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| As we work to plan for the future of our institution, the Supreme Court's decision yesterday to significantly narrow how race can be considered in admissions practices is just one example of how uncertain the landscape of higher education is today. This disappointing decision will certainly have far-reaching consequences, including a questioning whether colleges and universities remain places where diverse minds, students of color or those from historically underrepresented backgrounds are valued or belong.
One thing that's certain is that the Supreme Court's decision does not erase the reality of our country's inequitable educational opportunities. Forty-five percent of the country's Black and Hispanic students attend high-poverty public schools compared to 8 percent of white students (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2020). Now more than ever, SUNY Oneonta remains dedicated to providing equitable access to our transformative educational opportunities. With inclusivity as one of our three core values, we know that racial diversity is among the many critical factors in sustaining a community that produces the well-rounded, accomplished scholars that our region, state and nation need.
While this decision does not impact our current admissions practices, we must double down on our efforts to communicate that a college education is open to all. We will continue cultivating relationships and pathways to ensure promising students from all backgrounds can learn about the opportunities available to them here and how we believe they will enrich our university. As a point of pride, approximately 32 percent of this year's new students are students of color, our largest-ever percentage for an incoming class.
SUNY Chancellor King's sentiments that we need better paths and bridges to access and opportunity, rather than roadblocks and barriers, resonate with our nurturing community and commitment to continue diversifying our student body, faculty, and staff. That will never change.
On a brighter note, during Alumni Weekend earlier this month, I heard many anecdotes about how thrilled the alumni were to learn about the many things happening on campus. From celebrating the success of the Grow.Thrive.Live. fundraising campaign, to seeing the renovations and improvements through construction, to learning about student activities and achievements - excitement was in the air.
I also shared information with Alumni Weekend attendees about our upcoming work in developing a new strategic plan. Thank you to those who took the time to provide feedback on the conceptual model for crafting our next strategic plan and the new University Integrated Planning Council. Overall, the feedback was positive and indicates that the UIPC and strategic planning model will help us respond to the emerging challenges facing higher education. Many good suggestions for improvement were also shared.
I look forward to sharing more at our visioning dialogue sessions this fall. We will begin the visioning dialogue sessions with keynote addresses from Dr. Randall VanWagoner, president of Mohawk Valley Community College, and Dr. Joe Sallustio '00, co-founder and host of the EdUp Experience podcast, author, and senior vice president of Strategic Enrollment Management at Lindenwood University. A full schedule for the visioning dialogue sessions will be published soon. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend one or two sessions. Everyone's participation, perspectives and input are welcome.
Sincerely,
Alberto J.F. Cardelle
President
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Chloe Diamond-Lenow Named SUNY DEISJ Fellow
Enrique Morales-Diaz
Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
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Dr. Chloe Diamond-Lenow, assistant professor of Women's and Gender Studies, was named one of just 15 SUNY Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice (DEISJ) Fellows. Dr. Diamond-Lenow was selected out of over 100 applicants by a team consisting of SUNY system administrators, members of the University Faculty Senate and representatives of the Faculty Council on Community Colleges.
The SUNY DEISJ Fellows program will offer implementation and assessment support for the new SUNY General Education Framework, specifically the DEISJ knowledge and skills category, which is a new requirement for all undergraduate degrees. DEISJ Fellows will contribute to developing DEISJ course resources, assist other faculty developing or teaching DEISJ courses, and work with the SUNY Center for Professional Development to create a DEISJ course creator's certificate.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Diamond-Lenow on this accomplishment.
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Leading & Engaging Oneonta Program a Success
Thirty-five employees participated in the first edition of the Leading and Engaging Oneonta leadership development program, held during the Spring 2023 semester. Members of the President's Cabinet and Executive Staff presented interactive workshops designed to enhance leadership and professional skills ideal for successful careers in higher education. The workshop topics included:
- Changing & Future Trends in Higher Education
- Practical Leadership
- Leadership Communications
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Community & Government Engagement
Participants also had to complete one of three culminating experiences:
- Join a local non-profit board, professional development organization board/committee or on-campus committee.
- Conduct an informal interview with someone in a leadership position to hear their perspective on what being a leader means to them.
- Develop and execute an on-campus or community project or initiative related to one or more session themes.
So far, participants have interviewed vice presidents on campus and presidents at other colleges, joined local non-profit boards, and are creating new initiatives/events to implement on campus over the next year. In a feedback survey, participants reported that they felt the program contributed to their personal and professional growth and enjoyed meeting others from across campus with whom they wouldn't typically interact.
Thank you to all who attended the workshops and participated in this program. Thanks also to everyone who supported or encouraged the participants along the way. We look forward to offering this program again in the future.
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July Day One Orientation Sessions Set
Kate McMichael, Director, Office of Student Experience
George Archundia, Associate Director of New Student Move in, Orientation, and Welcome Program
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Incoming students are once again preparing to visit campus over the summer to participate in our orientation program. Orientation for first-year students is a three-day program designed to provide a welcoming, exciting, engaging and comprehensive onboarding for our newest Red Dragons. Information is also shared with the parents and families of our incoming students.
Over 800 members of the incoming class will join us next month for the first part of orientation, one of the July Day One sessions. New students who do not attend a Day One session in July will join us early in August to complete their Day One programming. This early introduction to campus will help students understand their academic path and the academic support network available, become familiar with various aspects of the SUNY Oneonta Community, and set goals to help shape their collegiate experience.
Current student peer mentors called Dragon Guides will lead the students through various activities and sessions throughout the day. These Dragon Guides will also reconnect with new students as the semester begins and remain in touch with them throughout the fall. The relationships Dragon Guides build with the new students are an important component of our goal to provide extended support and connection beyond the initial campus welcome.
The July Day One session dates are July 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, and 19. Fitzelle, IRC, and Mills halls will be used during these dates. If you see families or students out and about on campus, please offer to provide assistance or point them in the right direction. Thank you for helping us welcome this newest group of Red Dragons!
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New Employee Pipeline Program Created
This spring, Employee Services and the Office of Equity and Inclusion collaborated on developing a new program to encourage talented, diverse recent graduates from SUNY Oneonta to join us as employees in various entry-level positions. The goal is to enhance the recruitment and retention of underrepresented staff and support student retention and persistence efforts. Recent graduates hired through this pipeline program will receive guidance from an assigned mentor, giving them extra support as they transition from being a student to a professional on campus.
Candidates who applied for positions through the pipeline program were asked to reflect on their student experiences at SUNY Oneonta and comment on how they would use them as a professional to support the university's diverse campus community. The application also asked them to explain their perspective on our mission in the context of their experience as a student. A panel committee and department leaders participated in the application review and interview process.
As a result, six graduates from the Class of 2023 were selected.
- Sylvia Hernandez, Academic Success Consultant in the Student Learning Center
- Aolat Salami, DEI Program Assistant in the Office of Equity and Inclusion
- Maria Solis Bonilla, Testing Center Coordinator in Accessibility Resources
- Andrew Dawson, Volunteer Coordinator in the Center for Social Responsibility and Community
- Rachel Germain, Making Cents Staff Assistant in Finance and Administration
- Jalin Brown, Student Activities Assistant in Student Life and Leadership
In addition to their regular work obligations, they will complete team-building activities as a cohort, engage in leadership and professional development and meet regularly with their campus mentor(s).
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Dining Services Highlighted for Sustainability Initiatives
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FoodManagement.com recently recognized SUNY Oneonta's Sodexo Dining Services for featuring local products as part of on-campus dining options. Season's Cafe was highlighted for helping to make a sustainable diet accessible by offering local, seasonal produce and food products.
Jimmy Hamm, general manager for Sodexo Dining Services, discussed how Dining Services works with farmers and local vendors to create menus based on the season and source products from places like McCoy Honey in Oneonta, Shaver Hill Farm in Harpersfield and Stagecoach Coffee in Cooperstown. Dining Services Marketing Specialist Joanna Foti was also interviewed and pointed out the bulletin board featured within Season's Cafe that outlines the local suppliers featured on the menu at any given time. Read the full article.
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| UPD Officers Complete Mountain Bike Certification
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|  | L to R: UPD Officers Maricle, Clark, and Galante with two Oneonta Police Department Officers.
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| Richard Sass
Lieutenant, University Police
Earlier this month, three of our University Police Officers attended a five-day Police Mountain Bike course at SUNY Cortland. Officers Maricle, Clark and Galante attended along with two officers from the City of Oneonta Police Department. The training requires officers to be physically and mentally fit, and consists of advanced riding skill development and law enforcement tactics (navigating stairs and other obstacles in emergencies, special dismounts, and more).
These three officers join several other University Police officers and dispatchers who are already trained members of our bike patrol unit. One of the goals of using bike patrols is for officers to be more approachable and make it easier for community members to engage with UPD staff outside of calls for service. Bike patrol also makes UPD response more nimble as it allows officers to more quickly access parts of campus with congested traffic or that cannot be reached with a vehicle, like pedestrian areas.
You will notice that bike patrol officers wear uniforms that make them more visible and easily identifiable (blue polo shirt, black pants/shorts). Next time you see one of our officers out on bike patrol, give them a wave, and please don't hesitate to ask us to learn more about this unique feature of our department.
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