SUNY Fredonia General Campus Meeting
Remarks by President Dennis L. Hefner
Friday, August 25, 2006Welcome back for the start of another academic year that will be known as the “year of ribbon-cuttings.” On Friday, September 22, we will have the formal ribbon cutting for the beautiful new University Commons, followed almost immediately by ceremonies for the new soccer/lacrosse field and stadium, and for the new state-of-the-art sound recording studios.
While we’re on the theme of “newness,” Jan and I are proud to announce the August 7 birth of our newest grandchild, Caitlin O’Moore Hefner. She’s our third grandchild, and second granddaughter, and I must confess, she’s absolutely gorgeous. And if you don’t believe me, see for yourself.
This past summer began with our hosting the SUNY Conference on Instructional Technologies, attended by more than 500 faculty and information technology professionals from throughout the state. Members of our IT staff worked diligently to ensure the conference was well organized, well publicized, and well run. It was an overwhelming success! I should add that Ted Sharon of our theatre and dance department put together a hilarious play entitled “IT Idol,” and our own Tracy Collingwood won the idol crown with a rousing, leather-clad rendition of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll.”
The summer continued at a breakneck pace as we held two summer sessions, innumerable youth camps, and six Summer Orientation programs. Forty-two million dollars in construction at 46 different sites, the addition of 228 parking spaces, and preparations for the opening of University Commons made for one of the busiest summers in our campus’ 180-year history. Would everyone involved with any of these summer activities please stand and be recognized?
SUNY agreed to raise our enrollment target by 100 FTE, from 5,100 to 5,200. Application volume grew by 2.5 percent, and this year’s entering freshmen class achieved the highest high school grade point average in SUNY Fredonia’s history. These students are very bright, but I thought you’d be interested in how to motivate them. For the past year, when speaking to students and parents at Open Houses and Summer Orientation programs, I’d mention “we’re opening the only Starbucks between Buffalo, NY and Erie, PA,” and there would be thunderous applause. In fact, I used this information when designing the Honors Economics class I’m teaching this fall.
Not only is Starbucks a wonderful addition, the entire University Commons makes a positive impression. The single, air conditioned residence hall rooms are fully occupied by seniors; the bookstore, which was supposed to look as good as a Barnes and Noble, looks even better; the convenience store adds a brand-new campus service, and the Cranston Marché Dining Hall is absolutely stunning. As you know, the All-Campus Party, which is one week from today, will be held in University Commons so that everyone will have a chance to get acquainted with and marvel at this wonderful new facility.
Recently, the Princeton Review again placed us among the top universities in the Northeast and U.S. News and World Report ranked us twelfth among public regional universities in the North. A new feature, called “Top 100 Lists,” saw Fredonia highly ranked for Top Schools, Highest Proportion of Classes Under 20, Highest Graduation Rates, Lowest Acceptance Rates, and Least Debt Among Graduates. However, these broad rankings don’t tell the full story. For me, the most important “bottom line” statistic is the graduation rate, and we continue to be ranked seventh in the entire nation for four-year graduation rates among public universities. That statistic is a tribute to our students, and to each of you, who have created an environment that encourages and fosters student success.
Another notable ranking was achieved this summer by the Village of Fredonia, which was designated the best community in Western New York by Business First newspaper. Our Admissions staff is already proudly telling prospective students and their parents that both the campus and the community are highly ranked.
This fall we will enroll a number of Turkish students in Computer Science and in International Studies through our joint degree program with Ege University. These students spend their first and third year in Turkey, and second and fourth year here, so we won’t see them on campus until next fall. However, officially they are our students, so several faculty members will soon be traveling to Izmir, Turkey to give them a friendly Fredonia welcome, a brief orientation, and probably a coupon for Starbucks.
This spring, the budget news from Albany was frequently heart stopping, with gubernatorial vetoes, legislative overrides, and threatened withholds. Fortunately, when the dust settled, we received our best budget in more than a decade. For only the second time in the past 10 years, our budget fully covered inflation; and for the first time in 10 years, we actually received funding above inflation. This good news budget represents a major victory for Chancellor John Ryan, who from the very beginning said his goal was to do better than cover inflation. His consistent advocacy was decisive in achieving this goal. We are very fortunate to have him in this leadership position, serving as our advocate.
There was also good news regarding construction dollars. Not only did we receive the additional $1.7 million required to fully construct the High-Tech Incubator in Dunkirk, plus the initial operating dollars provided by a three-year, $604,600 NYSTAR grant, but thanks to the help of Senator Cathy Young and Assemblymen Bill Parment and Joe Giglio, we secured $22 million to begin the planning and design for the proposed $49 million Science/Technology building. This construction will represent the largest new academic building on campus since Thompson Hall, more than 25 years ago. It will replace Jewett Hall, permanently house a number of academic programs, and provide us with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a quantum leap in the quality of our science and technology programs.
Before discussing several priorities for the coming year, I’d like to reflect briefly on a few of the many highlights from this past year:
• At the April exit interview for the NCATE Focus Visit, one reviewer described our assessment system as “awesome.” The campus will receive final and full accreditation when the commission meets later this fall.
• Three faculty received Fulbright Awards for 2006-07: Mary Beth Sievens (History/Social Science education) in Finland, Bruce Simon (English) in Japan, and Tim Frerichs (Visual Arts and New Media) in Germany.
• For the first time ever, the campus topped $4 million in sponsored research funding.
• Two major automated systems will be implemented for Fall 2006: the automated course prerequisite checking system and the degree audit completion system.
• We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mexico’s Universidad Autonomous Benito Juarez de Oaxaca (UABJO) to pursue faculty and student exchanges, study abroad opportunities, and provide the Dunkirk schools with information about the Mixtec culture.
• $1,757,344 was generated through fund-raising from 9,444 gifts, and planning has begun for our next major comprehensive campaign.
• English Professor James Stevens was invited to address the United Nations in May at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
• Music Professor Sean Duggan performed the entire output of piano works by Johann Sebastian Bach, most by memory, in 16 magnificent concerts.
• In collaboration with Clarkson University and SUNY Oswego, we secured a 5-year, $1.74 million EPA Great Lakes Fish Monitoring grant.
• A campus-wide internship office, staffed by a full-time employee, was established within our Career Development Office.
• The spring musical, “The Wizard of Oz,” was a stunning showcase of on-stage talent and backstage magic.
• The first ever New Student Convocation was attended by more than 1,000 students, and is now an annual tradition.
• Two departments were established within the College of Education: Curriculum and Instruction; and Language, Learning, and Leadership.
• SUNY Research Foundation Awards, given for outstanding research careers, were awarded to Philip Kumler (Chemistry) and Thomas Goetz (Modern Languages & Literature).
• Our Financial Aid office was the first in SUNY to award two new federal scholarships, Academic Competitiveness Grants and Smart Grants, providing $288,000 in funding for our students.
• We co-sponsored, along with the Robert H. Jackson Center and Chautauqua Institution, a highly successful international symposium entitled “Sixty Years After the Nuremberg Trials: Crimes Against Humanity and Peace.”
• The Men’s Soccer team reached the Elite 8 in the NCAA Division III tournament.
• Social Work was reaccredited, as were the Speech Pathology and Audiology graduate programs, making them the first in New York State to receive this distinction under the new 2005 ASHA standards.
• The School of Business was granted pre-accreditation status by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)—clearing the first hurdle in the overall accreditation process.
• Migration to and training for the new Microsoft Exchange program was completed during Spring 2006.
• The exhibit “Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente Cloth and African American Identity,” was showcased on campus this past spring.
• Fredonia College Foundation assets surpassed $17 million for the first time ever.
• Library staff provided instruction to more than 4,000 students from 200 different classes.
• Park and Ride shuttle service, initiated last fall, served more than 9,000 riders.
• A grant was secured to allow a VISTA volunteer to work this academic year with our student Volunteer Services Office.
• A new major in Dance, a new interdisciplinary major in Women’s Studies, and an interdisciplinary minor in Leadership were approved by the University Senate.
• The Golden Key Honor Society was chartered last fall, and another new honor society for freshmen, Alpha Lambda Delta, will be chartered this fall.
• Several individuals filled, assumed, or returned to administrative leadership positions:
Melinda Karnes Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
A. Jacqueline Swansinger Interim Dean, Graduate Studies and Lifelong Learning
Daniel Schwartz Associate Dean, College of Education
Lawrence Maheady Chair, Curriculum and Instruction
Anna Thibodeau Chair, Language, Learning, and Leadership
Steve Rees Interim Chair, Theatre and Dance
Gary Bice Director of Residence Life
Carole Faulk Interim Director, Social Work
• Faculty promotions include:
Distinguished Teaching Professor:
Thomas Morrissey History
Professor:
Linda Dorsten Sociology/Anthropology/Social Work/Criminal Justice
Stephen Kershnar Philosophy
Librarian:
Marianne Eimer Reed Library
Associate Professor:
Meral Arnavut Mathematical Sciences
Mira Berkley Education
Nancy Hagedorn History
Jane Jackson Communication
Mark Janik Chemistry
Ingrid Johnston-Robledo Psychology
Saundra Liggins English
Kathleen McDonough Communication
Joni Milgram-Luterman Music
Todd Proffitt Theatre & Dance
Ted Sharon Theatre & Dance
John Staples History
Raymond Stewart Music
Dale Tuggy Philosophy
Julia Wilson Mathematical Sciences
• Other promotions include:
Secretary 1
Robyn Reger
Bobbi Jo Tabak
Melanie Wroblewski
Clerk 2
Colleen Culver
Assistant Director Admissions
Aaron Marshall
Janitor
Joseph Andrasik
Richard MacKenzie
Iris Rosa
Joseph Siragusa
Nelson White
Highway Equipment Operator
Robert Lawton
Senior Grounds Worker
Brent Kawski
Maintenance Assistant
Cathy Higgs
Dale Higgs
James Kuras
Maintenance Helper
John Baughman
University Police Officer 2
Richard Wright
Stores Clerk 2
Mason Riggle
Congratulations to each of you!
This past May, after holding a series of campus-wide hearings, the University Senate approved 22 action items in the Fredonia Plan that are designed to improve five key areas: Student Learning, Scholarship and Creative Activity, Diversity, Technology, and Campus Image. During this first year, student learning will be improved through a first-year experience initiative and by the development of a “Culture of Learning” plan. There will be a renewed focus on faculty and professional staff scholarship activities, plans for “Diversity Improvement” and “Continuous Technology Upgrades” will be completed, and the Fredonia Footsteps Initiative, designed to improve the campus image, will be implemented. However, I want to assure everyone that the plan was designed to augment our ongoing efforts to continuously improve every existing campus program.
Recently, SUNY Fredonia was accepted to participate in the Foundations of Excellence for the First Year program. Last year, the learning community on First Year Experience began a dialogue on this topic. Working this year with the National Center for Research on the College Experience will allow us to both expand these discussions and further improve our collaboration between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.
Earlier this week you may have read the article about natural gas wells on the Fredonia campus. It’s true. We are located above a known natural gas field, and have been trying for six years to secure approval to drill three wells that would be located in remote parts of the campus to maintain the beauty of the campus. The successful bidder will drill and manage the wells, and receive payments from us only for the natural gas we use. We have no up-front expenditures, and will incur no risk. If successful, these wells might result in a million dollar savings over a 10-year period.
I want to finish by sharing two real life stories with you. The first demonstrates how our students sometimes have to overcome significant obstacles to obtain their education, and the second shows again how the actions of each of you make a difference in the lives of our students and their families. This summer I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret Wyckoff, a Fredonia alum from the Class of 1930, who resides in Las Cruces, New Mexico. As a young girl, Margaret lost her mother to cancer, and her father worked hard just to make ends meet. She loved music, but there was no money for a piano, so she painted the outline of the keys on a wooden board and practiced playing that board for hour after hour. Months later, while visiting a relative who owned a piano, she was able to hear her playing for the very first time. She continued practicing on that board for many years, and when she left for college, her father could only give her $6. She worked continuously throughout her college career, studying music and relishing every minute she spent here. She went on to be a successful music teacher, wife, and mother. You’d have loved hearing the pride in her voice as she talked about what an accomplishment it was for her to graduate from college. As I sat listening to her, I couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that what we do here, at this university, is make dreams come true.
The second story involves an e-mail I received this past weekend from a father, who works at another SUNY campus, and had just dropped his daughter off early because she’s on an athletic team. He wrote: “We arrived on campus at 8:30 a.m. and were met by the coach and four of his returning student-athletes. Two took us to Alumni Hall, showed us about, helped us carry some boxes, but most importantly talked with us and made us feel at home. It helped reduce some of our anxiety… While setting up our daughter’s room, all the support staff in and outside the building were friendly and helpful. Each was willing to have their work interrupted to answer our questions…then it was off to see University Commons—what a truly special facility. While at the commons, we again met a variety of welcoming staff members. First, in the new bookstore we were greeted by a female supervisor who was busily stocking shelves, but was not too busy to give us some of her time. Next on our way upstairs we passed a food services director, who asked, “How are you? Do you have any questions?” and give us several minutes of his time. When we stuck our heads into the Cranston Marché, another employee offered to give us a tour…………As you know dropping your child off at college is an emotional experience, but I wanted to let you know that the staff members we met at SUNY Fredonia yesterday were extremely welcoming, and helped reduce our parental anxiety. I can’t say that we were totally surprised because we have been so impressed with all the people we have been in contact with at Fredonia through all the steps of college selection, admission, and orientation.” Isn’t that a great letter? I want to thank everyone who came into contact with this family, and to all of you, who deal with so many other families. Your actions, your friendly demeanor, and your helpfulness truly make a difference in the lives of others.
Thanks for doing such a terrific job, and have a great semester!