Nov. 6, 2019

Room 318, Milne Library
SUNY Oneonta

Present

Mr. Joseph Bernier
Mr. Patrick Brown
Dr. Diane Georgeson
Mr. Tim Nolan
Ms. Debra Parisian
Mr. Daniel Sniezek

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 4:31 p.m.

Approval of Minutes of Sept. 23, 2019

Upon motion of Mr. Bernier, seconded by Mr. Nolan, Council approved by unanimous vote the minutes of the Sept. 23, 2019 meeting.

Chair’s Report

Mr. Brown referred to a brochure regarding the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association’s Alumni of Distinction program and deferred the remainder of his report.

President’s Report

Dr. Morris discussed the Oct. 2 reported threat of violence on campus and its aftermath, highlighting improvements in the functionality of NY-Alert; the challenge of developing universal definitions for terms such as “sheltering in place,” which inform the campus community’s response; training that instructs campus community members to respond to an active shooter situation; accelerating the college’s lock replacement program based on an assessment of room safety; and the college’s next steps in communicating updates.

In response to a question from Mr. Bernier, Dr. Chambers described counseling services available to students. The president stressed the importance of empathy in the wake of crises.

Mr. Brown commented on the unevenness of information that parents obtained during the Oct. 2 incident. In response to a question from Mr. Brown, Mr. Legg described the channels that the college uses to share urgent messages.

Dr. Morris updated Council regarding parking lot assignment changes that will be implemented after the fall semester. She added that the college will conduct a parking study this year.

In response to a question from Mr. Bernier, Dr. Morris clarified that only juniors and seniors may register a car to park on campus. In response to a question from Mr. Brown, Dr. Morris discussed the nature of the parking study.

In response to a question from Mr. Sniezek, Dr. Morris clarified that parking is negotiated with unions that represent college employees.

Dr. Morris referred to a document listing the SUNY chancellor’s priorities and initiatives for the 2020 academic year.

Enrollment Report

Dr. Snyder referred to a document that summarized the demography of the student population, retention rate, class sizes and graduation rates.

In response to a question from Mr. Brown, Dr. Snyder stated that the college does not track GPA by gender. She added that the college is enhancing its withdrawal survey to gain more understanding about why students who leave the college prior to graduating do so.

In response to a question from Mr. Brown, Dr. Snyder affirmed that the college’s graduate program portfolio may appeal more to females than males. Dr. Morris added that the college would like to recruit more males.

In response to a question from Mr. Bernier, Dr. Morris described the reorganization of the enrollment management function.

Budget Update

Ms. Piscitello delivered a presentation describing the fiscal condition of the college, beginning with the highlighted the operating budget. In response to a question from Mr. Brown, Ms. Piscitello clarified that students make SUNY tuition and fee payments to SUNY, which passes funding on to the campus.

Ms. Piscitello reviewed the trends, by fund source, in the composition of the college’s budget. IN response to a question from Mr. Bernier, Ms. Piscitello discussed fringe benefits and their costs.

Ms Piscitello reviewed the impacts of the state budget on current year funding to the college and the affect of fall enrollment on revenue. She shared a multi-year forecast of revenues and expenditures based on the assumption that the current fiscal model will persist.

In response to questions from Mr. Bernier, Ms. Piscitello characterized the budgetary significance of the Excelsior Scholarship and characterized the college’s fees as being average among SUNY comprehensive colleges.

Ms. Piscitello discussed campus reserves and their typical uses. In response to a question from Mr. Bernier, Ms. Piscitello shared that she does not anticipate that SUNY will transfer funds from fiscally sound to fiscally challenged campuses. In response to a question from Mr. Sniezek, Ms. Piscitello clarified that the SUNY Research Foundation leads the college’s pursuit of grant income.

Resolution to Name the Baseball Field Scoreboard in Honor of Coach Don Axtell

Mr. Adamo introduced a resolution to name the college’s baseball field scoreboard in honor of Coach Don Axtell. Mr. Bernier read said resolution into the record. Upon motion by Mr. Bernier, seconded by Dr. Georgeson, Council adopted said resolution by unanimous vote.

ACT Report

Dr. Georgeson discussed the ACT annual conference, which took place Oct. 18-20 at the Otesaga Resort in Cooperstown. She added that the 2020 ACT conference will take place in Verona. Mr. Bernier and Mr. Brown lauded the organizational effort behind the conference.

Chair’s Report

Mr. Brown shared that Sen. James Seward is receiving treatment for an illness, and expressed Council’s wishes for a quick recovery.

Good of the Order

Adjournment

Upon motion by Mr. Sniezek, Mr. Brown adjourned the meeting at 6:12 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Hal Legg
Chief Communication and Marketing Officer

Back to top