Dear Friends and Colleagues:
At Tuesday’s meeting, I informed the Board of Trustees of my intention to retire from Hudson Valley Community College on August 31, 2018 after 13 years as president. I am deeply honored to serve this wonderful institution alongside a very professional and student-centered leadership team, faculty and staff. As I look ahead to spending more time with family and pursuing personal interests, I know that Hudson Valley is perfectly positioned to embrace the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Over the years, members of the board and college administration have spoken often about the importance of succession planning. Since I plan to retire, I am able to make this announcement two years in advance – ample time to conduct a deliberate and thoughtful search for the college’s seventh president and to ensure a seamless transition. For many years, the college has been very fortunate to have an extraordinarily dedicated and strong leadership team. I want to ensure that tradition continues so we may best serve our students and our community.
I am proud to have served as President of Hudson Valley Community College during a time of significant change. When I arrived in 2005, the college experienced explosive enrollment growth which carried with it capacity issues in staffing, parking and classrooms. In 2009, we were privileged to host the President of the United States. Since 2010, we endured challenges to our finances, including the Great Recession; a significant change in the local funding formula; and a decline in enrollment tied to demographic and economic trends. Together we faced those challenges head on, and we are now stronger and well positioned for the future.
We have had many successes and achievements over the last eleven years as well. As a team, the board, administration, faculty and staff have positioned Hudson Valley as a leader in New York and throughout the northeast region. I hope that you are as proud as I am of our efforts serve our students and the community. (Following this message is just a sample of our accomplishments to date.)
Hudson Valley’s reputation, regionally and nationally, has been greatly enhanced due to the magnificent efforts of our incredibly talented and committed team here at the college. We all have truly made a difference in the lives of our students.
When I interviewed in 2004, I indicated that my goal was to make Hudson Valley Community College “the very best community college in the country.” I believe that we have made tremendous strides in that direction. Thank you for your partnership, your leadership and your dedication to our students. You should all be very proud of your great work, and I am very grateful for your support
Our work is far from done, and during the remainder of my tenure I intend to stay focused on our mission and goals while improving the student experience by driving process improvements and enhancing our utilization of technology in serving our students.
Thank you all!
Sincerely,
Drew
Andrew J. Matonak
President
* Secured $104M toward the $200M Facilities Master Plan and achieved state and local support for key projects
* Constructed academic and administrative buildings: Administration Building – $9.4M, renovated Campus Center – $6M, 800-car Parking Garage – $4.5M, TEC-SMART -$13.5M, Science Center and associated renovations – $54M, Outdoor Athletic Complex -$4.5M
* Enhanced outdoor athletic facilities to include a turf athletic field/facilities and arranged for student housing in the former HRC property
* Added 25 new academic programs, including Business and Liberal Arts Honors, Biotechnology, Theatre Arts, Invasive Cardiology Tech, Criminal Investigation, Early Childhood Administration, Digital Media and Architectural Technology to name a few
* Greatly enhanced student engagement and leadership through numerous academic and student organizations, as well as student athletics
* Established the TEC-SMART extension center for workforce training and off-campus courses and created the Clean Technologies Early College High School program for 300 students from 21 separate high schools
* Expanded distance education by 30 percent with 12 complete curricula offered online and many curricula with 50 percent online
* Expanded dual enrollment to 28 high schools offering 90 college level courses; earned accreditation by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships
* Doubled philanthropic support through the college’s first major gifts campaign: $8 million for Nursing, TEC-SMART and the Science Center; received the college’s first seven figure gift; received over $20M in Federal, State and other externally funded projects
Published: Thu, 30 Jun 2016 11:10:25 +0000 by a.matonak