President’s Newsletter

Friday, February 16, 2024

Dear Colleagues:

We spend a lot of time talking about headwinds in higher education: changing demographics that mean fewer 18 year olds looking for college; budget woes; the changing political landscape. We talk less often about tailwinds: the things that are helping us achieve our goals more quickly. This is a semester of tailwinds. The campus is vibrant and busy. Our spring enrollment is tracking ahead of our goals. And visits with donors tell us that our university’s reputation and the reputation of our alumni continue to rise.

I was privileged to spend much of the week in conversations with donors and alumni. Mike Andriatch and I travelled to see individuals who recounted stories of their time at Brockport. They reiterated over and over again how much difference a particular faculty member made to their lives, how an advisor got them on the right path, how an administrator helped them solve a problem. We love to hear and tell the stories of our alumni, because we are a future-focused institution. We plan for alumni and graduates, from the moment our students contact us about becoming a student. I have no doubt that I’ll hear stories about you, too, as I continue to travel, and the difference that you make to this journey. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of our students.

The SUNY presidents met virtually this week to talk about The All In Democracy Challenge, a nonpartisan project focused on increasing students’ civic engagement. We have been members of this challenge since its inception in 2016, and SUNY is interested in increasing the number of SUNY schools who are involved. For more information about our own impact in this area, please visit the initiative’s website.

The presidents’ meeting also discussed our budget advocacy, as well as legal issues and institutional obligations around Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects students from discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin, including actual or perceived ancestry, ethnic characteristics, citizenship, residency in a country with a dominant religion, and distinct religious identity. Please remember that as an institution, we must balance First Amendment principles and our obligations under Title VI.

Later today, Provost Abraham and I will be meeting with AASCU to get the preliminary results of our campus survey around the SSEI initiative.

Thank you for your continued contributions to SUNY Brockport.