I am pleased to provide you with highlights from my May College Council President’s Report:
President’s Report to the College Council
May 14, 2015
Good afternoon.
In the interest of time, as I believe there is an extensive Faculty Senate agenda, my comments will be brief.
As President, I am regularly called upon to make speeches, lead discussions, and give reports such as the one that I am giving now. In academia, we tend to talk a lot, and I do not profess to be the exception. But I am also mindful of the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin, “Well done is better than well said.” So, at this last meeting of the College Council this academic year, I will comment on the “well done.”
This past Wednesday, the College held its annual Faculty and Professional Staff Recognition Ceremony, where we celebrated their scholarly accomplishments. Included in the accompanying program for the event were approximately 23 pages listing major publications, exhibitions, documentaries, patents, external grants, prestigious awards, tenure, promotions, and reclassifications–all achieved just this past calendar year. To these and other accomplished faculty and staff, I say, “Well done.”
Our growing list of student achievements this year culminated in Sean Thatcher being awarded the Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premiere academic award for undergraduates majoring in math, science, and engineering. To Sean and our other high-achieving students, I also say, “Well done.”
And, as this is his last College Council meeting as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, I want to thank Fred Naider for his service to the College. Dr. Naider used his respected voice as both a Cabinet member and a distinguished faculty member to help create a greater unity within the CSI community, and I truly believe that this will be one of his most enduring legacies at this institution. I will ask Dr. Naider to please stand and be recognized for a job well done.
Our national accolades from such prominent publications as Washington Monthly, Business Insider, TIME magazine, U.S. News & World Report, and most recently, Money magazine, which named CSI as one of the nation’s “Best Colleges for Your Money,” continue to grow. To all faculty, staff, and students, for all that we have accomplished together under trying economic times and in the face of significant resource challenges, I say, “Well done.”
In closing, I look forward to seeing everyone at the 66th Commencement of the College of Staten Island, where we will celebrate with our graduates all that we have done so well.
Thank you.
