President’s Newsletter

Friday, November 14, 2025

Dear Colleagues:

The theme of this week’s newsletter is flexibility: much of what I planned for this week did not come to fruition, but as a result, I have had good conversations with a lot of individuals, and I was able to attend some meetings that I would not otherwise have been able to attend. I had been scheduled to attend the annual AASCU presidential conference in Tennessee. As chair of the AASCU Women Presidents’ Network, I was looking forward to our session on resiliency, gratitude and leadership, but travel chaos and changed priorities meant that I ended up cancelling my trip. That meant that on Thursday, I was able to attend JPBC and hear an excellent presentation on undergraduate retention and persistence as well as an equally informative report on campus-based fees. In addition, I had valuable time and good conversations with colleagues in Tower, Dailey, Albert Brown, Holmes and, briefly, Rakov.

Another change to my schedule happened earlier this week. On Tuesday morning, at 5:45am, I arrived at the U of R to run in the annual ROTC Veterans’ Day Run, as did our Freedom Eagles ROTC battalion. You may recall that Tuesday was snowy and cold! When we arrived, the assembled team did an “operational awareness” call and decided to cancel the run due to safety concerns. However, after a few speeches, we did run three times around the track as a group, so we were able to honor the spirit of the event. The cancellation of the longer run meant that I was able to attend a meeting of the Audit Committee for United Way, having previously given my regrets. Later in the day, I attended the Rochester Area Colleges Presidents Network. I met the new president of RIT and also re-connected with the new president of Geneseo, with whom I am already acquainted. Our meeting included a roundtable discussion of the government shut down, DEI, and student mental health issues. It was a productive and stimulating meeting, and I am grateful to have such dedicated colleagues in the area. Tuesday evening, I co-led an event for Rochester Rotary, at which Lindsay Ward, the Regional Director of our SBDC, was my guest.

At our regular Cabinet meeting, we did some more planning for our January Leadership Summit, reviewed four policies, and finalized the list of individuals who will receive Presidential DSIs. After our Cabinet meeting, Mike Andriatch and I were interviewed by the Rochester Business Journal regarding our upcoming comprehensive campaign announcement.

In terms of SUNY meetings, Cabinet was able to meet with Bruce Simon, the new University Faculty Senate President, and there is a SUNY legal meeting coming up later today to discuss Title VI processes. I also took part in the SUNY Legal Accountability Board, a group of presidents that act as a sounding board for SUNY legal counsel.

I had two open forums this week and wanted to report on both of them, as well as the Administration and Finance forum I had after last week’s newsletter was published. Topics discussed at these events included the state budget, capital projects (including the Tuttle project), various SUNY initiatives/priorities, the campaign launch and related travel plans, strategic priorities for Academic Affairs and BASC, budget concerns for offices that are funded by IFR accounts, Hazen, and the DSI process. The A&F forum finished with members of the division giving kudos to others. What was so uplifting was how individuals were calling out good actions by people in other offices. I really appreciated the culture building that took place.

I’ve recently been made aware that some individuals on campus are unsure how to report issues officially, whether it’s an IT issue, a facilities concern, a health and safety concern or other issue. I would ask that you bookmark the link to the Issues Reporting Center so that you have it in case of future need.

Finally, I can’t close this newsletter without mentioning the wonderful and much missed Rosie Rich, who has been a tremendous friend of the University for decades. Those who knew Rosie will have their own stories, and this isn’t perhaps the most important one, but it speaks to who she was. Many of you will know that I had a springer spaniel named Tilly, who passed last year. During COVID, we decided we wanted to add another member to our family, and that’s how our second dog entered our lives. I really wanted to call the puppy Rosie, so I called Rosie Rich up to ask if she was okay if I named my dog after her, especially since, let’s be honest, she wasn’t a dog fan. She laughed and said, “Do you know how many dogs named Rosie I know? Go ahead!”

Rosie’s funeral on Saturday, though sad, will also be an occasion of celebration of this remarkable woman. I am sorry I cannot attend the Open House on campus as a result, and thank those of you who will be there to help recruit the undergraduate class for Fall 2026.