Update from President Kolison
10/15/20
Dear Fredonia Community and Friends,
Happy Thursday! Once again, it is my privilege to provide you with another Thursday update on our COVID-19 undertakings and a few informational items. I hope you are continuing to find these weekly updates useful. Below are a few topics for your information.
Pool testing: Another round of testing occurred last Friday, October 9th. Three hundred seventy-five students were tested and the results were great - zero positive! That is wonderful news given the spikes in cases being reported from many parts of the country including our state.
You may have already seen a message sent by our Surveillance Testing Administrator outlining the expanded pool testing that begins on Monday, October 19th. As you may know, we all (students, faculty, and staff who come to campus) need to participate. A weekly testing schedule has been established to make sure all students and employees are tested. Please review it carefully and plan your participation. If you have not seen it yet and have not been through the process, this video shows you how easy it is. All of this information is posted on the homepage of our “Returning to Fredonia” website.
I would like to thank the Infection Control Management team, the Student Health Center, and the many volunteers on-site for their work in setting up a fast, safe, and effective system for testing.
SUNY grant program for personal protective equipment inventors: This may be an opportunity for faculty and their students. The SUNY Prepare Innovation and Internship Program will provide $10,000 for students and faculty who want to develop innovative alternatives to the PPE our frontline workers need as we continue the fight against COVID-19. Applications are open to students and faculty at all SUNY state operated and community college campuses. SUNY is accepting applications through November 15th and the first grant will be awarded December 15th.
National rankings: I hope you have seen the 2021 rankings from the U.S. News & World Report of “Best Colleges.” If you have, I am sure that you noticed that Fredonia is ranked 16th among the top public universities in the North. In the larger category of both public and private institutions in the North, SUNY Fredonia tied for 67th (out of 176 institutions) in the top tier of the “Best Regional Universities,” which the magazine defines as those offering primarily bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Fredonia is also listed as a top performer on social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded Pell Grants. U.S. News & World Report also lists Fredonia as a "Best College for Veterans" and as a "Best Value School." SUNY Fredonia has been ranked as a U.S. News & World Report "Best College" every year since 1989.
Also, Money Magazine named Fredonia as one of the top colleges in the country for quality and affordability, and the Princeton Review placed Fredonia on the 2021 list of "Best Northeastern" colleges for overall quality, and listed Fredonia among the best "Green Colleges" for sustainability.
I am sure you will agree that rankings such as these do not occur without the collective effort of the university community. Hence, I extend my sincere thanks to you for all your efforts in advancing our university.
FREDHeroes: As we continue to highlight the tremendous work that has gone on across this campus in this COVID-19 climate, I want to recognize the employees of FSA for their diligence and commitment to serving this institution. FSA workers have kept our dining services up and running while converting to take-out options and reducing capacity in dining halls. They moved a number of services online, have helped students update or change their meal plans as personal situations have evolved, and have maintained timely and consistent meal delivery to students who are in quarantine or isolation on campus. Please join me in thanking them for their dedication under these changeling circumstances.
Have a great weekend and stay well.
Very truly yours,
Dr. K.
Stephen H. Kolison, Jr., Ph.D.
President