Good Afternoon.

I am pleased to report that the College’s $57M in ongoing state-funded construction projects are progressing on schedule. These projects are finally addressing deferred maintenance challenges that we inherited from Willowbrook State School and even Halloran Hospital, our predecessor institutions at this location.

The roadway project is not simply repaving but includes a complete re-engineering of the entire roadbed. The section of roadway along the east side of campus is now reconstructed and open to traffic. In addition to the 117 parking spaces that became available in early October, we have now re-opened the Auxiliary Parking lot with 76 spaces and an additional 78 parking spaces (154 total) in the nearby gravel lot. The Administrative Loop should be completed and paved by the first week in November. Furthermore, we continue to work with Con Edison to complete repairs to the sub-station that feeds electrical power to the campus.

The Strategic Plan Town Hall meeting took place on October 3 and was well attended. I appreciate the faculty, staff, and students who engaged in the process and provided thoughtful commentary. The Institutional Planning Committee (IPC) considered feedback from the Town Hall and roughly 200 comments on the Blackboard site to produce a new Strategic Plan draft. The Blackboard site, which will remain open through Sunday, November 5, has been updated to include two links:

  • CSI Proposed Strategic Priorities (latest revisions from Town Hall feedback)
  • CSI Strategic Planning Process 2017-2022 (read only) for those who would like to refer back to the original document

The IPC will then review any additional comments at our Nov. 10 meeting and prepare a final draft that will be presented to the College Council on Nov. 16.

The new Plan, which we are proposing to name “Opportunity to Ascend,” has been designed to support innovation while embracing our ongoing programs and strengths. With our increased national rankings and greater local community engagement, we are ascending as an institution while simultaneously embracing the success of all students and eliminating achievement gaps, wherever they exist, to improve educational equity and inclusion.

Concerning our budget, we continue to monitor our fiscal situation very carefully. Carlos Serrano, our Assistant Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, is here today to provide more detailed remarks regarding our finances.

Finally, I hope to see many of you at the Literary Brunch this Saturday, sponsored by The Friends of CSI, where Professor Tyehimba Jess will present selections from his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Olio.

Thank you.