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| The beginning of this semester is unlike others as we grieve the loss of one of our community members. Nothing can prepare us for the sudden loss of a student, and I urge you to continue to support one another and any students you work with during this difficult time.
While we continue process our grief, I believe it is important for us to keep working together to strengthen our college. Toward that aspiration, over the next six weeks I will be hosting a series of dialogue sessions. The goal is to bring individuals together, in a thoughtful way, to have conversations that will identify and discuss the obstacles we face, potential solutions, opportunities that exist, and ways we can capitalize on those opportunities. I not only hope you attend but request that you do so for as many sessions as you are able. I look forward to hearing your perspective. Collaborating to define issues and find a common agenda on how to address them will allow us to plan, discuss and build community. Our collective wisdom is one of our strongest assets and the challenges we face can only be addressed by working together. You can revisit the invitation, dialogue session schedule and background information at the institutional planning lib guide.
Community is also built by fostering an environment in which everyone exchanges ideas and shares their talents. The recent loss we have experienced makes it even more important for us to focus on maintaining our strong community. One of the ways this can occur is through supporting the many events, lectures, performances and presentations scheduled throughout the semester. I encourage you to attend as many of these as possible — they are the hallmark of a dynamic collegiate community.
Sincerely,
Alberto J.F. Cardelle
President
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| Enrollment Matters, Spring 2022 Update
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Karen Brown
Executive Director of Admissions & Senior Enrollment Management Officer
As our spring semester begins, it is important for all members of the SUNY Oneonta community to remain informed about our current enrollment challenges and recognize that everyone has a role in our recruitment, retention and student success efforts.
Spring 2021 vs Spring 2022 Enrollment:
New Undergraduate Students: 113 vs 146*
Continuing Undergraduate Students: 5,603 vs 4,636*
Total Undergraduate Students: 5,716 vs 4,782*
New Graduate Students: 78 vs 28*
Continuing Graduate Students: 465 vs 545*
Total Graduate Students: 543 vs 483*
Total Enrollment: 6,259 vs 5,265*
*Preliminary data as of 1/25/2022
Our enrollment is considerably lower than in previous years. Recruitment, retention and student success must continue to remain a focal point of departmental dialogue, campus-wide collaborations and divisional planning. We all play a role in enrolling and retaining students, and I encourage all faculty, staff, departments and offices to prioritize discussions related to student success and retention. Dr. Cardelle previously shared the institutional planning lib guide as a resource for the upcoming campus dialogue sessions, which is a great repository of enrollment-related data and resources.
The Enrollment Management Team will continue to collaborate with individuals, departments, offices and other committees to develop initiatives to support student success and recommend strategies for long- and short-term solutions. Please reach out to me if you would like a member of the Enrollment Management Team to attend a meeting or help your area brainstorm ways you can support enrollment efforts.
Efforts to recruit and enroll our Fall 2022 entering class are well underway. The number of applications received for first-year admission is consistent with last year and transfer applications are behind by approximately 30 percent. We have a new scholarship strategy which includes both merit and need-based awards for both first year and transfer students. The addition of the scholarships available to incoming transfer students will be helpful in our efforts to increase enrollment among that population.
We will be hosting a variety of exciting in-person events for admitted students throughout the spring and hope you will actively support these important programs. Please reach out to Pam Hilton, associate director of Admissions, with any questions related to admissions events.
If you have questions, or would like additional information related to our enrollment planning or admissions efforts, please feel free to contact me at Karen.Brown@oneonta.edu.
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| Biological Field Station Helps Calibrate Satellites
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Equipment for satellite data collection
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| Dr. Kiyoko Yokota, Ph.D., CLM, of the Biological Field Station (BFS) took the lead on a data request from a research team working with NASA to help calibrate the thermal sensor of the newly launched Landsat 9 during the November 2021 "underfly" event, when the flight paths of Landsats 8 and 9 crossed over Otsego Lake. These satellites collect data on optical and thermal characteristics of the Earth’s surface to help scientists study the heat and moisture transfer processes between the Earth and the atmosphere and apply the findings toward more sustainable management of agriculture, water resources, land use, etc.
Dr. Yokota, LtCol Paul Lord, and the BFS Volunteer Dive Team (a scuba diving team of faculty, students, alumni and community members), pitched in to move and re-configure the Otsego Lake Continuous Lake Monitoring Buoy in preparation for the satellites crossing over the lake.
The research team was able to collect surface water temperature data on Nov. 14-15 as Landsats 8 and 9 made their pass over Cooperstown. The closest pass between Landsats 8 and 9 occurred during this period, which was a prime opportunity for NASA to calibrate the new sensors on Landsat 9 against those on Landsat 8.
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| New Faculty Associate for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
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| Bernadette Tiapo
Chief Diversity Officer & Interim Vice President for Student Development
The Office of Equity and Inclusion and the Office of the Provost are pleased to announce the 2022 – 2024 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Faculty Associate.
Dr. Chelsea McCracken, assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Media, will work closely with the Office of Equity and Inclusion and report to the Chief Diversity Officer.
In her role as DEI Faculty Associate, Dr. McCracken will: - Provide leadership in the exploration of best practices for bringing relevant inclusivity and diversity issues into course content and pedagogy.
- Serve and/or consult with appropriate curriculum, and/or diversity-related college committees, and contribute to discussions of college-wide learning outcomes.
- Conduct research on and promotion of best practices for DEI in enhancing teaching and learning.
- Collaborate with the Center for Racial Justice and Inclusive Excellence on programs and initiatives to foster inclusive excellence.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. McCracken, who began in this role on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022.
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| Return of the SUNY Oneonta Phonathon
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| James Bethel
Assistant Director of the Fund for Oneonta
After a hiatus during the 2020-21 academic year, the Phonathon is back.
Operating with a staff of 30 student-callers, the Phonathon actively engages thousands of SUNY Oneonta alumni, parents and donors to collect updated contact and career information, share updates about campus, build relationships, and ask for charitable gifts to support the Fund for Oneonta.
Gifts to the Fund for Oneonta are critical because they provide immediate support for our students' greatest needs, including scholarships, experiential learning and career development programs. As SUNY Oneonta’s annual fund, the Fund for Oneonta relies on repeatable gifts of all sizes from generous alumni and donors.
"Working at the Phonathon has given me a better understanding of how gifts to the Fund for Oneonta are allocated. I now have a greater appreciation for the impact of every donor’s gift.”
– Stephen ’22
In addition to raising critical funds for their fellow students, Phonathon callers gain valuable professional skills, improve their interpersonal communications, receive telecommunications training, and gain experience working in a team setting.
"My experience at the Phonathon has given me more confidence when speaking with people I do not already know. This confidence will help me as a teacher, especially when speaking with parents.” – Annaliese ‘22
Our callers are committed to helping provide educational opportunities for SUNY Oneonta students of today and tomorrow. If you know any students who desire to gain real-work experience while helping raise funds for our college, please encourage them to apply through HandShake or reach out to James Bethel, assistant director of the Fund for Oneonta, at James.Bethel@oneonta.edu.
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Regg Appointed to Statewide CSEA Labor/Management Committee
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Jennifer Regg, administrative assistant 2 in the Milne Library, has been appointed to the state-wide Labor/Management Committee for the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA). Jennifer will be an important part of the committee, which will discuss — and attempt to resolve through negotiation — issues of mutual concern brought forth by CSEA local chapters from across the state.
Jennifer is the current president of CSEA Local 635 and has served in that position since 2020. She has worked at the college since 2009 in several departments including the Office of Admissions, Office of the Registrar, Office of the Dean for the School of Arts and Humanities, the Maintenance Operations Center and Milne Library.
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| DEI Campus Climate Survey Distribution
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| This semester, SUNY Oneonta’s Office of Equity and Inclusion will be administering a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Campus Climate Survey in partnership with the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). The results of this important survey will be used by college leadership to identify both our strengths and areas that need improvement and/or additional attention. Results will not be used to investigate specific individuals or incidents, though participants will be provided with the information necessary to report specific incidents to the college and the Bias Acts Response Team if they wish to do so.
On Feb. 3, 2022, you will receive an email from sunyoneonta@hedsconsortium.org with the subject line: “SUNY Oneonta Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Campus Climate Survey.” This email (and three subsequent reminders) will contain your unique access link to the survey. Responses are completely anonymous.
Thank you in advance for your willingness to share your perspectives and experiences. Your feedback will contribute significantly as we work to foster an inclusive and equitable campus community for all.
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| Introducing The Green Office Certification
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| Rachel Kornhauser
Sustainability Coordinator
The Office of Sustainability is proud to announce the launch of the Green Office Certification program. This is a new initiative that gives employees tools to support SUNY Oneonta's commitment to sustainability by making small changes that can add up to make a big difference.
Participating offices or departments will select commitments in five categories: reducing office waste, purchasing, energy, involvement, printing, and innovation, and will need a faculty or staff member to serve as a Green Office Liaison. Liasions will receive tools and resources to help their office integrate the commitments into regular work behaviors, building toward a healthier, greener workplace. Additional details about certification and the categories are available on the Office of Sustainability webpage.
Are you interested? Fill out this interest form by Feb. 11 to sign up for the Spring 2022 semester! Offices who receive a Green Office Certification will receive a certificate to display, a logo to share in an e-mail signature and/or office webpage, recognition on the Office of Sustainability's webpage and ongoing support to earn and maintain the Green Office Certification. For more information, contact me at Rachel.Kornhauser@oneonta.edu.
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