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Dr. Alberto José Cardelle Named Next President

Dr. Alberto José Cardelle

Last week it was announced that the SUNY Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Alberto José Cardelle as SUNY Oneonta's ninth president. He joins us from Fitchburg State University, where he most recently served as provost and vice president for academic affairs.

During his address to the SUNY Board of Trustees on July 20, 2021, Dr. Cardelle noted his excitement to work with SUNY Oneonta's students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends, and to help the college become a vehicle for equity and economic growth of the region.

Dr. Cardelle's first day will be Sept. 6. Additional information about the presidential transition will be communicated in the weeks ahead as the college prepares to welcome President Cardelle.

Read More About Dr. Cardelle

Middle States Self-Study Design Gets Green Light

The process for SUNY Oneonta's reaccreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) remains on schedule. Dr. Kushnood Haq, Middle States' vice president of Institutional Field Relations, met with several members of our campus community on June 10 and June 16, including members of the Middle States Reaccreditation Steering Committee, members of the Senate Steering Committee, members of Cabinet, and students.

Dr. Haq extolled both our Self-Study design, finding strong evidence of its inclusive underpinning, and the first phase of work led by the Reaccreditation Steering Committee. The Self-Study Design acts as a blueprint for our process. It outlines the sections of the self-study, tasks to be accomplished throughout the process and the timeline for completing activities. It also serves as a guide for the Steering Committee and its working groups and helps to ensure that required elements of the self-study are completed as stipulated and on time. Dr. Haq also emphasized the need to keep our established institutional priorities at the forefront of our self-study evaluation as we draft it in the coming year.

Thank you to the members of the Reaccreditation Steering Committee and working groups for their dedication to this vital process for our institution.

Intermountain COVID-19 Impact Consortium Update

Alex Thomas
Professor of Sociology

Since April of 2020, researchers at SUNY Oneonta have been part of the Intermountain COVID-19 Impact Consortium (ICIC), a partnership of institutions looking at the impact of the pandemic in Central New York. The teams have conducted surveys of municipal leaders, child care centers, employees in higher education and the public school system, and, of course, college students. Thousands of people throughout the region have completed their surveys and talked with the researchers themselves, and the data they have collected will be analyzed for years to come.

Some of the early findings were expected. Students at multiple colleges reported “extreme distress” on the Kessler 6 distress scale two-and-a-half times more than in a typical year, and college employees reported similar levels of distress. The good news was that distress could be moderated. Among college employees, distress was most significant among those who came to the office once or twice a month and was lower for those reporting to work regularly or working exclusively from home. This was particularly true when employees settled into a routine that included safe work habits: wearing a mask and social distancing. As the spring semester wore on, employees in public education and higher education settings experienced significant reductions in distress, reflecting the fact that 87 percent and 89 percent of respondents had received a COVID vaccine respectively. Although there is a selection bias in the surveys, the researchers conclude that vaccination provides a sense of psychological relief.

ICIC includes researchers from Bassett Research Institute, SUNY Cobleskill, Utica College, and Zogby Strategics and can be followed at Project ICIC on Facebook. Special thanks goes to the SUNY Oneonta representatives: Leanne Avery, Jennifer Flores, Greg Fulkerson, Sallie Han, Rebecca Harrington, Kirsten Kemmerer, Lizzy Seale, Alex Thomas and Jim Zians.

Glenn Pichardo Named SUNY Hispanic Leadership Fellow

Glenn Pichardo

Senior EOP Counselor Glenn Pichardo completed the SUNY Hispanic Leadership Institute (SUNY HLI) Fellowship program in June. SUNY HLI’s mission is to identify, foster and support the development and retention of current and emerging Hispanic/Latinx leaders for an increasingly diverse university system and nation. Glenn is the first employee from SUNY Oneonta to be nominated and complete the program.

Glenn also works as a leadership specialist for the SUNY SAIL Institute and was nominated for the fellowship by SUNY SAIL Director Carolyn Mattiske. The SUNY HLI Fellowship experience included a six-month leadership development program that included conversations with leaders across higher education, self assessments, leadership coaching and mentoring. Glenn reports that the most impactful lesson learned was the importance of collaboration in higher education leadership.

The SUNY HLI also includes an individual capstone applied learning component. Glenn is exploring options to develop a leadership training program at SUNY Oneonta to help current employees gain skills to advance their careers, with special focus on how the college can create a more equitable and inclusive environment to help increase diversity among faculty and staff. He is also assisting with developing a leadership network for Hispanic leaders in the SUNY system.

Congratulations, Glenn!

Alumni Hall Renovation Underway

Alumni Hall renovation design concept

Lachlan Squair
Chief Facilities, Planning and Safety Officer

If you haven’t already noticed from the large fenced-in area and detour near Morris Conference Center, a full rehabilitation of Alumni Hall is officially underway.

This large, two-year renovation project is the latest in a long-running Facilities Master Plan that, among other things, seeks to create modern, functional spaces, relocate several offices and help plan for future upgrades. The new Alumni Hall will feature bright new spaces for alumni to visit and gather, meeting and study spots for students, classrooms and offices. It will be home to the Division of College Advancement and have classrooms, faculty offices and multi-use spaces.

Impressively, Alumni Hall will be the first building on campus to use geothermal well technology for its heating and cooling systems. This will require the drilling of 35 wells and the installation of a network of piping to connect them to the building’s systems. Once finished, we’ll be able to utilize the earth’s ambient thermal energy as a source of heat for the building in winter and as a sink for heat in the summer. Adoption of geothermal energy technologies is an important step toward our long-term plan of achieving carbon neutrality in campus facilities operations and this project is the first of many others planned.

Right now, the project contractor has enclosed the building in fencing and has started interior demolition and other removals. A drilling rig is proceeding on the geoexchange well field.

Constructed more than 60 years ago as a library for our growing campus, Alumni’s open-plan design has historically made it challenging to modify for other uses. We’re all looking forward to an updated structure that supports academics and administration for the 21st Century.

The project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2023, with a reopening that fall. To learn more about the history of Alumni Hall and stay up-to-date on progress of the work, read an in-depth article by Facilities Planning IT Specialist Phil Bidwell on the Alumni Hall Renovation Project webpage.

College Recognized for Master’s in Literacy Education Programs

The Best College Programs in the U.S. Honoree icon

Mark Davies
Dean of School of Education, Human Ecology and Sports Studies

Education blog “The Edvocate” has included SUNY Oneonta in its list of “2022 Best Online Master’s in Reading Education Programs.”

SUNY Oneonta was one of just 15 colleges and universities across the nation to make the list. Only one other SUNY school was included.

To compile its list, The Edvocate takes into account the academic quality of the program; accreditation status of the university and its degree programs; program reputation, affordability and access; faculty and staff resources; employer and student success surveys; and student selectivity. Whenever available and applicable, The Edvocate incorporates data from industry-specific journals and rankings, such as the National Council on Teacher Quality.

The Edvocate was created in 2014 to argue for shifts in education policy and organization in order to enhance the quality of education and the opportunities for learning afforded to students in America.

Learn more about the methodology used to compile The Edvocate’s rankings.

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108 Ravine Parkway
Oneonta, NY | 13820 US

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