As the calendar turns to December and the semester enters its final weeks, I write with
information and updates about recent activities that you may find of interest.
Since my last communication, I have been engaged in several meetings with CUNY
Central. These included meetings of the Board of Trustees—where our academic
reorganization (the subsuming of the School of Health Sciences in the Division of Science and
Technology and the School of Education and Social Work) was approved by the Committee
on Academic Programs, and where the University’s 2027 Budgetary Request was formally
presented for approval at the Finance and Administration Committee (on which I serve as
presidential liaison). Seeing “how the sausage is made” is an important part of understanding
how our University system operates, and learning from my colleagues across the system is an
integral part of advocating for our campus and the students we serve. I continued
conversations with CUNYs Office of Academic Affairs concerning our fiscal situation, replete
with recommendations for finding efficiencies for improvements. The dialog is ongoing and
fruitful, as was this week’s briefing with the College Council Budget Committee, where we
discussed our current projections for this fiscal year (still heading in the right direction),
outlook for the next several (subject to vagaries beyond our control), hiring plans, and other
issues.
This week, I also attended the biweekly sector meeting of Senior College leaders, where we
discussed ways to better engage with our Board of Trustees (several of whom I dined with at
yesterday’s holiday party, organized by Chancellor Matos Rodríguez and Chairperson
Thompson) and how to leverage our recent #CUNYTuesday successes (and a big THANK
YOU to our team in University Advancement and in Communications and Marketing who
allowed us to beat my nemesis President Schrader in our “friendly competition.”) The College
of Staten Island exceeded our goal for the fundraising campaign and is poised for its most
successful “Season of Giving” in campus history! As the year-end approaches, there is still
time to give to our cause, and as we approach a milestone anniversary year (2026 marks both
the 50th Anniversary of CSI and the 70th anniversary of public higher education in our
borough) there is even more reason to pay it forward. As I learned from so many alumni
whom I met at Tuesday’s Engineering and Environmental Science (EES) holiday mixer (thank
you Chairperson Antoniades and Dean Peetz for the invitation and opportunity to meet so
many fascinating alums and friends, higher education is a public good that transforms lives,
and your support makes the impossible a reality for so many of our students. Consider making
a donation online.
This week also saw the monthly Council of Presidents meeting (where we received enrollment
updates, a report on Research Foundation activity, and discussed assorted other topics) and
Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business’s holiday gathering, where we celebrated their
recent AACSB accreditation (fittingly held on CSI Spirit Day). Wednesday evening also saw
the Executive Committee of the CSI Foundation Board of Directors gather in advance of this
month’s full board meeting: it is always great to share the good news about what is happening
on campus with our Foundation supporters. Speaking of good news, I was pleased to learn of
the acknowledgment received by our CSI Informational Technology team at the annual CUNY
IT Conference: Congrats to the IT Web Application Team under AVP Kahn’s leadership who
received the competitive Outstanding Project award for the College of Staten Island’s Chatbot
project. And kudos to Amila Goonawardena who was the recipient of this year’s IT Service
Award! While it is no surprise that our IT team was honored, it is always nice to be
recognized by one’s peers!
The week ends with another performance at the Center for the Arts: Our Town (buy tickets
online), and while in 1P, be sure to check out the most recent gallery exhibit: Between Us:
Portraits of Strength and Belonging, the final show of the semester and the last exhibition
curated this academic year by Professor Beatrix Reinhardt. Many thanks to Professor
Reinhardt for her work on these exhibits, which feature prominent artists on our campus, and
which expose our students (and all of us!) to a wider world!
As we approach the end of the year, please remember that all NYS/CUNY employees are
required to complete Ethics training every year. If you have not yet fulfilled this requirement,
visit our Website for details on how to stay in compliance.
Lastly, I look forward to seeing you all at Convocation next Thursday, when we will also
celebrate employee milestones and spread good cheer during our annual holiday gathering
following the ceremony in the Center for the Arts.
Until next time,
Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D.
