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College Council Meeting Minutes: September 24, 2024

Present

  • Martin Abraham, Provost and VP for Academic Affairs
  • Lorraine Acker, VP for Student Affairs
  • Mike Andriatch, VP for Advancement and Communications
  • Damita Davis, Chief Diversity Officer
  • Andrea Guzzetta, College Council
  • Ian Harper, VP for Administration and Finance
  • Lauren Kelly, College Council
  • Sara Kelly, VP for Enrollment Management
  • Heidi Macpherson, President
  • Roosevelt Mareus, Dean and Executive Director, REOC
  • Lesli Myers-Small, College Council
  • Skye Paine, Brockport University Senate President
  • Ken Pink, College Council
  • Jamie Romeo, College Council
  • Tenin Sidime, BSG President
  • Scott Turner, College Council Chair
  • Chris Wiest, College Council

Excused

  • Ed Suriano, Alumni Association President

I. Chair’s Report [Mr. Turner]

  1. The meeting convened at 4:35pm.
  2. Turner asked everyone to introduce themselves. Dr. Skye Paine, Senate President, Ms. Jamie Romeo, and Ms. Tenin Sidime, BSG President, were welcomed as new members.
  3. College Council reviewed the April 30, 2024 meeting notes. Mr. Pink moved to approved, and Scott Turner seconded. The College Council meeting minutes were approved with no revisions.
  4. Turner asked Mr. Andriatch to provide information on the vacancies on College Council. Mr. Andriatch said at present there are two vacancies, but there are Council members whose terms have expired, and the Governor’s office is working on getting new members appointed and new term expiry dates for current members.
  5. Turner discussed the ACT Conference scheduled for September 27-29, in Saratoga Springs.

II. President’s Report [President Macpherson]

  1. President Macpherson discussed the number of students on campus, and she said she attributes the growth in student enrollment to three things: increase in marketing budget; investment in scholarships; and adding to program array. She also mentioned that the university is taking a whole university approach to recruitment and retention, and it is paying off. She encouraged College Council to spend time on the website and look at ways in which the University is telling the story and recruiting students. President Macpherson said SUNY Brockport has a great story to tell, and she shared information on how this is being addressed across campus. She shared other start of the year updates.
  2. President Macpherson provided updates from SUNY, and she discussed updates to Tile IX and Title VI guidance.
  3. President Macpherson provided a budget update, and she said the news on the budget right now is good. She said this is the best situation the University has been in with the budget for a while, due both to investment by the state and higher student numbers.
  4. President Macpherson said the U.S. News and World Report rankings have come out, and the University is nine spots higher than last year in the northeast region. She shared information on the rankings in other categories, such as social mobility and support for veterans. A number of programs were rated this year, including Nursing, Computing Sciences, Psychology and Business.
  5. Pink asked for sports updates, and President Macpherson said the University has joined the Empire 8 conference, which will allow a better student-athlete experience. Mr. Turner asked about the other schools that are in Empire 8, and they include Alfred University, Elmira College, SUNY Geneseo, Hartwick College, Houghton College, Keuka College, Nazareth University, SUNY Poly, Russell Sage College, St. John Fisher University and Utica University. Dr. Kelly said this year there is the largest number of student athletes this year, with over 800 students participating in sports.
  6. President Macpherson showed the video that highlighted student activities at this year’s Homecoming. She also shared a series of good news stories about faculty, staff and students.

III. Title VI and Civil Discourse [Dr. Damita Davis]

  1. Davis provided an update on the guidelines for Title VI, the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She outlined what this covers and what the University is required to do should there be harassment or a hostile environment. She also identified what constitutes a bias incident, and shared how people can report both bias incidents and complaints of discrimination. She said that the modification to Title VI guidance has made everyone mandated reporters.
  2. Turner asked how many bias incidents get turned in on a weekly basis. Dr. Davis said since the first week of school there have been about two per week. Mr. Pink asked how the process works, and Dr. Davis identified how the information is submitted and reviewed. Mr. Pink asked about the resolution for these complaints and asked how severe this can get. Dr. Davis said depending on the situation, such cases could go through either student conduct, if a student is found responsible, or through Human Resources if dealing with faculty/staff. She said prior to the recent changes, the focus of the bias incident reporting process was more of an educational approach, but she said it depends on the severity of the incident and if it violates other policies. President Macpherson said the university has to take reasonable steps to stop the harassment. Mr. Pink asked how Brockport compares to other campuses, and Dr. Davis said we are somewhere in the middle compared to the other comprehensives, and our reported events are not as high in some of the other schools in the system. Mr. Wiest asked about student education, and Dr. Davis said she has gone out across campus with this information, and she is working with other campus offices to disseminate information to faculty, staff and students. Ms. Guzzetta asked if there is a report that has to be submitted to SUNY, and Dr. Davis said not right now, and President Macpherson said the exception is anything that is a hate crime has to be reported through Clery and to our SUNY counsel.

IV. Undergrad and Grad Enrollment [Dr. Sara Kelly]

  1. Kelly provided an enrollment update, and she said the biggest impact has been the way the campus community has rallied around in welcoming students.
  2. Wiest asked about comparisons at other schools with orientation, and Dr. Kelly said the parents and potential students always identify how positive the orientation is compared to the other schools, and she said 94% of the first-year students had visited campus before committing.
  3. Kelly identified the regional outlook for incoming and transfer students, and she said a majority of them come from the region. Mr. Wiest asked about the global increase, and Dr. Abraham said they have committed significant resources to recruiting international students, and he said Brockport was the only institution to lower the out-of-state graduate tuition, which also applies to international students. He said they have spent a lot of time recruiting and expect to see more growth in international students. He said there are about 30 Nepalese students enrolled this year, which is the largest cohort of international students this year.
  4. Kelly discussed the transfer students, and said the University has good collaborations with some of the local community colleges, which includes co-branding on billboards. She said there are year-over-year increases in graduate students, and she said the growth in graduate students has been remarkable.
  5. Kelly said they are starting their third year of the Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, and she shared the highlights of some of their plans. She also discussed the recruitment council and identified their accomplishments. She shared information on the UG Admissions Dual Credit Program, and she said it is a great and affordable pipeline for students. Mr. Wiest asked about 3-1-3. Dr. Kelly said that program still exists, but it is more expensive, as students pay the tuition rates, and have to come to campus. The Dual Credit program allows students to stay in their high school classroom and do the work and get the college credit. Mr. Turner asked about a high school in Hamilton, NY being added, and Dr. Kelly said there is some kind of alumni relationship that assisted in adding this program to a school in Central NY. Dr. Abraham said that often there is an opportunity for a teacher in a school district who is a Brockport grad and they are willing to assist with the program. Dr. Kelly and Dr. Abraham talked about the out-of-state market efforts for graduate students, and they said Brockport is very competitive in terms of price. Mr. Wiest asked about price is that just tuition, and Dr. Abraham said only tuition is charged if it is an online program as those students do not need room and board and some fees are not assessed.
  6. Dr. Kelly shared some of the accomplishments of the retention council for 2023-24. Mr. Pink asked how many are involved in the council, and Dr. Kelly said there are about eight people. Mr. Pink asked if these are different people than the recruitment council, and Dr. Kelly said there are and there are also representatives from across campus. Dr. Kelly discussed the Emerging Scholars Bridge Pilot Program, and she shared the Retention Council’s priorities for 2024-25.
  7. Romeo said they have an intern from SUNY Brockport in her office, and she said it has been a great experience.
  8. President Macpherson asked Council to take home their copy of the 2023-24 Annual Report.

V. Next Meeting

The next College Council meeting will be on December 10, 2024.

VI. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 6:02 pm.