Le Café, Morris Conference Center
SUNY Oneonta
Present
Mr. Joseph Bernier
Mr. Patrick Brown
Dr. Diane Georgeson
Mr. Tim Nolan
Ms. Debra Parisian
Presiding
Mr. Patrick Brown, Chair
College Administrators
Mr. Paul Adamo, Vice President for College Advancement
Ms. Colleen Brannan, Chief of Staff
Dr. Franklin Chambers, Vice President for Student Development
Dr. Leamor Kahanov, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Mr. Hal Legg, Chief Communication and Marketing Officer
Dr. Barbara Jean Morris, President
Ms. Julie Piscitello, Vice President for Finance and Administration
Dr. Lisa Snyder, Assistant Vice President for Strategy, Planning and Effectiveness
Dr. Bill Wilkerson, Presiding Officer of the College Senate
Presenters, Invitees, Observers
Mr. Ed Aluck, Alumni Observer
Call to Order
Mr. Brown called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.
Approval of Minutes of Nov. 6, 2019
Upon motion of Mr. Bernier, seconded by Mr. Nolan, Council approved by unanimous vote the minutes of the Nov. 6, 2019 meeting.
Chair’s Report
Mr. Brown deferred his report.
President’s Report
Dr. Morris shared that construction of the Emergency Services Building will begin soon and that the college is funding the project. She also updated Council regarding progress on campus safety and security, noting that lock replacement on classroom doors is scheduled to be complete by the fall semester. Active shooter response training has been underway and an active shooter drill will take place in fall 2020.
The president mentioned that changes to the college’s scholarship strategy will increase opportunity for students to apply for scholarships.
Dr. Morris shared the strategic plan for 2020 is to plan. She stressed the need for the college to collect benchmarking data in several areas, among them academic programs, space use, student services and travel budgets. This will help drive accountability and decision making.
The president shared data regarding spring 2020 transfer students, adding that across the SUNY system, enrollment and undergraduate applications are down. She noted that SUNY Oneonta is fairing better than the average of SUNY comprehensive campuses.
In response to a question from Mr. Bernier, Dr. Morris clarified that it is too early to characterize fall 2019 freshman retention.
In response to questions from Mr. Brown, Dr. Morris verified that the college followed up on the Oct. 2 incident with parents of students by postal mail. She added that the incident prompted SUNY to audit its emergency response processes.
In response to a question from Ms. Parisian, Dr. Morris confirmed that the college is able to reach campus community members via several channels.
Benchmarking Study Report
Dr. Kahanov delivered a presentation describing research, conducted with the assistance of a consultant, identifying how our programs are performing in regional and national contexts. She spoke about course renumbering, which looks at the scaffolding of curricula, market analysis, and the state of general education as elements of academic visualization. The provost shared a timeline for benchmarking and added that the goal of the process is to vitalize existing programs and identify potential new majors, hopefully by fall 2022.
In response to questions from Mr. Brown, Dr. Kahanov clarified that the college does not plan to sunset any academic programs as a result of the benchmarking process, and that growth is synonymous with student demand.
In response to a question from Mr. Bernier, Dr. Kahanov explained the factors that contribute to scoring in the benchmarking study.
In response to a question of Mr. Nolan, Dr. Kahanov explained that benchmarking workshop attendees shared their preferences for which potential programs to pursue by voting.
Student Association Report
The Student Association (SA) president delivered a presentation describing the activities of the SA. Mr. Nolan outlined the organizations structure, relationship with the SUNY Student Assembly, meeting schedule and office space. He shared examples of the services that the SA provides and the programs it funds.
Mr. Nolan highlighted recent accomplishments of the SA, including open forums, voter registration effort, and formation of the Student League, which consists of leaders of many student organizations on campus. Mr. Nolan previewed the SA’s plans for the coming months, noting that he intends to focus on recruitment efforts to broaden the field in SA elections.
In response to a question from Mr. Bernier, Mr. Nolan identified college affordability as the top challenge among students.
Chair’s Report
Mr. Brown spoke about the atmosphere around the state budget. He predicted that the budget cycle will be difficult and that public education and healthcare funding will be central to the conversation.
Mr. Brown advised that SUNY would benefit from establishing its priorities early in the discussion. He added that declining enrollment across SUNY may be a factor that affects funding.
In response to a question from Mr. Brown, the president shared that the campus operates a food pantry and administers a student emergency fund that offers grants to students experiencing unexpected financial hardship.
Good of the Order
President Morris announced the publication of Pathways to SUNY Oneonta’s Second Century and thanked Dr. Brenner for writing it. The book will be available in February.
Mr. Nolan invited Council to attend an event regarding the history of voting Jan. 30.
Ms.Brannan reminded Council of its next meeting April 7 and spring commencement May 9.
Adjournment
Upon motion by Dr. Georgeson, Mr. Brown adjourned the meeting at 5:47 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Hal Legg
Chief Communication and Marketing Officer