Welcome (back) to the 2024-2025 academic year! The first day of classes always brings some trepidation, but it also brings excitement and energy! I love walking around our beautiful campus and it is so great to see it alive with activity! 

Since my last communication, we have been busy preparing for the fall term. Last Friday, more than two dozen volunteers gathered together to conduct a calling campaign and register as many of the outstanding and uncommitted freshman, transfer, and continuing students for the semester as possible. It was wonderful to have so many pull together in the goal of meeting our enrollment targets, and know why they chose to participate: their love for our campus and our mission is equaled only by my appreciation for the effort that went into making more than 1,000 phone calls and sending follow-up messages. I am sure this effort will be rewarded with many more matriculated students.

The love and appreciation for CSI was also on display last Monday at the CSI Alumni Association’s Honors program mixer, attended by graduates of our Macaulay, Verrazano, and Teacher’s Education Honors Academy programs. The event, held at the Nicotra Grown: Organic Rooftop Farm provided opportunities to learn about the success of recent (and not so recent!) graduates and of the impact that these programs and CSI had on their personal and professional development. Many thanks to CSI Alumni Association Board of Directors PresidentJennifer Miller, the Office of Institutional Advancement, and our hosts at the Lois and Richard Nicotra Foundation for an amazing evening. Speaking of opportunities, the next night I met with representatives from the New York Jobs CEO Council to discuss internships, guest speakers, and other initiatives that will be coming to CSI in the near future. 

As we return to campus this week—and it was great to see so many of you at the Welcome Back BBQ—I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the many projects we undertook and completed during the relative quiet of the summer months. These include, but are not limited to:

 Paving and striping of multiple campus parking lots (1,7, and Student Lot 2)

  • Installation of new, filtered, water filling stations throughout campus (thanks to funding from SGA!)
  • Installation of new entrance doors in 1L
  • Completion of a new media screening room in 1P
  • Refresh of 1C including new paint in the Green Dolphin lounge and rotunda
  • Removal of outdated PCs from 1C and student lounges
  • Expansion of our ongoing sidewalk replacement project (145,000 square feet!)
  • New lighting throughout 1P and upgrades/replacement of old exterior lighting fixtures  
  • New furniture (thanks again to SGA!) and paint in all student lounges
  • Complete modernization of 14 computer labs, replacing 340 student computers
  • A new Website with interactive chat feature
  • A rehabilitated Multi-Faith Center (thanks to funding from Hillel International!)
  • Expansion of campus-wide copier replacement project
  • Deployment of charging stations (30) and wireless access points (32) campus-wide
  • “Paint the Town Blue” campaign with banners on-campus (check out the massive one on 1R!)  and off (Ferry, SI Mall, Richmond Ave, etc.)
  • Creation of a Financial Aid lab and renovations to the 3A conference room
  • Total rehabilitation of the SEEK suite, and repairs to CAAS and campus testing offices
  • Rebranded spaces for new student intake in 2A and 1C
  • Upgrades to campus motor pools (additional ATVs, public safety vehicles, and new lawnmowers)

The coming months will see important upgrades to our science facilities, including improvements to our laboratories and the Astrophysical Observatory, rehabilitation of our elevator and roofing systems, completion of the initial phase of the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business (2M), modernization of our athletic fields, enhancements to our Public Safety operations, and improvements to campus IT infrastructure. These improvements could not be possible but for the contributions of each and every member of our campus community. I am excited for what the future holds for CSI and proud to be your partner in this work! I look forward to seeing many of you at next Thursday’s annual “CSI Night” to watch the FerryHawks at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park! Don’t forget to wear your CSI spirit gear that day as it is also CSI Spirit Day (the first Thursday of every month!).

Until next time, and with best wishes for a great semester,

Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D. (he/him/his)