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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Mid-semester Update


On Tuesday, September 6, we began our 43rd academic year, welcoming thousands of students and one chancellor. Acting SUNY Chancellor John Ryan visited MCC on that first day of classes, experiencing for himself the commitment, quality and innovation that are hallmarks of this college.  He spent the day meeting with our leadership team, visiting with student leaders and learning about our 2+2 programs, which had been recommended to him as cutting edge programs in the college transfer field. When I took him to the airport later that day, he said to me that he now understands why so many people point to MCC as the premier community college in the State University of New York.

Making such a positive impression on the first day of the fall semester requires significant effort from a lot of people. However, what makes me particularly proud is that we didn’t make an extra effort for the Chancellor – we made it for our students. Our classrooms and common areas were clean and well kept. Traffic on our roads and in our hallways flowed smoothly. Helpful peer leaders, faculty, staff and administrators were everywhere, ensuring that our students found their way. Thank you to everyone who helped ensure a smooth start to the new academic year.

Seven students in particular appreciate all that you have done to ensure their success. I’m referring to the seven students who came to us after Hurricane Katrina disrupted their educational plans in the South. Many of them arrived after the semester had begun, but counselors, advisors and faculty worked with them to find classes, help them catch up and generally get their disrupted lives back on track. Many others are helping financially with the Hurricane Katrina recovery. I am proud of the MCC response and thank you for your outreach and caring.


On the Academic Front

A number of exciting academic facility initiatives are underway. Between the fall and spring semesters, we’ll spend about $700,000 on academic renovations and equipment. Two biology labs on the Brighton Campus will be renovated and new equipment will be purchased for the radiologic technology and hospitality programs. Maryann Marino, associate professor of biology, and Mary DiSano, assistant professor of chemistry, are using a $12,000 grant to equip a forensics lab for a new course at Damon this spring.

Also contributing to the academic learning environment is our move to nearly 100 percent wireless Internet access on all four of our campuses. Students and faculty now can access the Internet nearly anywhere, expanding the opportunities for teaching and learning. At the Damon City Campus, a laptop cart allows faculty to easily turn their classrooms into computer labs with Internet access. The wireless access also allows employees to access the M drive and their e-mail from virtually anywhere on our campuses. Only four other SUNY campuses are more wireless than MCC.

Planning continues for Renaissance Square. Since All College Day, preliminary design concepts have been unveiled, showing the proposed relationships between the three components: our new campus, the performing arts center, and the transit center. An internal forum to bring everyone up to date on our planning will be scheduled in the near future.

These investments in academic facilities and equipment are so important to the learning experiences of our students. Modern, well-equipped learning resources impact students’ preparation for work and transfer; they also influence students’ college choice. Thank you to everyone who is working to keep our physical resources up-to-date and on the cutting edge.

Beyond academic facilities, there are some innovative academic programs underway. Learning communities at Damon have reached a milestone: this fall we are offering our first 200 level learning community. Advanced Writing in Juvenile Procedures, led by Bob Kennedy, instructor of law and criminal justice, and Bill Dunning, instructor of English, connects CRJ 204 and ENG 200. Our experiences continue to show that students in learning communities perform better than students in the same, unconnected courses, so I am pleased to see us move forward in this area. I am also pleased by the creativity shown by our Mathematics and Biology departments as they take math and science into our residence halls. Mathematics faculty members Christy Fogal, Brigitte Martineau and Dick Stewart, and biology faculty members Suzanne Long, Jim Murphy and Paul Wakem recently spent evenings tutoring students in the halls, to rave reviews from the students and the faculty. The English Department, library, and Writing Center are teaming to offering a writing tutoring session in the near future, and a variety of advisement and registration sessions are also scheduled. Kudos to the Hall Connection team and all the faculty who are thinking so creatively about how to serve our students.
 

Progress and Success in the Co-curricular Program

On the co-curricular front, we have enjoyed a successful fall semester. A record-breaking number of student leaders participated in our annual leadership retreat at Camp Good Days and Special Times in September, three days of experiences to promote team building, problem solving and ethical decision making. So many students wanted to participate that, unfortunately, we had to turn some away. Our student-athletes are leading on the fields and courts. Our women’s soccer team won its regional and district tournaments and is heading to the national tournament in Phoenix this weekend in an attempt to win an eighth national championship and its third in five years. Men’s and women’s basketball and men’s hockey seasons have begun. I know all of our student-athletes would appreciate seeing you at their games, so please come out to support our students. Beyond the competition, a highlight of the fall athletic season was the dedication of the John L. DiMarco Field, our new synthetic turf field for soccer and lacrosse. At the dedication ceremony, John DiMarco expressed his commitment to supporting this community’s next generation of learners and his feeling that MCC is a great way to achieve that goal. His words resonated with those gathered and I hope will inspire others to follow his lead.

Plans to build a field house next to DiMarco Field are moving forward as well. The Monroe County Planning Board has endorsed the project and the county legislature is considering it now. Our plan is to fund the project with a combination of state and private dollars; Senators Alesi and Robach are supportive of our plan and I appreciate their commitment to MCC. The MCC Foundation is laying the groundwork to raise the private dollars and I am confident we will find people willing to support the initiative, for the same reasons John DiMarco invested $1 million in us.

At All College Day, I mentioned that our second set of residence halls had hit a snag. We believe we have resolved the issue and are moving forward, aiming for Fall 2007 occupancy.

If you missed homecoming in early October, you missed some moving testimonials to MCC. The 1965 national champion men’s soccer team returned to campus to remember Coach Joe Mancarella, Athletic Director George Monagan and the team’s history-making victory. At dinner Saturday, each player reflected on his time at MCC; the depth of appreciation for the opportunities they found at MCC and their respect for Joe and George were moving. It was the kind of event that energizes your spirit for the challenging work that we do. Students also enjoyed the homecoming activities held throughout the week.

While homecoming and alumni reunions were well done, I think it is time to take them to the next level – to more closely integrate the two into a homecoming celebration that begins to establish traditions for the entire college community. I have asked Dr. Susan Salvador, vice president for student services, to pull together a team to lead this initiative. Expect to hear more about this in the spring.
 

Administrative Initiatives

On September 21, a spirited all-campus meeting at Damon focused on some important facility and service issues. As I said at All College Day, the prospect of a new campus must not divert our attention from maintaining our current home right up until the day we leave. Those issues that we can fix, we will. Some issues may be beyond our control or cannot be resolved and we will tell you what they are. DCC Executive Dean Pete Otero has met with Wilmorite, SourceOne (our housekeeping vendor), MCC Facilities Department, Java Joe’s and Aramark regarding a number of the concerns and will keep you apprised of the progress on each of them.

On the Brighton Campus, you will soon see and hear improvements to our 20-year-old telephone system. The new system, which will be completed in early 2006, will give us a faster, more resilient and more reliable network. In addition, it will allow for quicker dissemination of emergency information and for future technology upgrades.

Implementation of the Banner information system continues with much behind-the-scenes work by hundreds of people. The Finance, Human Resources, Advancement and Admissions/Recruitment modules are live and the remainder of the 2005-06 year is critically important as we prepare for the first student registration on Banner. For those directly involved in the Banner implementation, I know it has been all-consuming and probably, at times, exasperating. The impact of this project is significant and your work is very much appreciated.

While Banner approaches its pinnacle, Middle States is rounding third and heading for home. The draft report is complete and we are now preparing for the Middle States team visit in late February. My thanks go to the Middle States steering committee and all of the study teams for their honest and fair assessment of our college. Our self-reflection will result in an even stronger college and, without a doubt, a positive report from the Middle States visiting team.

The Route 390 exit ramp is proceeding almost as fast as some students drive around campus. The New York State Department of Transportation says the project is on schedule for opening in Spring 2006.  Next steps include installation of a traffic light at the end of the ramp, top course of pavement, and pavement markings. To further ease travel around the Brighton Campus, Public Safety has upgraded parking lot gates with a proximity card system, making access into employee parking lots easier and more efficient.

The MCC Board of Trustees approved a five-year contract for the MCC CSEA unit in October. The contract recognizes and rewards their work, something I know all of us value and appreciate. MCC would not be recognized as the quality, student-focused institution that it is without the frontline work of CSEA staff. I thank them for their commitment to and enthusiasm for MCC.
 

Finances

The MCC Foundation set records last year. It completed its “Building on Success” capital campaign, raising $11,015,640, more than $1 million over goal. More than 660 new donors supported the annual fund, a record number. Forty new scholarships were established, including six that were permanently endowed. Dollars raised by the MCC Foundation fund innovation, access and quality – the things that set MCC apart from other community colleges. Please join me in thanking the foundation team, led by Brenda Babitz, for its continued good work on behalf of the college.

On the other side of the financial coin, fall enrollment missed our budget goal by 4.5 percent. The number of full-time equivalent students is down 1 percent from last year. But please remember that we have been breaking enrollment records for seven consecutive years – so a slightly off year is still a very good year. To prepare for next year, we are targeting new markets. The Admissions and Marketing Communication teams are trying some new strategies – an open house in Spanish and program-focused initiatives, for instance. Additionally, Dr. Dianna Phillips, our new dean of technical education, brings fresh ideas to the table for marketing our technical programs, which are so important to the local economy. I have no doubt that, with everyone working together, MCC’s enrollment will remain strong in the coming years.

Energy prices are on everyone’s mind. With high oil prices and a harsh winter predicted, we expect the college’s energy bill to be $500,000 more than last year. We have implemented energy conservation measures over the years – adding energy efficient lighting systems and equipment, installing the co-generation plant – but we need to do more this winter.  We will be reviewing industry and federal guidelines on such things as temperature and humidity levels, but I ask for your energy-saving ideas as well. If you have thoughts on how we might save energy and dollars this winter, please share them by going to https://www.monroecc.edu/go/energy/ .

 
Coming Up Next

With so much going on, it may seem hard to believe that we have just passed the semester’s halfway mark. There is still much more ahead of us.

November is Diversity Month and I encourage you to participate in as many of the activities as your schedule will allow. Dr. Johnnetta Cole, president of Bennett College, was our first guest in the Dr. Alice Holloway Young Diversity Series, where she spoke about “The Power of Diversity.” Dr. Cole also met with my leadership team and many managers throughout the college to discuss ways in which each of us, as individuals and teams, can strengthen our college through diversity. My thanks go to MCC’s Diversity Council for organizing this event. I also applaud the MCC Libraries and the Diversity Interest Group for building on the Diversity Month theme with a Diversity Book Discussion Group. Their selection of “Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda” by Romeo Dallaire corresponds with Lt.-Gen. Dallaire’s visit to MCC on Wednesday, November 9, an event that is sponsored by the Holocaust Genocide Studies Project and the Campus Activities Board. Lt.-Gen. Dallaire was the United Nations force commander stationed in Rwanda during the Rwandan genocide, and the book details his experiences there. I applaud the organizers behind these projects for raising awareness of human rights and diversity in our community.

The Salute to Excellence dinner is set for Wednesday, January 11 at the Riverside Convention Center. We will honor John L. DiMarco for his contributions to MCC and the community, as well as four new Alumni Hall of Fame inductees -- Deborah Alimentato '84, Elma A. Bellini '74, Thomas J. Cray '76 and Chester N. Watson '71. Like the alumni reunion evening, this event is a heart-warming reminder of the impact of our work. If you have never attended a Hall of Fame induction, make this the year that you do.

The remainder of my fall semester will be spent on the significant initiatives I’ve outlined and on the search for a new CEO for the League for Innovation in the Community College. Anyone who has attended a League conference or participated in a League project knows the value of this organization to MCC. Our involvement has raised our profile, strengthened our programs and developed our teams. Finding a strong leader to take the League forward is important to us and to all community colleges. I am pleased to have been selected for the search committee by the League presidents.

I know this has been a rather long update but there is so much going on. I thank you for your attention and for your good work. Please accept my best wishes for a successful remainder of the fall semester.

R. Thomas Flynn
President
11/08/2005