President’s Newsletter

Friday, February 28, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

It’s hard to believe it’s the end of February. I feel like the month got away from me as I battled illness, but I’m glad to be healthy again and back to work full time.

This week Mike and I continued our legislative advocacy work. Chancellor King offered testimony at the Higher Education Joint Budget Hearing this past week, focusing on SUNY’s enrollment increases over the last two years, the results of the investments that the state has made in SUNY, and SUNY’s role as an “engine of upward mobility.”

Mike and I also continued our conversations with local donors as we look to secure private dollars to support our mission and to thank the donors who have been so generous to the university.

You may be aware that I am actively involved in Rochester Rotary. I am particularly drawn to Rotary’s Four Way Test: “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” This four-way test is meant to guide all Rotarians in their personal and professional relationships, and it’s something I like to reflect on frequently. I was privileged to be the Rotary Spotlight speaker at Rotary this week. Our College Council chair Scott Turner was my guest at the event, along with Allan.

At Cabinet this week Dr. Davis presented on the DEI landscape. We also met with our campus lawyers via Zoom as we were introduced to our new contracts lawyer, Mr. Daniel Altieri. He will be working closely with the procurement and payment services team.

In terms of evening events, I was able to attend the Empire 8 basketball semifinals on Wednesday evening. Our men’s team fought hard, but their season came to an end. Our women’s team won and will be competing for the conference championship on Saturday at 2 pm right here on campus. They are having a stellar season, currently 24-3, which is one win away from the program record set back in 2008. The last time we made a conference championship game was 2009, so it is exciting to be back in the running for a title. In addition, our coach, Corrine Jones, was named the Empire 8 Conference Coach of the Year!

Thursday evening we had the annual MLK lecture, which was presented this year by Dr. Troy Harden. He offered a thoughtful exploration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, including the importance of recognizing those who came before us to make us who we are, as well as the importance of actively choosing and then pursuing nonviolence.

This morning, I met with a fellow SUNY President to discuss collaborative workforce development opportunities and innovations.

The rest of the week I have been reviewing APT packages. It is an honor to review the work of our faculty, and see the differences they make to their students, their academic community and to the university. I am particularly happy when I see our faculty reach tenure status or full professor rank.

I want to thank everyone for their contributions to our community and wish you well as we head into the weekend.