November 14, 2024
Le Café, Morris Conference Center
SUNY Oneonta
Present
Mr. Joe Bernier
Mr. Alec Hodge
Ret. Maj. Gen Anthony German
Dr. Diane Georgeson
Mr. Gary Herzig
Ms. Debra Parisian
Ms. Stacie Haynes
Mr. Will Rivera
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. Julie Piscitello, Vice President for Finance and Administration
Dr. Bernadette Tiapo, Chief Diversity Officer
Ms. Karyn Wendrow, Interim Chief of Staff
Ms. J. Caroline Williams, Director of Community and Government Relations
Presenters, Invitees, Observers
Mr. Ed Aluck, Alumni Representative
Mr. Mark Farrell, Instructional Support Technician
Dr. Keith Jones, Presiding Officer of the Faculty and Chair of the College Senate
Ms. Pathy Leiva, Director of Access and Opportunity Programs
Dr. Eileen Morgan Zayachek, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Mr. Raphael Web, Instructional Support Technician
Call to Order
Mr. Herzig called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m.
Approval of Minutes
Two ministerial changes were suggested for the minutes of Sept. 25, 2024. Ms. Parisian made a motion to approve the minutes with these changes, Mr. Rivera seconded the motion, and the minutes were approved by unanimous vote.
Chair’s Report
Mr. Herzig mentioned two events within the past few weeks where he was pleasantly surprised to encounter SUNY Oneonta students participating in the community. While volunteering at the Foothills Performing Arts Center City of Oneonta voting site, he said he was pleased to see a high number of college students voting, more than he recalled from previous presidential election years. The following week, he had dinner at the B-Side Ballroom and saw a performance by the SUNY Oneonta jazz octet and was glad to see other students there to support their peers.
President’s Report
Dr. Cardelle kicked off his report with a summary of integrated planning work to develop assessment dashboards to track progress toward the 10-year outcomes in the university’s Forward Momentum Agenda. He then gave updates on a variety of topics, each linked back to the 10-year goals:
Oneonta’s Deer Management Program – Out of an abundance of caution, SUNY Oneonta has closed the trails at College Camp for the duration of deer hunting rifle season.
SUNY Sustainability Plan – SUNY’s plan is posted online for comment, and SUNY Oneonta is mentioned nine different times in case studies, highlighting the innovative work the university is doing in this area.
Land Acknowledgment Events – In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, SUNY Oneonta dedicated a land acknowledgment plaque on the quad on Nov. 12 and hosted Darren Bonaparte as a speaker at the dedication ceremony and a public lecture afterward. The university will also host a speaker from the Mohawk tribe at Fall Commencement in December.
Post Election Events – Many activities were held to provide time for reflection following the presidential election, including a labyrinth walk at the Hunt Union, and SUNY Oneonta celebrated its first-generation students with a week of special programming.
U.S. Department of Education Postsecondary Success Recognition Program– SUNY Oneonta was one of 100 bachelor’s degree-granting institutions across the country selected to apply for recognition by the U.S. Department of Education and to share the university’s successful efforts to boost student degree completion.
Transfer Summit – The Office of Admissions held an inaugural Transfer Summit on campus with a keynote speaker from the Aspen Institute. Representatives from seven community colleges met with faculty from SUNY Oneonta to discuss opportunities to support transfer student success.
Housing Summit – SUNY Oneonta participated in a community summit that was very well attended and will lead to working groups and workshops to address housing issues in Oneonta.
Oneonta Literary Festival – The kickoff events of this inaugural partnership between SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College, with support from several community organizations, culminated in the Mills Distinguished Lecture, delivered by SUNY Oneonta’s 2024 common read author, Cristina Henriquez. The festival will continue throughout the year.
iGEM Team Gold Medal – A team of students from SUNY Oneonta, collaborating for the first time with students and faculty from Hartwick College, won a gold medal at the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) Grand Jamboree in Paris. SUNY Oneonta’s team has won four consecutive silver medals, but this was its first gold. Their research project focused on designing a device that automatically detects and neutralizes extreme pH levels in water.
Law Enforcement Academy – The SUNY Oneonta Law Enforcement Academy is addressing a regional work force need, with four members of the active class of cadets at the Academy sworn in in August as provisional Schoharie County Road Deputies while they complete their studies and certifications. The Schoharie County Sheriff’s Office seeks to hire up to 10 deputies and will guarantee full-time positions upon graduation and meeting the residency requirement.
By the Numbers – Dr. Cardelle showed a breakdown of the university’s $84.3 million endowment, which continues to be a point of pride for the institution. In addition to being one of the largest endowments in SUNY’s University College sector, it has the largest percentage designated for unrestricted use, allowing the university to focus on supporting strategic initiatives.
Mr. Bernier asked for an update on the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). Dr. Cardelle said enrollment is stable, with a few new institutions coming on board, and work is being done to balance travel schedules to the eastern and western parts of the state. He also shared that he was recently elected to the NCAA DIII President’s Council to represent the SUNYAC.
Dr. Georgeson commented on the city’s Deer Management Program, which has a focus on encouraging people not to feed the deer and asked if there could be a message to the campus community about this.
Enrollment Update
Ms. Brown gave an update on recruitment, starting with sharing a SUNY news release issued Nov. 13 about the 2.3% increase in overall SUNY enrollment and a detailed breakdown by campus of enrollment changes in overall enrollment and first-year enrollment increases and decreases over the past two years. She said Oneonta’s decline in enrollment did not catch us off guard; we knew we would have a lower total enrollment this year because we recruited one of our largest classes ever in 2020, followed by one of our smallest incoming classes in 2021.
Ms. Brown also discussed future plans for enrollment growth, primarily at the graduate level, and gave an overview of new undergraduate student recruitment initiatives, including a SUNY-wide free application period, expansion of international recruitment, expanded fall events for school counselors on and off campus, and a Transfer Summit and establishment of a Transfer Task Force. Ms. Haynes asked for more detail on the off-campus events; Ms. Brown said some are traditional visits to high schools, as well as breakfasts and other special events.
Dr. Cardelle emphasized that SUNY Oneonta was able to meet its budget targets even with a small decline in enrollment, and Ms. Brown said that as of the close of the fall “census” reporting period, the university had enrolled 302 transfer students (shy of our 340 target), and 1,214 first-year students, beating our 1,200 target.
Dr. Morales-Diaz gave an update on the SUNY Oneonta Student Retention Plan, which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of current initiatives in addition to developing new strategies. A key tool to support this work is EAB Navigate, a software platform that uses predictive analytics to help identify students who might need academic or holistic support and streamlines communication with students. Other key strategies include: personalized advising and student support, academic skills workshops, academic coaching and specialized programs for Underrepresented Minority (URM) students; and experiential learning, an honors program and research projects to retain high-performing students. The plan will be evaluated every six months using data from surveys and student feedback.
Ms. Haynes asked if there is a breakdown of students who leave the institution in terms of whether they live on or off campus and then asked if there are any residence halls that allow pets. Dr. Johnson outlined the policy for students to have support animals. Ms. Haynes mentioned the lack of animal boarding facilities and suggested that the university consider a program where students can earn money and have fun while helping to fill this community need.
Budget Update
Ms. Piscitello reported that the university’s total all-funds operating budget for 2024-25 is about $126 million, nearly 80 percent of which is tied to enrollment. She said the university met its targets for new undergraduate and graduate enrollment but lost some returning students. The budget includes $1.8 million in new, recurring funds from the New York State budget: $1.7 million in base operating aid and $100,000 for student internships.
Ms. Piscitello said the university is projecting an $800,000 structural deficit but said the current year’s budget gap is expected to be closed with revenue gains and cost savings. She said the financial health of the university is strong and provided three measures:
- the university’s Campus Reserves (unallocated funds reserved for emerging needs and priorities) remain strong;
- the university’s most recent Composite Financial Index score (a national external measure developed for public institutions) is positive; and
- unrestricted cash balances, not counting Residence Hall funds, the University Foundation or Oneonta Auxiliary Services, are well above the target.
Key Initiative Report-Outs
- Ms. Brown discussed the establishment of a new Center for Community College Partnerships, funded by a grant from the American Talent Initiative. She reported national data indicating that 80% of students at two-year schools plan to transfer to a four-year institution, yet only 16% of them actually persist and earn a bachelor’s degree within six years, and said the gap is even greater for lower-income students. She reported that a search for a new coordinator for the center is in progress and the university is working on identifying community college partners for direct admissions programs to SUNY Oneonta following successful completion of an associate’s degree.
- Heritage Language Institute -- Ms. Leiva reported on the new SUNY Oneonta Heritage Language Institute (SOHLI), which is located in Schumacher Hall and is designed to support students who are English language learners, both domestic and international, with tutoring and other resources. The intent is to celebrate students who speak more than one language and provide service to support their success. Mr. Rivera applauded the initiative and asked if there will be efforts to support integration with the community. Ms. Leiva said that may be addressed in the future, once the institute is well established.
- ExCL Center -- Dr. Eileen Morgan Zayachek, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, gave a virtual presentation (attending from a continuing education conference in Saratoga Springs) on the mission of the ExCL Center and its work to support regional workforce development. She said more than 100 Otsego County residents have registered for free healthcare trainings in disciplines such as phlebotomy and medical coding funded by a SUNY grant. In addition, SUNY Oneonta has launched a new, grant-funded workforce retention program through which Direct Support Professionals at Springbrook can complete courses delivered by Oneonta faculty at no cost and earn microcredentials and other recognition.
ACT Report
Dr. Georgeson was unable to attend the ACT Conference but reported that a 2023 SUNY Oneonta graduate, Olivia Schuler, won the ACT Scholarship. Ms. Wendrow, who also attended, said the workshops were very useful and reported that the other ACT Scholarship recipient is a SUNY Oneonta alumnus.
Good of the Order
Dr. Cardelle encouraged Council members to check out the Life of the Mind faculty research showcase in the Morris Conference Center’s Otsego Grille following adjournment of the meeting. Dr. Tiapo invited Council members to attend a Martin Luther King Day event on campus on Jan. 27, 2025. Ms. Williams mentioned a new exhibit at City Hall celebrating SUNY Oneonta’s 135th anniversary, on display until February.
Adjournment
Mr. Herzig adjourned the meeting at 5:17 p.m.