing and completion
By strengthening momentum early, especially in the first year, we help students stay on track academically, financially, and personally. During the fall semester many of you provided feedback on how Brockport could achieve the benchmarks set by SUNY in these areas. The task force has completed a draft action plan and is soliciting feedback from various stakeholders on campus. The final action plan will be submitted to SUNY in early February. As currently written, the plan builds on much of the work already being done across campus and within Academic Affairs. For example, improving course access, addressing course bottlenecks, and strengthening advising and degree planning.
AI Focus Groups
The campus team enrolled in AAC & U’s Institute on AI, Pedagogy and the Curriculum is working on developing AI action plans that will help us respond effectively to the challenges and opportunities AI presents for higher education. Thank you to those of you who participated in their survey last semester. This semester they will be hosting a series of focus groups in February. Faculty and staff are invited to a series of conversations about AI use at Brockport to help shape the development of institutional governance policies and practices. Please look for information about specific dates, times, and topics. If you have any questions, please contact Donna Wilkerson-Barker.
First Year Experience
A group of faculty and staff, led by Laural McNall, is working on bringing all GEP sections into alignment and infusing career preparation into all of them, not just APEX.
Academic Convocation
A subgroup of the first six-week committee is looking at Academic Convocation and the events that take place that day leading up to the event. They will be making recommendations to me.
Position Requests
A new form and process have been created for position requests. The form asks that various information be included so that decisions can be more data informed. In the past Deans would rank the positions from their schools and submit them to the provost. Our new process will be for each Dean to review all the position requests, not just those from their school or college, and evaluate them using a rubric. The Deans and Provost will then meet to discuss before putting forward requests to Cabinet for approval. Of course, we all know that our needs exceed the resources we have to hire new faculty. However, I think this process will help us to better identify our high-need areas. The call for positions will probably go out in late February.
These are just a few of the things we will be working on in the Spring.
Closing
I know I’ve been talking for a long time, and you are ready to go get some food so I’m going to wrap things up. But before I do, let me return to my favorite subject, me. I had the chance to visit many departments in the fall to meet with faculty, learn about their programs, listen to their concerns and anything else they wanted to share and answer questions to the best of my ability. I want to thank those departments for making time for me to visit. I found those meetings to be valuable. If I didn’t make it to your department last semester, I should be on the schedule to come visit this semester. If for some reason, I am not, please reach out to Tiffany so I can get scheduled.
I want to invite you to connect with me throughout the semester to share your thoughts, questions, concerns or just to say hi. There are a few different ways to do this.
- Ping the Provost is always open for questions and ideas. A link to this can be found in the navigational bar on the Academic Affairs homepage. Ping the Provost: SUNY Brockport
- Café Chats with the Provost will be held Thursday, February 12th 9:00 am – 10:30 am at Raj Madan Café, Wednesday, April 8th 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm at Jitterbugs Café. Come by and say hi.
- And Brunch with Brasted will take place Wednesday, April 1st 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at Harrison Dining Hall. It’s no April fools joke, you really can come dine with me at Harrison.
I look forward to seeing you at these gatherings and hope you will take advantage of these opportunities to share what’s on your mind.
Before I wrap up, I want to acknowledge that we are living in strange and stressful times. As I mentioned in the fall, Cabinet is monitoring how external factors may impact our campus community. However, I know that there is a lot more happening besides what may impact our campus. It seems at times that so much is going on that it may become overwhelming. I encourage you to take care of yourselves and be mindful of your physical and mental health. You can’t help others if you don’t take care of yourself. This may mean taking a break from electronics and constant news alerts, spending time with family and friends, escaping in a book or movie, or watching old episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies. Oh, that last one might just be me. If you do find that you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed and just don’t know what to do or need someone to talk to, please consider taking advantage of our Employee Assistance Program.
As we begin the Spring 2026 semester, I want to thank each of you. Our students succeed because you show up for them every day, in countless ways.
Here’s to a productive semester.
Welcome back and thank you.