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College Council Meeting Minutes: December 10, 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
  • Lauren Kelly, College Council
  • Sara Kelly, VP for Enrollment Management
  • Heidi Macpherson, President
  • Lesli Myers-Small, College Council
  • Skye Paine, Brockport University Senate President
  • Ken Pink, College Council
  • Tenin Sidime, BSG President
  • Scott Turner, College Council Chair
  • Chris Wiest, College Council

Excused

  • Ian Harper, VP for Administration and Finance
  • Ed Suriano, Alumni Association President
  • Roosevelt Mareus, Dean and Executive Director, REOC
  • Jamie Romeo, College Council

I. Chair’s Report [Mr. Turner]

  1. The meeting convened at 4:39pm.
  2. College Council reviewed the September 24, 2024 meeting notes. Mr. Wiest moved to approve, and Dr. Myers-Small seconded. The College Council meeting minutes were approved with no revisions.
  3. Mr. Turner provided information from the September 27-29 ACT Conference in Saratoga Springs. He said the best part of the conference was the presentation of the Nancy Zimpher Scholarship award to Ms. Donna Boerschlein, a SUNY Brockport graduate student. He read some highlights from her nomination letters, and said she is invited to attend a future College Council meeting and present on her work. Mr. Turner shared some of the presentations that will impact the SUNY institutions. He asked Ms. Kelly to provide some of her feedback, and she said there was a session on AI that was very intriguing. President Macpherson shared her feedback from the conference and said the session on DEI was important as was the session on Title VI. Mr. Pink asked about the forecasted declining population and what impact this will have on the SUNY student populations. He asked if any of the colleges are stressed financially. Mr. Turner said many campuses are stretched and struggling, but SUNY Brockport is in good shape. President Macpherson said the SUNY Brockport numbers are up, and she will share these figures in her presentation. She said that SUNY is thinking very proactively about marketing to students and attracting to students and thinking about affordability. She said SUNY is working on brand recognition. She also noted that for the first time in 15 years, overall SUNY enrollment has gone up two years in a row.

II. President’s Report [President Macpherson]

  1. President Macpherson provided campus updates, and she said they have been thinking how to support undergraduate and graduate students. She said the University has successfully joined Empire 8, and this move has been beneficial for the student athletes. She shared feedback from the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and said they are thrilled with the move.
  2. President Macpherson shared enrollment numbers for SUNY Brockport, and she said she is very pleased with how well the University is doing, and the numbers are up across all areas.
  3. President Macpherson shared updates from the October and November SUNY Presidents’ meetings. Some of these included a focus on student internships, the development of a DEI institute, and the assessment of prior learning. She also noted the current fiscal and policy changes that SUNY expects to see under the new federal administration.
  4. President Macpherson said the strong enrollment is key to strong financial health, and SUNY Brockport has outperformed the other SUNY comprehensives. She said the University is currently at the lowest deficit it has had in the past four years. She said they continue to exercise fiscal responsibility, and Cabinet is holding frequent budget meetings to review opportunities for investment alongside fiscal control. President Macpherson shared enrollment numbers, and said they exceeded 10,000 applications for fall undergraduate admission last week.
  5. President Macpherson shared good news from athletics. She said at the end of October, the SAAC collected 653 pounds of food from the community and donated it to the Brockport Food Shelf. She said over 500 student athletes participated in the annual yard cleanup for Village residents. She said Brockport was considered one of the most engaged campuses in the All-In Voting. She said FoodLink conducted a visit, and they received Platinum status. She shared information on faculty accomplishments.
  6. Mr. Pink mentioned the budget reserves and asked for clarification regarding scholarship funding. President Macpherson discussed how the University decided to assist up to 75% of the incoming students with scholarships. Dr. Kelly provided additional information on how these programs help students get as much aid as possible. Mr. Pink asked what the budget is on this, and Dr. Kelly shared the information about reserves and residential life funding. Mr. Pink asked how much from the Foundation is going to the scholarships, and Mr. Andriatch shared how the campaign is providing money towards other scholarships. Mr. Wiest asked about the scholarships, particularly what programs are available if they want to invest further. Dr. Kelly said looking at a need-based scholarship would be the next level. President Macpherson said they have worked with ESL for money for the Fannie Barrier Williams’ Scholars, which is needs-based, and given the success of the program, they are looking for additional sponsors for another cohort. Mr. Wiest asked about retention rates, and he asked about the difference from the previous years. Dr. Kelly said they are continuously looking at rates, noting a slight dip in first year student retention this year, but better retention for scholarship recipients and for transfer students. Mr. Wiest asked how SUNY Brockport is in comparison to other institutions, and Dr. Kelly said it is not apples-to-apples and different institutions have differing policies. Dr. Kelly offered to share additional information via email if he is interested. FO example, Dr. Kelly said the data shows that scholarship students and athletes retain at a higher rate. She said over the last few years they were intentional in looking at differing GPA bands, which allowed them to serve more students.
  7. Dr. Myers-Small said for new business, she would like to acknowledge that Nikki Giovanni passed yesterday, and she had a connection to SUNY Brockport.

III. EDI Strategic Plan [Dr. Damita Davis]

  1. Dr. Davis said this is the last stop on her road show for the EDI Strategic Plan. She has presented it to University Senate and the Brockport Student Government, and she shared how they will be working to implement and assess the action steps for DEI.
  2. Dr. Davis discussed how the EDI Strategic Plan aligns and builds on the University’s Strategic Plan. She articulated the three main goals of the plan and the objectives underneath these goals.
  3. Mr. Pink asked about what programs are they are expanding, and Dr. Davis said a lot of the co-curricular programs will be like Talon Academy which sits alongside academic programs like EOP, TRIO, CSTEP-McNair to help students achieve more success in college as a result of the support offered. Mr. Pink asked if there is a lot of mentoring with these programs, and Dr. Kelly said they are working at building up many of these programs, and they want to expand the alumni engagement mentoring.
  4. Dr. Myers-Small asked about the plan’s end date, which Dr. Davis confirmed was academic year 2029. Dr. Myers-Small asked, how can College Council help specifically with this plan? Dr. Davis said the final endorsement would come from College Council and then the plan can be implemented. She said helping with hurdles within their sphere of influence. President Macpherson said College Council should also be holding the University to account for this plan. She gave an example around DEI as a topic that had some skeptics in the world, but that the reality of DEI is that it is a support for every human being, and it is about inclusion. Dr. Myers-Small’s last question was, What challenges does Dr. Davis see that would impact implementation? Dr. Davis said the University will continue with the implementation of this plan, that SUNY and New York State were supportive of DEI efforts. She also said that the plan was written to be completely inclusive and not narrowly focused on one topic or area; rather, it is about helping students be successful, and also so that faculty and staff can grow and be successful. She said they are working with University Communications around a positive campaign about what DEI is and what successes the University has had, and to share the story.
  5. Mr. Turner asked for a motion that College Council endorses the EDI Strategic Plan as presented by Dr. Davis. Dr. Myers-Small moved, and Ms. Kelly seconded. The motion was passed unanimously.

IV. REOC Updates [Dr. Timothy Shafer]

  1. Dr. Shafer provided updates on many of the community-based programs and highlighted the new Welding Program. He said they start with a class of 10, and typically there is some attrition, but they were able to keep 8 to graduation. Three students were immediately hired for jobs. The Mobile Welding Lab has moved to other agencies, and they will be at Industry in Rush to help train incarcerated individuals. Mr. Wiest asked if the mobile approach could be utilized in other areas of study, and Dr. Shafer said it could.
  2. Dr. Shafer said the partnership with IBERO has been very helpful in supporting the Child Development Associate program in Spanish for students. He said this is important in ensuring that language is not a barrier to access.
  3. Dr. Shafer shared information on a new program that is beginning in January, which is the Fiber Optic Technician Program, in partnership with Greenlight. Mr. Pink asked if the REOC was approached by Greenlight and Dr. Shafer said yes, and that connecting with the community has been very opportunistic. Mr. Pink asked how people find the REOC, and Dr. Macpherson said both Dr. Mareus and Dr. Shafer are very strong ambassadors for the school, but that word of mouth works very well too.
  4. Dr. Shafer said the Barbering Program is currently training students at Industry, and there are eight barbering students enrolled. They will be tested there and graduate on Thursday. The next cohort starts January 8.
  5. Dr. Shafer highlighted some potential partnerships, such as the hospitality program with the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation. He said they continue to look at pathways and hubs so that students have access to college courses and equivalency classes with other community partners, such as Amazon, Vision Automotive Group, and Palmer Foods.
  6. Dr. Shafer said that Dr. Mareus has spearheaded the experience for students to visit areas outside of Rochester, and they have made trips to Washington DC and Ghana.
  7. Dr. Shafer showed College Council the food pantry and the barbering program.

V. Next Meeting

The next College Council meeting will be on March 4, 2025.

VI. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 6:05 pm.