As the calendar turns to December and colder weather arrives, I write with updates and information concerning recent activities that you may find of interest. I hope that you had a restful and restorative Thanksgiving holiday with loved ones and are rejuvenated as we approach the final few weeks of the fall semester.
Since I last wrote, I have been busy with activities on campus and off. Recently I attended the Chancellor’s “State of the University” address at New York City College of Technology, where several hundred CUNY representatives heard inspiring words about enrollment growth, faculty research, and student success. We heard firsthand from alumni, employers, and other partners who raved about how CUNY has transformed their lives, and our community. As an example of the impact we have in the community, look no further than our baseball team’s participation in distributing turkeys and other foodstuffs in partnership with the Teddy Atlas Foundation. Many thanks to Coach Mauro and his staff for this important community engagement activity. These sentiments were also on display at a reception welcoming new faculty from across the system, where then University Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Hensel spoke of the impact that individual professors can make in the lives of entire generations of students. I could not agree more, and I am pleased that CSI is committed to adding 15 full-time faculty hires by the start of the next academic year: more than a dozen of these will be tenure-track positions, adding immeasurably to our pool of active scholars. Faculty are the lifeblood of our institution and this reinvestment will go a long way toward ensuring that we meet our dual missions of access and excellence.
As the holiday season approaches, I have been fortunate to gather at a number of social functions with CUNY and CSI partners. From last week’s mixer (bringing together various affinity groups—the CSI Alumni Association, College Council and Faculty Senate leadership, CSI Foundation Board of Directors, Association of Retired Professionals, Friends of CSI, and Student Government leaders) to this week’s meeting with the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the NYC Workforce Week kickoff, I heard time and again about the partnerships that exist for our students, graduates, and other stakeholders. With this in mind, we will be redoubling our efforts to provide meaningful applied learning opportunities for our students through internships, study abroad (see last week’s events related to International Education Awareness), and other experiential learning opportunities. Examples of such engagement include CSI’s selection for sizable awards from CUNY related to Green Economy initiatives, which will allow for the type of immersive experiences that will separate our students from their peers. This week also saw the annual gathering of the Presidents, Deans, Chancellery staff, and Board of Trustees members where we celebrated the many accomplishments of our campuses and our system, while acknowledging the hard, important work that lies ahead as it relates to lobbying and fundraising.
I also recently had the honor and privilege of addressing attendees at the Sixth Annual Summit on Careers in Finance, Economics, and Accounting hosted by the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business. Attendees heard firsthand about the power of networking, the importance of perseverance, and the benefits of being nimble when it comes to career goals. Many thanks to Dean Holak and her team, and to alum Thomas Brigandi, for putting together such a dynamic panel of speakers and an engaging evening. I also participated in a symposium organized by Governor Kathy Hochul on “Anti-Hate in Education” a timely topic given recent news of upticks in antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other shameful incidents on college campuses. CSI and CUNY remain committed to being institutions where hate has no home.
This week ended with the CUNY IT Conference, an annual gathering that looks at information technology and telecommunications issues on campuses and throughout the system. I am incredibly proud that our colleagues from CSI were recognized with a CUNY Excellence in Technology Award for their efforts in collaborating with the CUNY CIS team, other campuses, and of course the CSI community on successful projects related to security, ADA compliance, training, and network infrastructure, just to name a few. Congratulations to CIO and AVP Patricia Kahn and her team for this recognition and the support they provide to our students, staff, and faculty!
This week also saw our annual #GivingTuesday campaign and I urge you to consider making a gift before the “Season of Giving” concludes on December 31. We have an ambitious but realizable goal of $150,000 and every donation is meaningful in our efforts to provide transformational educational experiences to our students. Thank you to all who donated already!
Until next time,
Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
