President’s Newsletter

Friday, October 11, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

On Monday at Senate we discussed the academic reorganization, a Title IX statement for syllabi, and a sense of the senate resolution around political discourse. At Cabinet this week, we discussed our projected student recruitment over the next several cycles; these numbers will be built into our fiscal projections for the upcoming year and beyond. We also began a review of university committees, as we are seeking ways to accomplish university goals without overstretching our faculty and staff. We also talked about ways to open up opportunities to individuals who have not had a chance to take part in university decision making and development. As a first step, we are looking to see which committees we might be able to disband or combine, both at university level and within divisions.

I held a number of one to ones with cabinet members this week, attended a Rotary luncheon, convened a meeting of the Willow Domestic Violence Center Strategic Planning Committee, contributed to our monthly UUP labor management meeting, and finalized a speech I am giving at an upcoming SUNY HR conference.

On Monday, I attended an October 7 Remembrance Day and Memorial Commemoration, which was organized by Brockport’s Jewish Affinity Group. Other events I attended this week included the swearing in for our new Village Police Chief, Paul Wheat, and the opening of the art exhibit, Origin Stories. We were also pleased to reinstate our Emeriti Reception, the first we’ve held since the pandemic. And of course I attended Ellsworth’s birthday celebration at Seymour Union!

As I did last week, I got a chance to get into the classroom this week, and I enjoyed talking with the Writer’s Craft students. I am also very grateful to James Whorton for scheduling me to partake in the Writers Forum this year, which was a true honor.

I talked at Senate on Monday about how grateful I am for the hard work that each and every one of you do each day to support our students. I know that they are coming to us with complex emotional needs and differing levels of preparation, and the efforts that you put in in the classroom, on the playing field, in support services of all kinds, in the residence halls, dining halls and at Hazen make a difference to their experience and sense of belonging. As we come up to the mid-semester break, some of you will get an opportunity for unscheduled time, and I hope that this time gives you a little breathing room as we enter the second half of the semester.