I’m pleased to offer this update on February activities and college initiatives. As always, please reach out to me with any questions.
Enrollment
- Spring Enrollment: On Feb. 13, we reported enrollment numbers for the spring semester. Though student headcount is down 2% from last year and the full-time equivalent (FTE) students declined 2.54%, we are ahead of the planned decrease of 2.9% FTE. Sprint and College in the High School enrollment this March will improve our final count, so we anticipate exceeding budget projections. Thank you again for your efforts during the spring enrollment period.
- Summer/Fall Registration: Please encourage students to plan now for the summer and fall semesters. During the past several years, registration began in mid-March for current and new students, but we have now opened registration earlier to accommodate those who wish to begin scheduling courses. Registration is now open for returning and transfer students. New students will be able to start scheduling on Monday, March 11.
- International Outreach: As I noted last month, the college is exploring several international partnership opportunities to support enrollment. In mid-February, Board Chairman Neil Kelleher, Executive Director Regina LaGatta and I had productive meetings in Trinidad, especially with the United States ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Joseph Mondello and USA Education Coordinator, Afeisha Beckles. We had informative meetings with officials from the Office of the Minister of Education as well as with many high school principals, counselors, teachers and parents interested in study abroad, ITV classes, online learning, College in the High School and workforce training opportunities. We are also in discussions with the University of the West Indies, which may partner with Hudson Valley for on-campus support. Overall, the trip was highly productive, with short and long-term plans moving forward.
Already, the college has received an invitation from Ambassador Mondello for Hudson Valley Admissions counselors to return for the Embassy-sponsored College Fair on October 12-13, 2019. Six thousand parents and students attend over two days. In addition, Hudson Valley is one of only three community colleges that plan to be at the event, and possibly the only American institution to be invited. This is a fairly unique opportunity since Trinidad and Tobago schools generally partner with colleges in the United Kingdom and Canada.
In late March, we will travel to Costa Rica at the invitation of Costa Rican Congressman Pedro Muñoz Fonseca. Costa Rica is working to transform the city of Liberia into an educational hub for Central American countries and has invited the college, along with University at Albany President Havidan Rodriguez and his staff to participate in higher education and economic development discussions with the Costa Rica Investment and Promotion Agency.
Academic Updates
- Guided Pathways: Earlier this month, Interim Vice President MaryAnn Janosik shared that Hudson Valley was selected to join the second cohort of the Developmental English Learning Community and Co-requisite English Initiative, receiving an award of $20,000 from SUNY. Our thanks to Dr. Maria Palmara and Dean Karen Ferrer-Muñiz, who prepared the application, and to Dean Fabian Vega for his support.
The college has also submitted an application for SUNY Guided Pathways Cohort II, as well as the SUNY Guided Pathways-related applications for the NYS Student Success Coaching Academy and the SUNY Strong Start to Finish initiative in Math and English. We should know the status of these grant applications sometime in March.
- Faculty Retention/Persistence Mini-Grants: Three Hudson Valley employees have received Summer 2019 Mini-Grant Awards. Each proposal responds to a request to contribute to the college’s retention/persistence initiative. The recipients are Doug Baxter, for “New Student Summer Camp for Mechanical Engineering Technology Program;” Erin Rennells, for “NMR in the High School;” and Andrew Roberts, for “Jump Start Pre-Orientation Program for Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Forensic Science, and Cybersecurity Students.” I share my thanks with all who submitted applications for this inaugural mini-grant initiative, and congratulations to the recipients.
- Micro-Credential Workshop: Registration is open for a SUNY Micro-Credentials Workshop to be held in Albany on Friday, March 22 at SUNY Plaza from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The session is designed to support planning, micro-credential development, and implementation. The workshop is open to senior leadership, campus leaders in this area, faculty and student governance, faculty interested in offering micro-credentials, continuing education professionals, career resource professionals, experiential learning staff, those involved in policy development and professional development, registrars, etc. If you would like to attend, please talk with your department chair, dean or supervisor.
2019-24 Strategic Plan
- Progress Update: We are making significant progress with our strategic planning process. We started the month with the Spring All College Meeting, which had a special focus on the college’s strategic plan. Drs. Will Miller and Nicole Melander, representatives of the college’s strategic planning partner, Campus Labs, provided an overview of the process and timeline and also shared research to inform the campus community of national trends. The interactive meeting used Poll Everywhere software to gather insights from faculty and staff and expand on information collected through the recent employee opinion survey.
More recently, a student survey was issued, and a series of 25 listening sessions for employees, students, and various campus partners and community groups were conducted Feb. 19-21. I’m happy to report that nearly 400 stakeholders participated in the listening sessions, and many also attended open meetings on Feb. 26 to hear preliminary findings. The Strategic Plan Steering Committee co-chairs will keep the college community posted as its work continues, and a Blackboard organization has been created for the campus community to learn more.
Organizational Leadership and Searches
- Vice President for Academic Affairs: The college will continue its search for the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs following the recent interviews with finalists and feedback received from faculty, staff, and board members. Judy DiLorenzo, search committee chair, will coordinate ongoing efforts with the college’s search firm, Isaacson Miller, and members of the search committee and campus community as necessary. Thank you to everyone who has shared their time and input during this important process.
- Dean of STEM: The search for the Dean of STEM is ongoing, and finalists for the position are scheduled to be on campus in early April.
- Interim Director of Distance Learning: Linda Ryder has agreed to serve as the Interim Director of Distance Learning, reporting to Dr. Janosik. I had an opportunity to work directly with Linda in her role as senior instructional designer at the college and as part of my service on the SUNY Online Workgroup. I look forward to our continued partnership.
- Interim Dean and Department Chair: Interim leadership will soon be appointed for the position of dean of the School of Business and the School of Engineering and Industrial Technologies, as well as for department chair of Automotive, Manufacturing, and Electrical Engineering Technologies. As you may know, Phil White has retired from the college after many years of service, and Tony Kossmann has returned to faculty status.
Upcoming Events
- Commencement: I have asked our Commencement planning team to re-imagine the event to become more student-focused and celebratory. They have developed a shorter program that starts at 10:30 a.m. and ends by noon, followed by a festive reception for all attendees. This year’s commencement is Saturday, May 18.
Published: Mon, 04 Mar 2019 13:16:06 +0000 by r.ramsammy