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With the end of the Fall 2023 Semester quickly approaching, there is much to reflect on. This semester has been difficult with many trying circumstances. I want to thank all faculty, staff and students for your contributions to our university community and the support you have shown to one another throughout this fall. I am proud of the way members of our community take the time to be thoughtful and considerate, express curiosity, look for actionable solutions, constructively engage others, advocate for innovation and contribute to important discussions.
I would also like to thank everyone who participated in the strategic visioning sessions. The discussions were all different, producing several excellent ideas and points to spark future conversations. Next, we will examine common themes that emerged from the discussions and use them to inform our strategic planning process, which will take place in the spring semester. Please continue to watch your email and the Oneonta Bulletin for updates and invitations to attend future dialogues, and keep contributing your thoughts as we develop our long-term strategic goals and short-term agendas to guide our actions toward reaching those goals.
The end of the semester brings us the opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and achievements of students, faculty and staff alike at Commencement on Sunday, Dec. 10. Opportunities to gather and commemorate the accomplishments of our community are essential. Our commencement ceremonies are a true university-wide event, and I truly appreciate the effort of those who work, volunteer and participate in creating a memorable celebration for our graduates and the entire community. I look forward to seeing you there.
Sincerely,
Alberto J.F. Cardelle
President
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First Institutional Success Day Coming in January
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Joshua Nelson, Director of Assessment
Caitlin Hornbeck, Director of Institutional Research
Success isn’t just something we talk about. It’s something we do!
Save the date for our first Institutional Success Day, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in the Morris Conference Center. All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. This is a coordinated opportunity for staff and faculty to establish, improve and update their department/unit assessment plans with colleagues and improve data literacy. A plenary session will kick off our day, and lunch will be served. Breakout sessions will provide information on developing learning outcomes, establishing standards, measuring success and working toward program-level improvement. Facilitators will be available to assist each program area.
What are Institutional Success Days?
Sponsored by the Offices of Institutional Research and Assessment, Institutional Success Days will highlight our collective success and engage all faculty and staff in a focused discussion about continuous improvement. Half of the day will be a community presentation and discussion on a topic of common focus. The remainder of the day will be devoted to smaller institutional success workshops, panels and teach-ins by staff and faculty within departments and programs.
Institutional Success Days will be held each August, January and May. This schedule is designed to align with the academic calendar and will offer multiple opportunities for us to assist offices and departments in improving their data literacy and assessment plans. The August session will provide an opportunity to create and hone your assessment plan for the next academic year, decide what data will need to be collected and determine how to collect it. The January session will offer a midway point to review strategic planning, make sure plans are on track and confirm the appropriate data is being collected. The May session will be a time to celebrate findings, share knowledge and discuss opportunities for continuous improvement.
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Getting to Know the Office of Off-Campus & Commuter Student Services
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Lakisha Mason,
Director of Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services
Established in August 2023, The Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services (OCCSS) empowers off-campus and commuter students by providing a robust support network, accessible resources and an inclusive community. Our mission is to enhance the university experience for students who reside off campus by offering convenient services, creating meaningful connections and fostering a sense of belonging, ensuring that every student can excel academically and personally while navigating their unique living situation.
We provide resources like commuter lounges, lockers, transportation and parking information and community-building events/workshops. We want our off-campus and commuter students to feel fully connected to the campus community despite not living in a residence hall. We also work to support the academic success and wellbeing of students living off campus by offering study spaces, academic resources, health and wellness information and tailored programs similar to those provided to students living in residence halls. Some of our events have included an open forum for questions about living off campus, a meeting to discuss lease and housing maintenance issues, budgeting and financial literacy information with Making Cent$, and a code enforcement presentation in partnership with officials from the City of Oneonta. Coming up, we're offering programs focused on holistic wellness and stress management, personal safety, career development and mastering time management.
We also offer services to students who are considering moving off campus in the future. Whether students are seeking advice on connecting with potential roommates, finding housing, understanding lease agreements or transportation assistance, we're here to guide them.
The addition of the Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services program stands as a beacon of support, ensuring that every student—whether residing on campus or beyond—feels a strong sense of community and connection throughout their university journey.
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Education Students Instruct Enrichment Seminars
with the Catskill Area School Study Council
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Suzanne Swantak-Furman
Executive Coordinator, Catskill Area School Study Council
The Saturday Seminar program hosted by the Catskill Area School Study Council (CASSC) celebrated its 64th anniversary in October. This enrichment program offers local elementary and middle school students opportunities to explore arts, humanities and physical activities at SUNY Oneonta. It also gives SUNY Oneonta's pre-service teachers a chance to gain real-world, pre-professional experience working with children.
Students enrolled in our teacher education programs are the instructors and develop and deliver the seminar content while building relationships with school-aged students. This year, CASSC worked with seven SUNY Oneonta education majors to develop and instruct courses and 15 additional students who volunteered to help. The SUNY Oneonta instructors were: Samantha Harvey, David Bogue, Maya Johnson, Donna Ignacio-Santis, Laura Salway, Kayla Penge and Arinna Kline. This year's program was extremely popular with 87 students from 14 area schools attending! Courses developed and taught by the SUNY Oneonta students included Babysitting Training, Intro to Drama, Painting and Mixed Media Art, Science and World Around You, Sculpture and 3D Art, Intro to Dance and Fun and the Environment.
CASSC was established in 1951 and is a partnership between SUNY Oneonta and local school districts served by ONC and DCMO BOCES. The Saturday Seminar program is held annually and is conducted over the course of four Saturdays in the fall.
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Coming Soon: EAB Navigate
The university has embarked on implementing a new student care and success software called Navigate by the Education Advisory Board (EAB). Navigate is a tool that will allow us to take a coordinated care approach to engaging with students and nurturing their success. Students will be able to request appointments with student-facing offices, track to-dos, communicate with instructors and advisors and more. Staff and faculty who meet and engage with students will be able to document appointments, issue referrals to other offices, create alerts, track success and risk indicators, create personalized communications and more. The university will be able to more effectively coordinate cross-campus collaboration related to student success, providing more holistic support to improve student care, retention and completion.
A team with members from the Office of Institutional Research, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, the Registrar's Office, Academic Advising, the Office of Student Experience, Assessment, the Office of the President and IT Services is developing an implementation timeline, training with EAB, and customizing the features and functionality for our institution. A soft launch is planned for the Spring 2024 semester with Academic Advising and the Office of Student Experience as our first "care unit" offices to use Navigate for appointment scheduling and tracking. Additional offices and users will be added throughout the spring and summer.
Navigate is used by more than 800 colleges nationwide. The implementation team is interested in knowing if any faculty or staff have experience using Navigate in previous roles at other institutions. If so, please email Caitlin Hornbeck. We are looking for employees who might be willing to share insights about how other institutions have used Navigate to enhance student care.
Updates about the rollout of Navigate on campus will continue to be shared with students and employees as we finalize plans and procedures. Stay tuned for additional information about this transformative new resource!
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Two Capital Projects Planned for Perna Science
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Lachlan Squair
Associate Vice President for Facilities Management
We’re pleased to announce that we will be moving two new capital projects into construction in 2024 for enhancements in the Perna Science building.
The first project includes HVAC renovations and upgrades that will provide air conditioning to previously unconditioned spaces. The $2 million project will also replace existing mechanical infrastructure that contains an ozone-depleting refrigerant with a new heat pump-based system that supports the objectives of our Clean Energy Master Plan and long-term decarbonization of the campus. This project will be funded primarily from critical maintenance capital funding and is expected to be completed through 2024.
The second project will improve research and instructional labs for the Biology department in the basement and first floor. The project will be sent to bid shortly, but construction will extend through the fall of 2025 to accommodate long lead times for materials and minimize impact on the work of the Biology faculty, staff and students. This $1 million project is funded by an estate gift from Dr. Robert Vitkus ’74 and supplemented by capital funds. Facilities is very grateful and appreciative of the donation from the Vitkus family, as Dr. Vitkus’ gift aligns perfectly with plans to make upgrades to lab and classroom spaces across campus.
According to Dr. Tracy Allen, Dean of the School of Sciences, the renovation will enhance and improve the tangible spaces where scientific discovery and teaching happen:
“By design, the Perna Science building rehabilitation will promote academic excellence and strengthen student engagement. Our faculty have worked closely with the designers to imagine multipurpose, shared spaces that enable faculty and students to exchange ideas, solve problems and ask questions about the living world. The laboratories will provide opportunities for experiential learning and for students to conduct research side by side with their faculty mentors – core values of the School of Sciences. Dr. Vitkus will leave an enduring mark on this building, but, more importantly, on the bright futures of students who will discover and explore science within these walls.”
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Oneonta Named Vibrant Arts Community
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Oneonta, NY, recently made the list of the Top 40 Arts-Vibrant Communities of 2023 by SMU DataArts. Oneonta ranks tenth on the list of Top 10 Small Communities. These are cities considered to be "micropolitan" by the Census Bureau due to being located in counties with a principal city that has a population between 10,000 - 50,000 and adjacent communities that are highly integrated with the core city. The number of arts providers, revenue, expenses and compensation related to arts, funding, grants and public support were considered in the rankings.
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Cabinet Meeting Notes
Notes from meetings of the President's Cabinet are shared with the university community monthly in Notes from Netzer. Questions can be directed to president@oneonta.edu.
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