As the calendar moves from September to October and we celebrate Italian American Heritage month, I write with updates as to campus activities.
This week, in addition to my full slate of usual meetings, I was pleased to participate in the first of two Fall Labor-Management Meetings, where my administrative colleagues and I heard issues from the PSC related to faculty and staff concerns. It is always appreciated when we can discuss these matters in a cordial manner before they become problematic, and I look forward to working with the Executive Board to address their concerns and improve our campus. On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to welcome Vice Chancellor for University Advancement James Gallo to our campus. We discussed fundraising strategies and ways to identify and cultivate prospective donors, and we had a wide-ranging conversation related to the unique challenges associated with our campus, and ways that we can differentiate ourselves from competitors when it comes to philanthropic support. I appreciate the time he took from his busy schedule, and the attention he paid to the concerns of my Cabinet and Foundation Board members. On Thursday, I had a great time hosting President Claudia Schrader of Kingsborough Community College to our campus. AVP Scott, Provost Steiper, and I met with our guest to discuss articulation agreements and how we can best position our campus as a transfer destination for KBCC students. We toured Dolphin Cove and the Campus Center, spoke with student-athletes in the Sports and Recreation Center, and mapped out action steps to improve our overall enrollment picture. I am encouraged by these conversations and truly believe that CSI can be the transfer destination for all CUNY community college graduates.
Speaking of enrollment, this week saw two CUNY-wide discussions related to linking academic programs to careers, and a third, “The Future of Workers Taskforce,” organized by the New York City Office of Talent and Workforce Development. On Thursday, I participated in a Webinar dedicated to “Career Service Advisers and Career-Engaged Administrators” where we learned how important it is for students to see “return on investment” when choosing a particular field of study. It was good to learn of efforts undertaken elsewhere in the system, and to be cognizant of the issues attendant with such activities. On Friday, I was part of a roundtable chaired by our Chancellor where we discussed the challenges and opportunities related to applied associate degrees, including ways to better connect students to paid internships and apprenticeships, a key initiative of both the Central Office and myself. Earlier that day, I convened the inaugural Institutional Planning Committee meeting of the academic year, where we outlined goals for the coming year—foremost among these are foundational work for the strategic planning process, and recommendations for stabilizing and growing our enrollment.
Enrollment and retention are inextricably linked to providing experiences for our students that are engaging and rewarding. Efforts such as those outlined above are just some of the ways we can try to provide opportunities that are both valued and valuable. I am looking forward to seeing the fruits of these labors and am confident that by working together, we can continue to provide access to transformational educational opportunities for all our students.
I wish you all a restful and restorative holiday weekend, and a Happy Columbus/Indigenous Persons Day to all who observe. I will be traveling toward the latter part of next week, so will not provide my usual weekly update, but will resume this upon my return.
Until then,
Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
