As we begin the spring semester, I’m pleased to welcome all of our faculty and staff back to campus and offer this monthly update on many college initiatives.
Enrollment
- Spring enrollment: As we approach the “census date” of reporting spring enrollment numbers, we are down 1.5% in student headcount and 2.5% in full-time equivalent students (FTEs) compared to last year at this time. Though a decline, enrollment is slightly ahead of our budget projection of -2.9%, so we are tracking ahead of our goal. I appreciate the commitment of our faculty and staff in ensuring that we reach our budget goal. Thanks, too, to everyone who worked during our extended hours this spring.
- Persistence: Student persistence (those matriculated students who continued study from fall 2018 to spring 2019) is currently at a rate of 73.4%. Our Retention Committee will be looking at ways to improve that statistic as well as retention from year to year during their work this semester.
- Admissions/Outreach: As you know, Julie Panzanaro was appointed Director of Admissions earlier this month, after serving as interim director since April. Julie has been employed at the college for 30 years, and we’re pleased that she will continue to lead the recruitment efforts of our matriculated students.
- Outreach Activities: Enrollment management staff recently hosted a successful Student Services Information Day for new students. Also this month, meetings with officials from Capital Region BOCES and the Albany City and Shenendehowa school districts were held to strengthen recruitment efforts, boost College in the High School offerings and collaborate on developing elementary and middle school student programs.
- International Outreach: To explore new international partnership opportunities that could positively affect enrollment, last month I was invited to meet with Rodrigo Carazo, the Costa Rican Ambassador to the United Nations. I also met with alumnus Joe Mara regarding international student recruitment in the Philippines and Malaysia. Additionally, I had a positive meeting with The Honorable Henry B. Howard, the Consul from the Miami Consulate of the Philippines, about Hudson Valley as a community college partner in the Philippines education system. Next month, I will discuss potential partnerships with the United States ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Joseph Mondello, and meet with USA Education Coordinator, Afeisha Beckles to consider new partnerships in other Caribbean islands. Finally, I have been invited to speak at a luncheon at the United Nations in New York City for the Carribean and Central American ambassadors next month to discuss the college’s programs.
Academics/Student Success
- Access to College Scheduler: Students returning this spring had access to a new tool to help schedule their classes. The college recently acquired College Scheduler, a web-based schedule planner that allows students to set preferences for certain course sections and add breaks when they might not be available to attend class. So far, we’re hearing a positive response from students about the new tool.
- Broadening Support Services: After listening to student concerns, the college has expanded academic support services in several specific areas. For example, biology tutoring offered through the Learning Centers is now available in the evening and on Saturdays for students not on campus during the day, and students who take a majority of their classes in Williams Hall can now find math instructional support without having to visit the LAC. Last fall, math tutors were assigned directly to Williams Hall several days a week. In short, we saw a need to boost student academic support and we took action.
- New Retention Program: Following approval by the Academic Senate and Board of Trustees, we are introducing the Student Senate and Athletics Retention Program in the 2019-20 academic year. The program is designed to increase retention among students in leadership positions and intercollegiate athletics by changing the GPA required for participation and offering additional academic support for those who are struggling academically. Now, those students falling below a 2.0 GPA at mid-terms will be given the option to enroll in a focused intervention program in order to maintain their ability to participate in student activities and/or athletics by meeting weekly programmatic requirements designed to help them succeed.
- Guided Pathways: This week, members of the college community welcomed Nina Tamrowski, president of SUNY’s Faculty Council of Community Colleges and SUNY board member since 2015, for a discussion on SUNY initiatives and Guided Pathways. As I previously shared, Guided Pathways is a national initiative to help community college students move toward achieving their academic goals in a timely way using specific program-designed academic pathways. Interim Vice President MaryAnn Janosik is leading a team of deans, department chairs and faculty to submit an application for SUNY Guided Pathways Cohort II by Feb. 15.
- Search for Vice President for Academic Affairs: The search committee for the Vice President for Academic Affairs has recommended three finalists for further consideration. Finalists will be on campus February 5, 6 and 7, and the college community is invited to participate in open forums with each candidate. We will be in touch with details soon. Also, searches for the Dean of STEM and Director of Distance Learning are ongoing.
- ACE Approved as TASC Site: I am pleased to report that the college’s Albany Center for Education (ACE) is now approved by the State Education Department to offer the TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion™). New York State selected the TASC to replace the General Educational Development (GED) as the primary pathway to a New York State High School Equivalency in 2014. The Capital District Educational Opportunity Center offers the TASC in Troy currently, and testing at the ACE will begin in March.
Capital Improvements
- Facilities Master Plan: Approved by the Board of Trustees in November, the college is searching for a Facilities Master Plan consultant to examine necessary improvements to our campus infrastructure. In conjunction with the college’s 2019-24 Strategic Plan, this effort will guide campus renovations and construction activities to better serve our students and faculty in the years ahead. I am pleased to report that funding to hire a company with master planning expertise for colleges and universities was approved in the recently released New York State Executive Budget.
Upcoming Events
- Partnership with One Hundred Black Men of the Capital Region: We are pleased to now have a facility usage agreement with the One Hundred Black Men of the Capital Region which provides the organization with office space in the college’s Albany Center for Education (ACE) building on North Russell Road in Albany. The organization is committed to providing mentoring, support services and programs for disadvantaged, disenfranchised and low-income youth and families. Their new location at ACE will give them access to classrooms, computer labs and other important resources to help them help others. A ribbon cutting will take place this Friday, Feb. 1 at 10:30 a.m. to celebrate the partnership.
- All College Meeting: I look forward to seeing many of you at the All College Meeting at 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 4 in the Maureen Stapleton Theatre. The meeting will have a special focus on Hudson Valley’s 2019-24 strategic plan and feature Drs. Will Miller and Nicole Melander, representatives of Campus Labs, the college’s recently selected strategic planning partner. The event’s printed program will provide an update on new employees, retirements, promotions and physical plant updates.
- Cultural Affairs Update: Our spring Cultural Affairs Program calendar features several nationally-known speakers and events. As many of you may have heard, tickets to An Evening With Gloria Steinem, on Friday April 5, have sold out. However, many seats are available to other events, including a presentation by writer Jamaica Kincaid and two performances by the Lenox, MA-based Shakespeare & Company, which is celebrating its 10th week-long residency with students, faculty and staff, as well as other interesting and enriching visitors. All these programs are open to the public and most are free. Please check the Cultural Affairs Calendar to find out more.
- Interfaith Community Forum: One of the college’s current goals is to expand our outreach and build new community partnerships. We will be hosting an Interfaith Community Forum in the Bulmer Telecommunications Center on Monday, March 18 to bring together faith-based community leaders from around the Capital Region to discuss how we can support one another in our broad missions of service to our communities. We will have a keynote speaker and plan to share information on college services such as financial aid and scholarships; child care and health services; academic support; job training and Educational Opportunity Center programs.
- Complete Events Calendar: Please take a moment to review the complete events calendar which is maintained on the college website and also in the Campus Chronicle. Consider attending an educational, cultural or athletic event. Of note, for the first time in our college history, our men’s and women’s basketball teams are ranked in the top 10 of the nation at the same time.
- Monthly Coffee with the President Events: I hope to see you at one of this spring’s Coffee with the President events. This is an excellent way to keep me in the loop on any new ideas, opinions or concerns you may have, and I welcome your feedback! Our January event was a success, in part thanks to Professor Tamu Chambers who brought her class to the event. Keep an eye out for our February date.
SUNY and State Budget Updates
- State Executive Budget: The Governor released the proposed 2019-20 New York State Budget earlier this month. It proposes no change in the funding formula or the state aid reimbursement rate for community colleges. At this point, 27 of the 30 community colleges would lose year-to-year state aid if the legislature does not take action. For Hudson Valley, preliminary estimates are a year-to-year loss in state aid of $690,056.
- SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson discussed the Executive Budget at the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on Monday, and in her remarks she advocated for a more stable funding system for community colleges. Rather than a model based on full-time-enrollment (FTE), Chancellor Johnson proposed an increase in FTE funding, and that each community college establish a “floor,” or minimum level of state support, independent of FTE, in order to create and maintain a more predictable and flexible operating budget. We will participate in SUNY advocacy activities and organize campus events and meetings throughout the legislative cycle to advance this idea and also seek restorations to proposed cuts to EOP and EOC programs as well as child care.
- SUNY Provost Visit: Last week, we were pleased to host the new SUNY Provost, Dr. Tod Laursen who met with our executive team and with student leaders, including trustee Brendan Caluneo. We had an opportunity to share some of the college’s initiatives with him, and he discussed some of SUNY’s priorities, including expansion of the Excelsior Scholarship program; a re-development of SUNY Online; a “commitment to data” to improve analytics system-wide; and support of campus initiatives for diversity in faculty hiring.
Enhancing Communications
- Student Accomplishments: As we have done for the past seven years, the college published its Fall 2018 Deans’ and President’s list through the Merit software system in January. Last year, the college published 15 different achievements in Merit that showcased student success – everything from scholarship and award recipients to club and student government leaders. These achievements created personalized stories that were delivered to students, parents, media outlets, elected officials and high schools. Stories shared through Merit last year generated more than 9,829 social media shares, resulting in an estimated 3,359,332 social media impressions as well as placements in dozens of media outlets. Contact our Communications and Marketing office to learn more about how to get the word out on your students’ achievements.
I will continue to keep the college community posted in a monthly update in the Campus Chronicle. As I wrap up this January message, I thought you’d be interested in reading this letter of thanks from Joseph’s House and Shelter in response to our employee donation campaign. My thanks to all who contributed to this special cause.
Roger A. Ramsammy, Ph.D.
President
Published: Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:20:43 +0000 by r.ramsammy