President’s Newsletter

Friday, August 30, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

I hope that the first week of classes has gone well. I know many of you will have an opportunity to have Monday off as the University is closed that day — and I’m grateful to our colleagues who will either be here or on call that day, working to maintain our campus.

The week began with Academic Convocation. I was pleased to see so many faculty, staff and students in attendance. I was able to attend the first Senate Executive meeting of the year, as well as a reception for our Faculty and Staff of Color. This week also saw a return of the Distinguished Professor Luncheon, the opening of a new student chapter of ACM SIGAI out of the Department of Computing Sciences, and the opening reception for the first art exhibit of the year in the Tower Fine Arts Center Gallery, “Things Transfigured” and “Reconstruct.”

Cabinet was able to undertake a tour of facilities on Monday, getting a chance to see the behind-the-scenes work that our incredible facilities teams undertake each year. We visited chillers, boilers, mechanical rooms, the pool filter room, our warehouse and our Butler Building (true story—I didn’t know we had a building called Butler! It’s the shed behind Cooper Hall.) We also looked at the new Edwards Hall classroom renovations and discussed our Tower Fine Arts projects.

Governor Hochul conducted a meeting of all university and college presidents in New York on Tuesday night, reiterating her expectation that college and universities should be prepared for the complexities of the coming year and support Title VI. I know that Title VI training was rolled out this week, and I urge everyone to undertake the training as soon as practical and by the September 28 deadline set by SUNY.

This week, the audit firm KPMG visited campus to talk us through two audits that they are conducting on behalf of SUNY and the state. Brockport has been selected as one of 9 campuses to be audited, looking at financial aid processes and other areas of compliance. I know that this is a lot of work for all of the professionals involved in getting information to KPMG, and I am grateful for everyone’s work in this area.

I was pleased to meet with the new ROTC commander, Major Trent Bailey, the new Fine Arts Series Manager, Anna Burklin, and The Stylus editor, Shannon Blankenship, this week. I met with the Homecoming and Family Weekend steering committee to discuss the ongoing preparations for our upcoming Homecoming events. Later today, we will celebrate our joining of the Empire 8 Athletic Conference at the home opener for women’s soccer.

At the Provost’s welcome back address last week, I mentioned new task forces that came out of recommendations from the Presidential Campus Climate Committee. Here’s a little more information about them:

The Presidential Taskforce on Food on Campus will be chaired by Dr. Amy Shema. This committee is charged with working with BASC to offer suggestions on food quality, availability and options, including diverse cultural foods and identifying ways that BASC can support student retention, a sense of belonging and a high-quality student experience. The taskforce will look at both dining hall options, as well as other venues on campus. In addition, the opportunities for Garnishes Catering will be reviewed as well. The taskforce will produce a report for President’s Cabinet by Spring Break.

The Presidential Task Force on Student Transportation Needs will be chaired by Dr. Amy Guptill. This committee is charged with exploring student priorities related to transportation. This includes both opportunities for students to explore the area and go on day trips, and options to support internships and clinicals. Options to connect campus with Brockport Downtown/REOC will also be explored. The taskforce will produce a report for President’s Cabinet by Spring Break.

In both cases, the outcomes of the reports will be shared with campus.

Finally, I wanted to make you aware that you can now pop into the heart of campus for a kernel of joy! Our beloved popcorn machine is back in Seymour Union, and just may offer that little pick me up you need as you are dashing to a meeting, catching up with a colleague, or just in need a little snack. I know I will be stopping by!

Thank you, everyone, for the work that you do each day to Build a Better Brockport. It truly makes a difference.