January 22, 2025
Alumni Hall Conference Room
SUNY Oneonta
Present
Mr. Joe Bernier
Dr. Diane Georgeson
Mr. Gary Herzig
Mr. Alec Hodge
Ms. Debra Parisian
Presiding
Mr. Gary Herzig
University Administrators
Mr. Paul Adamo, Vice President for University Advancement
Ms. Karen Brown, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment
Mr. Dirk Budd, University Police Chief
Ms. Dia Carleton, Chief Human Resources Officer
Dr. Alberto Cardelle, University President
Dr. Tracy Johnson, Vice President for Student Affairs
Ms. Lisa Miller, Senior Communication and Marketing Officer
Dr. Enrique Morales-Diaz, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Ms. Karyn Wendrow, Interim Chief of Staff
Ms. J. Caroline Williams, Director of Community and Government Relations
Presenters, Invitees, Observers
Dr. Mark Davies, Dean of the School of Education, Human Ecology and Sport Studies
Dr. Kelly Gallagher, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr. Keith Jones, Presiding Officer of the Faculty and Chair of the College Senate
Mr. Mark Farrell, Instructional Support Technician
Call to Order
Mr. Herzig called the meeting to order at 4:03 p.m.
Approval of Minutes
Dr. Georgeson made a motion to approve the minutes of November 14, 2024. Ms. Parisian seconded, and the minutes were approved by unanimous vote.
Chair’s Report
Mr. Herzig made a brief statement about the challenges facing higher education and many industries and the work of navigating these without sacrificing core values.
President’s Report
Dr. Cardelle introduced Dr. Kelly Gallagher, associate professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, for a university “mission story” about the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machines) student team, which won a gold medal at the 2024 Grand Jamboree competition in Paris for a project titled “pHish and CHIPs,” to create a device that would neutralize water automatically after detecting the presence of extreme pH imbalances.
“From my perspective, this program takes the entire mission statement of the university and ‘smashes’ it into one experience,” she said, explaining that in addition to the multidisciplinary experiential learning that goes into the research and preparation for the international competition, students make connections, contribute to their community and often discover their purpose in life. This was the team’s fifth year competing and its best showing yet, following four consecutive silver medals. Competing against nearly 450 teams from 47 different countries, the team identified a problem and worked together to engineer a solution.
Dr. Cardelle gave several updates, including:
- Enrollment: strong undergraduate application numbers for fall 2025;
- The new federal landscape: an overview of education-related initiatives and policy changes that have been mentioned by the new administration and preparation for those that are likely to be enacted;
- The state legislative session and budget landscape: an overview of education-related initiatives mentioned by New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul in her 2025 State of the State address;
- SUNY budget requests: a summary of state budget allocations to SUNY and upcoming work to advocate for 2025-26 campus operating and capital budget funding requests
- NCAA conference: an overview of topics discussed at the conference Dr. Cardelle recently attended as a member of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, including mental health first aid, athletic trainers, sports betting, eligibility extension, conference sizes and NIL (Name, Image Likeness); and
- Recent appointments: In addition to his appointment to the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, Dr. Cardelle was recently appointed to the NY State Health Equity Council, and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Board of Directors.
Community Engagement Report
Dr. Davies gave an overview of the Regional Innovation Council’s current initiatives and community relations projects in development, including several early initiatives that are ongoing: the Springbrook Direct Support Professionals (DSP) Program, Bassett CARES loan repayment program, What’s Upstate website, Rural Education Collaborative and One-Hart Nursing Collaboration between SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College.
Ms. Williams discussed two new initiatives in development: a community housing summit and focus groups aimed at facilitating regional redevelopment efforts to address the need for housing, and an entrepreneurship and start-up challenge aimed at creating opportunities for business development and innovation.
She also discussed new efforts to leverage experiential learning with development opportunities by connecting the campus with community partners through programs such as a job shadowing day on Feb. 3 and a career fair in March. In addition, she gave an overview of several projects aimed at increasing faculty and staff involvement in local community development, planning and policymaking by identifying potential partnerships, funding and research opportunities.
Lastly, she presented updates on several community and business outreach events, including a City Hall display celebrating SUNY Oneonta’s 135th anniversary and advocacy for New York State History Day.
New Program Updates and Review
Dr. Morales-Diaz gave an update on several new academic programs in development, including an undergraduate degree in Marketing, four online graduate programs (Crime, Justice and Community; Human Services; Social Work and Sports Coaching and Leadership) and an in-person Physician’s Assistant program.
He also described a proposed change in the university’s five-year BS in professional accounting, which will be split into a BS in Accounting (four-year program) and an online MBA in Accounting (+1 program).
ACT Report
Dr. Georgeson, ACT Representative, said she had no updates about ACT activities since the last meeting.
Good of the Order
- Dr. Johnson shared the news that the university’s men’s wrestling team won the SUNYAC championship over the weekend.
- Mr. Bernier asked for an update on the ExCL Center downtown. Dr. Cardelle mentioned several workforce development programs in development with the CDO Workforce career center and reported that some grant-funded workforce training programs have wrapped up. Ms. Wendrow said the university has hired a coordinator to help increase staffing and have a consistent presence at the center.
- Dr. Cardelle invited members to attend a breakfast and evening speaker event on Jan. 20 in celebration of Martin Luther King Day and kick off Black History Month events.
Executive Session
Mr. Herzig asked for a motion to go into Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter. Mr. Bernier made the motion, Ms. Parisian seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved. University administrators and guests left the meeting, and Ms. Carleton and President Cardelle remained to discuss the matter with the Council.
Adjournment
Mr. Herzig adjourned the meeting at the conclusion of the Executive Session.