SUNY Fredonia
General Campus Meeting
Remarks by President Dennis L. Hefner
Friday, January 21, 2011
Good morning, and welcome back for the start of spring semester, 2011. You have been looking at our new campus webpage, which went live last night. I hope the break gave all of you a chance to visit with family and friends. Last month Jan and I travelled and spent a few days with our three grandchildren, now aged 11, 7, and 4, enjoying their company and some warmer weather.
Over the break, all of us were “Googled” over to Gmail. The new e-mail service provides everyone with much more storage and will allow our graduates to retain a Fredonia e-mail account. This change both reduces operating costs and avoids having to spend tens of thousands of dollars for much needed hardware and software upgrades. Would everyone involved in this huge transition please stand, so we can thank you for doing such a wonderful job.
The intersession saw another successful J-Term. Head count was up nearly 13% over last year, setting a new record, while credit hours were only 1% lower than last year’s record figure. Once again, study-abroad courses and classes specifically designed to take advantage of the condensed format led the way, plus there was a 14% increase in graduate enrollment.
One of the specially-designed, study-abroad courses involved taking 30 teacher education students to Belize for two weeks to work with school children and their teachers. Last week, Ellie Reddy from Education who, along with Professor Bob Dahlgren is one of this year’s instructors, wrote, “All our students have started to teach and are so eager to share with each other how the lessons went, what they did, how much they loved it…They just glow when they talk about their experiences.” What an incredible learning and cultural opportunity for our students. Also, at the end of the program, each Fredonia student leaves with their host school the set of children’s books and other supplies they brought with them. These schools, which are so poor that children frequently have to share pencils, truly appreciate this generous gesture. This course is exactly what J-Term can so wonderfully accommodate. My hope is that the number of these special team-taught courses will continue to expand.
Grounds and janitorial crews were busy over the break keeping campus roadways and sidewalks clear. Numerous maintenance projects were completed and the academic and residence hall buildings look, as my mother used to say, “spic and span,” for the returning students.
Two weeks ago Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine released its Kiplinger's 100: Best Values in Public Colleges, and no surprise, SUNY Fredonia again ranked among the “100 Best Public College Values in the Nation,” moving up 22 places from last year.
Spring semester is the time for new student leadership. I would ask our newly-elected Student Association President, Michael P. Baker, a junior Geology major from Walworth, N.Y., and SA Vice President Kelly Tichacek, a senior Political Science and Legal Studies major from Henrietta, N.Y., to stand and be recognized. They will do a great job leading SA over the next 12 months.
Spring is also the time for admitting next fall’s freshman and transfer classes. As expected, because of the precipitous drop this year in the number of high school graduates in Western New York, our applications are running behind last year. Calculating the exact comparable reduction is confounded, because this year SUNY raised the application fee and reduced the number of EOP applications; however, the best guess is we’re running 5 to 8% behind last year’s record pace. Fortunately, the quality of the applicant pool appears as strong as ever. However, it will be important for each academic department to work closely with our Enrollment Management team to turn acceptances into deposits, as our budget is so heavily enrollment dependent. Student recruitment is definitely a campus-wide responsibility.
I suspect you are anxious to hear about next year’s budget. So am I. The front page of today’s Buffalo News reported there are rumors that 10,000 state workers will be laid off, but this number was even identified in the article as a “rumor.” This intersession did bring some real news that may help define the future, but in all honesty, the full picture has yet to emerge. However, there are a few positive indicators.
- Senator Cathy Young and Assemblyman Joe Giglio, both strong supporters of this campus, were returned to office, and were joined by newly-elected Assemblyman Andy Gooddell, whose daughter Jessica graduated from SUNY Fredonia this past May.
- Governor Andrew Cuomo consistently made positive comments about public higher education during his campaign and has been appointing an exceptionally talented leadership team. Sixteen days ago, in his State of the State address, he specifically said SUNY will be a partner in helping lead the way for New York’s economic recovery.
- Chancellor Nancy Zimpher has been impressive in her non-stop advocacy for SUNY. Fifteen days ago, just one day after the State of the State, Lt. Governor Duffy attended a meeting of The Power of SUNY committees, and in tandem with Chancellor Zimpher, reiterated again how important and vital higher education is to the State of New York. And two days ago, Chancellor Zimpher gave a rousing “State of the University” speech, attended by many members and staffers of the legislature, and pledged to work collaboratively with Governor Cuomo.
- CUNY’s Board has already approved a 5% mid-year tuition increase for Spring 2011, and another “up to 5%” increase for Fall 2011. CUNY moving forward prior to receiving the Governor’s blessing certainly helps make the case for a tuition increase.
However, the three most critical pieces of the budget mosaic have yet to be revealed: (1) SUNY’s 2011-12 budget request, (2) Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget, and (3) the legislature’s reaction.
My expectation is the Governor’s Executive Budget, to be released in 10 days, will include another cut in SUNY’s state funding to help close the State of New York’s $10 billion shortfall. In order for SUNY campuses to survive this cut, the SUNY Board will then recommend a tuition increase for next year. After all, our finances are in a precarious position because the past three years have seen Fredonia’s state funding cut by a net $7.4 million, more than a 35-plus-percent cut in state dollars. To close this gap, we have used three general strategies:
- Position Eliminations. We have now eliminated 41 positions to save $2.3 million annually.
- Repeatable Cuts. A total of $2.7 million has been cut from the non-personnel portions of our state and non-state budgets. These “repeatable” cuts, which have been previously described, are listed in the campus Budget Book.
- One-time Funds. To close the remaining $2.4 million shortfall, we are using carry-forward funds and over-enrollment dollars.
The big unknown is the difference between the expected state cut, which we should know in 10 days, and the eventual tuition increase, which must go through the entire legislative process and won’t be known until April or later. As we enter this period of uncertainty, Fredonia’s University Senate took the initiative to solicit your suggestions for reducing expenditures, and I thank them for compiling this list. Some suggestions are feasible, and if necessary, will be implemented. However, two words of caution: (1) large cuts require large dollars, so we must avoid engaging in “death by a thousand cuts,” and (2) if we experience another sizeable net reduction, because most of our non-personnel dollars have already been cut, we will be forced to eliminate more positions.
Fortunately, the recent Early Retirement Incentive was taken by 54 colleagues, who collectively had provided 1,385 years of service to this campus. It’s difficult to lose so much expertise and institutional memory at one time, but the program has provided us some flexibility as we enter this period of budget uncertainty. The Cabinet will move slowly in refilling most of these vacancies. As I’ve said before, and need to repeat again, our top two priorities continue to be ensuring students have access to classes and avoiding any formal layoffs. My commitment to these priorities remains as firm as ever.
We obviously need more tuition dollars in the short-run and a tuition policy for the long-run. Chancellor Zimpher has been reaching out to many different organizations, including the unions, to create a single voice on the tuition issue. It’s imperative that we have a unified, coordinated message. Failure to work collaboratively on tuition is not an option.
I do want to take a moment to thank each of you for your professionalism, your willingness to go above and beyond, and your collegiality in the face of potentially grim budget news. We are all in this together, and together, we will survive next year.
Now for some brighter news—the facilities budget! In addition to providing the campus with new and renovated facilities, a major side benefit of facility projects has been the ability to purchase sorely needed academic and institutional equipment as part of facilities upgrades. In fact, I shudder to think about the status of our equipment inventory without these regular infusions. I realize it must be frustrating for you to see new construction begin as one or more position vacancies in your department goes unfilled, but state law prohibits the co-mingling of these dollars to ensure that bonded funds are fully spent on the capital projects for which the bonds were issued, and also to ensure the Governor and the legislature cannot divert these funds to other non-higher education uses.
This past fall, enthusiasm was generated as we dedicated two new state-of-the-art music rehearsal rooms, named in honor of Bob and Marilyn Maytum, and had the campus master plan architects present their findings, which will influence campus construction through year 2023, to the campus community.
Bids were opened two weeks ago and a contract will soon be signed for a 15-month, $9 million renovation of the first and second floors of the Williams Center. The “request for construction proposals” advertisement for the stunning new $60 million Science Center was released on January 11, and bids will be opened two weeks from now. I can hardly wait! And within the next few weeks we will advertise for a summer renovation of the soon-to-be-named Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery, which will be formally dedicated this fall. And last, but certainly not least, campus planning groups are now working with architects on the design of the new $40 million classroom addition to the Rockefeller Arts Center. Even though the yearlong design process has just begun, excitement is already building.
I asked the vice presidents to give me a list of highlights from this past semester, and want to share seven with you:
- Honors Program. Our largest ever incoming Honors class was admitted this past fall. Distinguished Teaching Professor of English Ted Steinberg is stepping down after serving for more than two decades as the Director of our Honors program. Ted served with distinction, working tirelessly in support of the program and our Honors students. He built the program from scratch and made a huge difference in the academic climate of this campus. Ted’s successor will be David Kinkela from History.
- International Programs. SUNY Fredonia signed an agreement with Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, one of Korea’s most prestigious universities, for a 1+3 program that will bring 40 Korean students annually to our campus, beginning January 2012. An agreement signed with the Foundation for Liberal Arts and Management Education (FLAME) in Pune, India resulted in the Chairman of FLAME, Mr. Parag Shah, visiting Fredonia to describe how a successful business entrepreneur came to be the founder of one of the few liberal arts universities in India and to announce he was personally funding scholarships to allow Fredonia students to study at FLAME.
- New Academic Programs. The State Department of Education gave final approval for the new Master’s in Music Therapy degree program. Education’s new School Leadership CAS program, which recommends certification for school superintendents, had its first graduates this December, while the new dual certification program in Childhood/Early Childhood is already an enrollment success.
- SEFA Campaign. Despite having so many positions vacant, our fall SEFA (United Way) campaign significantly surpassed the $42,000 campaign goal, raising a grand total of $50,304. With many county-wide organizations not reaching their fall targets, it was gratifying to see our campus not only make, but surpass our goal by nearly 20%.
- Athletics. Under the leadership of Athletic Director Greg Prechtl, the transition from “Athletics” to “Athletics and Recreation” was completed. This new organizational structure provides a much clearer demarcation between the purely academic programs, which continue to report to Academic Affairs, and all other functions occurring in and around Steele and Dods halls.
- Fund-raising. Despite the economic downturn, annual fund-raising receipts surpassed $3 million for the first time in our campus’ history. And with one year to go, the $15 million “Doors to Success” campaign passed the $13 million mark.
- Music Performance. The “Tales of Hoffmann,” this year’s Hillman Opera, involved nearly 200 students, on-stage, behind the scenes, and in the orchestra. Putting together an opera of this magnitude on a campus our size is a major accomplishment, and Professors Julie Newell, David Rudge, and Jessica Hillman-McCord deserve a special recognition for collaborating so effectively on this performance. Bravo!
This coming spring promises to be very busy, especially as the campus prepares a new 5-year strategic plan, which will be discussed later today. The new plan replaces the Fredonia Plan, which is in its final year. One key goal of the Fredonia Plan was expanding student diversity to achieve “210 by 2010.” At the August All-Campus meeting, I announced we had reached 207. Well, here’s some good news. By the census date, our campus had enrolled 215 new “students of color” as part of our total Fall 2010 incoming class. Congratulations to everyone for reaching this target! Of course, now that we’ve reached that target, perhaps our next goal should be “20 by 2020,” meaning at least 20% of our 2020 incoming class should be composed of students of color. It’s a worthy target!
The statewide University Senate will hold its April 14-16 plenary meeting on the Fredonia campus. I look forward to welcoming Senators from all of SUNY’s state-op campuses, along with the Chancellor and the Vice Chancellors, and having them learn more about the excellence that exists here.
This spring we will continue making further progress in two areas identified by Middles States: assessment of student learning and consistency in personnel review practices. The draft personnel policies, reviewed last spring by the Senate, are nearing completion as part of a campus-based joint labor-management UUP review and negotiation process. Expansion of our learning assessment activities will be led by our new Director of Assessment, Professor Jackie Swansinger. Implementation of the campus-wide student learning assessment approach, recommended this past fall by the campus Senate, also will further strengthen our performance in this area.
I want to mention a unique presentation made by the Human Resource directors from the 17 largest Western New York corporations. These corporations conducted a joint study to better understand why certain positions were going unfilled for excessively long periods of time. The results were surprising. They found recurring deficits in five critical skills that all college graduates should possess: active listening, reading comprehension, critical thinking, time management, and judgment and decision-making skills. I found it impressive that companies would join together and approach the Western New York Consortium of Higher Education Presidents to offer their help to our students. They were candid that by helping us they hoped to fill their vacancies in a timelier manner. It was a win-win offer, and I volunteered, along with Erie Community College President Jack Quinn, to lead a regional effort to work with these 17 corporations. Data were not available for individual universities, and my hope and expectation is Fredonia graduates do well in these five areas. However, I want to know for sure. If by chance our graduates demonstrate a deficiency that keeps them from being employed by these top firms, it will be incumbent upon us to quickly make the necessary adjustments. As you probably can tell, I’m excited about the prospect for this collaborative venture.
In closing, I’d like to mention two items: one sad and the other glad.
Last November, this campus lost one of its most ardent community supporters, Ann Manly, who served with grace and dignity on the College Council for 17 years. Ann was a great friend to this campus, as well as to many faculty, staff and students. I will miss her wise counsel and quick smile, but am grateful Ann’s passions will endure though a large endowment she and her husband, Doug, established to assist low-income students fulfill their educational dreams and to expand international opportunities for all of our students.
And finally, I want to share an e-mail written this fall by May 2010 graduate Kara Patrick: “I’m writing you all today to express, long overdue, my sincerest gratitude towards the tremendous efforts that the SUNY Fredonia campus and community put forth immediately following the Barker Commons fire—I lived in apartment 3B. While my final six weeks at Fredonia have become rather blurry with all that happened, I will never forget the fact that, because all of you were there, it made a disastrous situation seem like a blessing. In the midst of an overwhelming, tumultuous situation, Fredonia never stopped giving and allowed me to remain focused on my imminent graduation…You all played a critical role in defining how my personal transition into the real world would commence. I have decided to dedicate my next ten months to public service as a member of the NYC Civic Corps (an AmeriCorps program).” The letter goes on to talk about her service work, describes the meaningful triumph she felt at graduation, and asks that the e-mail be shared with others. It ends with “I am proud, honored and privileged to say that I am a graduate of the State University of New York at Fredonia. The smoke has cleared, so to speak, and I am so grateful.” Kara and 23 other SUNY Fredonia students were able to complete their studies last spring, thanks to faculty who gave them extra time and assistance, to Residence hall staff who arranged for emergency housing, to local businesses who provided gift cards to purchase necessities, and to so many of you, members of the SUNY Fredonia campus community, who responded with care, empathy, and donations. This letter is another reminder that what you do every single day makes a difference in the lives of our students. I know from long experience that SUNY Fredonia faculty and staff go above and beyond, and students like Kara recognize your excellence. You are vital to creating an environment in which students have the opportunity to grow and excel. Thanks for what you do on a daily basis.
Have a great semester!
