Colleagues:
I hope that you had a restful and restorative Thanksgiving break, and that the arrival of December finds you well. As the fall term approaches its conclusion, I write with updates as to recent activities and developments.
This week, Interim Provost Steiper and I had the pleasure of hosting Dean Dara Byrne of the Macaulay Honors College (MHC). CSI has a long and rich history of working with the MHC, so we were able to discuss how we could leverage that partnership to the betterment of our students. Conversations about experiential learning, increased engagement with local communities, and the role of our campus as an intellectual hub dominated the day. A tour of the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business and stop at the Con Edison Trading Room (thank you Dean Holak!) crystallized many of the good things we already do and showed how we can highlight these activities. Meeting with Administrative Director Lisa French and the talented students of the program capped a very special day. MHC—like our internal TEHA (Teachers Education Honors Academy) and Verrazzano Honors programs—allows us to showcase the very best and brightest of our students, and to celebrate their involvement in the transformational educational opportunities that we provide.
I was also able to host administrators from Richmond University Medical Center on Thursday. We enjoyed a tour of our Nursing labs (thank you Interim Dean Dreher!) and discussed how we could develop mutually beneficial collaborations, including scholarship and internship opportunities for our students, and continuing education opportunities for their employees. I look forward to building on this relationship and forging it into a true mutually beneficial partnership in the coming weeks and months. Greater connections with local employers are key to sustaining our enrollment and to serving our mission as borough stewards, and I look forward to developing similar connections at this weekend’s Celestial Ball gala, where we honor “Heroes Among Us.”
This week, I also had the opportunity to discuss campus concerns with members of the PSC Taskforce on Campus Accessibility. It was a frank conversation about the challenges that many folks have faced with equally candid discussion about the ways in which we can better serve all members of our campus community. I look forward to operationalizing many of the items we discussed in the coming weeks and to working collaboratively with my faculty and staff colleagues to build a campus that is welcoming and inclusive. I know that you all support this initiative.
Lastly, I had a wonderful conversation with alumnus Joseph Franzese, President of the CSI Foundation Board, about strategies related to fundraising initiatives. We discussed how the Board can continue to serve the College, and the ways in which we can increase our visibility and impact. As always, it was a conversation that revealed a genuine interest in how CSI can become even better than what we are, by affirming and amplifying our individual and collective efforts. On that note, I again ask that you consider making a donation via the (still active) CSI #givingTuesday Webpage: https://www.cunytuesday.org/organizations/college-of-staten-island.
Until next time, and in anticipation of next Thursday’s convocation/employee recognition/holiday gathering…
Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
Interim President, College of Staten Island
The City University of New York
2800 Victory Blvd, SI, NY 10314
718.982.2400
