I hope this early February communication finds you well as I write with updates and
information that you may find of interest.

As the new semester dawns, I want to continue to focus on the positive accomplishments that
we have achieved. While final numbers aren’t available yet it appears that our Spring
enrollment will exceed our ambitious target, with a headcount of approximately 10,500
students. Currently, our finance team is working with the Central Office on mid-year revisions
to our financial plan, and expect those conversations to result in positive modifications to our
projected year-end picture. (You may recall that we started the fiscal year with a projected
deficit of more than $4M, a figure that grew by over a million dollars by Q1 due to the impact
of collective bargaining agreements). This positive trajectory is the result of hard work from
many folks as it relates to enrollment, collections, and in virtually every office and unit on
campus. Thank you for the hard work you put into making this campus and its programs
welcoming and attractive to our students!

Since my last update, I have been engaged with almost daily meetings with Central Office
staff to anticipate the impact of—and responses to—proposed federal actions. At this stage, we
have more questions than answers as developments rapidly unfold: I know the Provost has
shared information with Principal Investigators concerning grant activities, and—along with
the VP for Student Affairs—has issued guidance related to the critical support systems for our
students and others who may be distressed by recent announcements and developments. Please
also refer back to the Chancellor’s email from January 31, which contains CUNY’s policies
and guidance as it relates to support for immigrant students. I know that many members of our
community are experiencing fear and anxiety during this time, please rest assured we will
continue to provide the critical support to those in need and uphold the principles and values
we hold dear, while complying with all federal, state, and local directives. The College of
Staten has always been a caring community that supports all of our students and that will
never change. As appropriate, please be sure to direct students to the many resources we
provide on campus. Further information and guidance will be shared as it becomes available.

Last week, I participated in the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day event, where our partners
at Staten Island Hillel and the JCC shared a wonderful talk about “Female Resistance to the
Holocaust” as presented by Professor Lori Weintrob of Wagner College. Many thanks to our
friends there and to our own Office of DEI at CSI, as well as Chief Librarian Amy Stempler
for their work in helping to organize this event. I also hosted a two-day Cabinet retreat with
my colleagues in the administration, where we discussed our collective and individual
strengths, and benefited from the sage advice of executive coaches with whom we have
worked for the past 18 months. It was a tremendous team-building exercise that allowed us to
set a course for future action with a renewed commitment to each other and the mission of our
College—and to recommit to our pledge of transparency, shared governance, and the future of
CSI.

I have also been engaged with local and state elected officials—for example I attended the
Governor’s Budget announcement on Wednesday and last week hosted Borough President
Fossella and representatives from other offices for an event commemorating the inaugural
cohort of Amazon Career Success Fellows, a group of that company’s employees who have
benefitted from generous tuition reimbursement policies to attain their degrees at CSI. I will
soon meet with City Council, State Assembly, and State Senate officials, and I already met
with other CUNY leaders to strategize about lobbying efforts and initiatives, including
mobilization of our alumni base, a campaign that will soon kick into high gear. My busy week
ended with a trip to Albany to participate in a conference on “Higher Ed as a Public Good”
where I was part of a panel championing and celebrating the work we do to provide
transformational educational opportunities for our students.

Wednesday was also National Women and Girls in Sports Day, and I want to take this
opportunity to acknowledge our Women’s Basketball team as they move forward as what
looks to be the Number Two seed in the East Coast Conference Postseason Basketball
Tournament! And a big congratulations to our Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving
Teams for receiving the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team award in recognition of their
commitment to success—both academically and athletically. Special kudos to our Men’s &
Women’s Indoor Track & Field teams on their regional ranking by the USTFCCCAA. Let’s
Go Dolphins! Keep making us proud!

As we acknowledge Black History Month, I encourage folks to check out of full calendar of
activities, including the third annual iteration of our “Estevanico Symposium” on February 21
in 1P. Many thanks to the symposium organizers, especially Professor Abdeslem El Idrissi,
and to the Moroccan Consulate for their generous sponsorship of this important event. I hope
to see you there!

Lastly, don’t miss out on an upcoming workshop, “Building Common Ground: Using
Dialogue to Work across our Differences and Disagreements,” the first in a series of events
about engaging in and managing difficult conversations in the classroom and other academic
spaces. This event is organized by the Office for Faculty Success and the Center for Teaching,
Learning, and Professional Development, and will be held on February 11 in 1L-208. Please
be sure to register if you haven’t already done so.

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