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| Spring 2023 is off to a productive start. As you'll read below, many positive things are happening around campus. I hope to see you at some of the events planned during the common meeting time. Along with the events planned by my office, I've heard of many others that will also be open to the campus community. Continue to utilize and watch the Oneonta Bulletin and Campus Connection to advertise and learn about common meeting time events.
I appreciate everyone's hard work in preparing for the spring semester. We had a successful orientation for our 190+ new students last week, and now classes are in full swing. I'd like to give a shout-out to staff from grounds and facilities for the special attention to clearing snow and treating sidewalks and roads to help keep the start of our semester on track. An additional note of thanks goes to everyone who has contributed to the self-study draft for our Middle States reaccreditation. There is a more in-depth update on the reaccreditation process below, and I encourage everyone to pay special attention to information from the Middle States committee this semester. The self-study process and site visit are critical components of our institutional health and progress.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how SUNY Oneonta and the education students receive here have tentacles of influence that reach far beyond our campus. We are making a positive impact on the lives of our students, and they go on to impact communities around the world. One way I’ve noticed this is by how often I get stopped by alums or friends of the university while I’m wearing SUNY Oneonta gear. I always hear about their pride in the university and how much they value their experience here. One instance that has stuck in my mind is when I was visiting my daughter, who lives several thousands of miles away in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and I was approached by an alum who saw my SUNY Oneonta shirt. They were so excited to see a fellow Red Dragon and couldn't wait to chat about the university. Even out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, SUNY Oneonta has an influence. This example reinforces how our work supports students and creates an atmosphere where they see open doors and limitless possibilities in pursuing a meaningful career and life.
Sincerely,
Alberto J.F. Cardelle
President
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| Strategic Opportunity Funding Round Two Update
The second round of proposals submitted for initiatives in support of Strategic Opportunities outlined in the "Regaining Momentum Agenda" garnered 21 requests totaling $898,774. Of the 21 requests, 13 have been approved for funding, totaling $614,326, and another 3 (totaling $143,220) have been deferred for some additional discussion. The funded initiatives are listed on the Regaining Momentum website, and their work will begin this spring.
The next opportunity for faculty and staff to obtain funding for new or enhanced projects and programs in support of the Agenda will be coming in the spring semester. Proposals for initiatives that are innovative and take reasonable risks are encouraged. Everyone is encouraged to think about how we can do things differently and to submit proposals for ideas, even if not perfectly developed.
Official communication will go out when the next application window opens but begin thinking now. Information about the first- and second-round process and outcomes can be viewed on the College Budget Committee website. There may be some updates and minor changes to the process for the third round, but the current process information may help get you started if you are considering a new initiative.
Congratulations to those who received funds in this second round of Strategic Opportunities Funding. We look forward to the next round of new and innovative proposals that will help leverage the strategic opportunities and forward the "Regaining Momentum Agenda."
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| SUNY Oneonta New Host for SUNY COIL
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| Chilton Reynolds
Director, Teaching, Learning & Technology Center
SUNY Oneonta is proud to announce that it is the new host campus for the SUNY Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Center. The Center’s executive director, Hope Windle, began her work with COIL in 2006, while working at SUNY Ulster. She joined the Center’s staff in 2019 and was hired as the director in 2022. She has begun meeting with various offices in preparation for the move and is excited about possible opportunities of being back on a campus.
Hosting the SUNY COIL Center comes at an opportune time for SUNY Oneonta. President Cardelle’s "Regaining Momentum Agenda" focuses on Student Success through a more vibrant campus. Oneonta’s Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center (TLTC) has successfully supported our local COIL initiative for the past eight years, establishing our campus as a leader in the training and implementation of the COIL initiative. Michelle Lopez, director of The Office of Global Education, will play a prominent leadership role in expanding SUNY Oneonta’s global education programming, which includes support of Oneonta’s COIL program. The Office of Global Education will also support faculty in implementing a global literacy competency in the new General Education program. These initiatives promise to distinguish our curriculum from others in the SUNY system, creating a more inclusive, equitable and diverse campus where our students will thrive and succeed.
Together with SUNY COIL, Oneonta recognizes virtual exchange as a curricular opportunity that brings intercultural experiences to students through a sustainable and high-impact practice. SUNY Oneonta continues to establish itself as a leader in the innovative teaching and learning community by hosting the SUNY COIL Center.
COIL virtual exchange is now widely recognized as an essential part of the college experience to prepare students for success after college. In launching its Global Learning for All (GLFA) initiative, the SUNY Office of Global Affairs recognizes the need for these educational experiences as part of a sustainable future. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) is addressing the need to engage with people from different cultures as a part of its career readiness competencies. The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has established diversity and global learning as one of its high-impact practices. For example, AAC&U, in collaboration with the American Council on Education (ACE), recently launched a COIL initiative to support creating strong connections between countries for virtual exchanges. Additionally, the SUNY COIL Center has also developed integrations with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the SUNY Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP).
For SUNY Oneonta, SUNY COIL virtual exchange connects not only institutional global learning objectives but also institutional priorities in diversity, equity and inclusion, active pedagogy, and applied learning as it supports students’ ability to experience an exchange program from their classrooms.
Initially established in 2004, the SUNY COIL Center was the first such university center and remains the gold standard for virtual exchange internationally, connecting 147 institutions worldwide. The SUNY COIL Center provides international partners to professors and students to experience inclusive, high-impact, team-centered innovative opportunities in the classroom, connecting domestic diversity to internationalizing curriculum at home.
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| Campus to Career Programs Back in Action
Michelle Hansen
Associate DIrector, Alumni Engagement
Like so many things, the pandemic brought about shifts to life as we know it, and the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association’s career programs are no different. Prior to 2020, The Alumni Association worked to help prepare students for life after college by hosting distinguished alumni lectures, alumni panels, recent alumni dialogues and visits to alumni places of business. Throughout the pandemic, these programs shifted from in-person to fully virtual. With the return to in-person activities over the past year, the desire to bring alumni to campus in a variety of ways has greatly expanded. The Association has assisted in curating programs that make sense for the students, academic departments and our alumni. Offering a mix of in-person and virtual programs has created opportunities not just for students but for alumni in different geographic locations as well as more recent alumni who don’t always have the flexibility in their schedules to get back to campus.
Many classes, clubs, and organizations have already found just how helpful the Oneonta alumni network can be. Dr. Hugh Gallagher, Physics and Astronomy department chair, hosts a hybrid career series where students meet with program alumni who speak to their career trajectory, graduate school and how much Oneonta helped prepare them. Dr. Leigh Fall, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department chair, has partnered with the Alumni Association for their annual Majors’ Night. This program brings alumni from each major (Meteorology, Geology, and Earth Science) to campus, and students get to chat with each alum in a speed dating-style event where they move around the room and ask networking questions to learn more about the field and career options. Dr. Toke Knudsen in Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics has hosted both Distinguished Alumni Visits and Recent Alumni Dialogues in his classes and for the Sanford Society. And, excitedly, this past fall, a small group of students from the Business and Economics were able to make their way back to New York City for the popular Backpacks to Briefcases program with the help of many faculty but including Dr. Kpoti Kitissou and Charlene Foley-Deno.
The Association partnered with 11 departments and eight clubs this fall and is very much looking forward to continuing these and expanding for the spring. We encourage all faculty, staff, and administrators to view our resources webpage to see what the Association can offer.
If you, your department, or your club would like to find out more about alumni participating in your programs, making connections for students or more, please contact me at michelle.hansen@oneonta.edu.
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| Valerie Rapson Interviewed About Rare Comet
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Dr. Valerie Rapson, assistant professor of Physics and Astronomy, was quoted in two recent news stories about Comet C/2022 E3, which may be visible in the night sky this week. Dr. Rapson, whose research interests include star and planet formation and exoplanets, was interviewed about the rare comet, notable for its green color, by the Times Union and the Daily Star.
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Middle States Self-Study Advanced Draft Ready
SUNY Oneonta has taken a major step forward on its journey to Middle States reaccreditation by finishing an advanced draft of its Self-Study. This labor of love was completed by over 70 university employees from across campus who wrote reports on the standards that evolved into the Self-Study chapter drafts. The Self-Study conforms to Middle States’ expectations that we reflect on our institution’s progress as measured through the standards on mission and goals; ethics and integrity; design and delivery of the student learning experience; support of the student experience; effectiveness assessment; planning and resources; and governance/leadership/administration. Please consider reading the Self-Study, which showcases both areas of achievement and areas for improvement, accessible on our Middle States webpage.
We have three weeks before we need to submit the final version of the Self-Study. Information will be shared soon about in-person opportunities to provide feedback to the posted Self-Study Draft. For now please feel free to email input or questions to msche@oneonta.edu.
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Advancing Sustainability at Oneonta and Beyond
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Rachel Kornhauser
Sustainability Coordinator
Spring 2023 marks the first full semester of our participation in the University Global Coalition (UGC), helping to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Sustainability, service and inclusivity, all of which support the UN SDGs, are core values of SUNY Oneonta, and joining the University Global Coalition speaks to this.
Founded in 2019, the UGC promotes the incorporation of the UN SDGs into the teaching, research, operations, and partnerships of higher education institutions by sharing resources and best practices. We will continue to advance the SDGs and celebrate the efforts toward colleges and universities becoming global actors with holistic definitions of sustainability.
Some examples of the SDGs in action at SUNY Oneonta are the Corporate and Social Responsibility course required in our Business program, a Sustainable Development Goal Fair hosted each semester by the SDG Awareness Committee, international partnerships fostered by participation in SUNY Collaborative Online International Learning and the completion of the campus’ first renewable energy source - a geothermal array in the parking lot of Alumni Hall.
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Faculty-Led Programs Offer Professional Development, Collaboration
Michelle Lopez
Director of Global Education
The Office of Global Education is currently welcoming program proposals for both International and Domestic Faculty-Led Programs (FLPs) for the next academic year. FLPs are domestic or international, credit-bearing or course-required, overnight travel. These programs can be part of, or the entirety of, a course. FLPs are a professional development opportunity for all faculty and can provide a unique format for collaboration with global colleagues and partners.
For International FLPs, the first step is to have your department chair and dean approve the course syllabus through the Syllabus Submission Form. Once complete, faculty can then complete the Program Proposal Packet, which includes the FLP Proposal Form, Itinerary, Line-item Budget, and CVs for both program leaders.
For Domestic FLPs, the first step in the process is to complete the Domestic FLP Request Form and submit it for approval to your department chair and dean before being reviewed by the Office of Global Education. Along with the request form, faculty should also submit the Itinerary, Line-item Budget, and course syllabus.
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