President's Annual Report 2020-2021

2020 – 2021

Annual Report

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS

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RANKINGS & ACCREDITATIONS

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FREDONIA FAST FACTS

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ACADEMIC OUTCOMES AND NEW INITIATIVES

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

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SCHOLARSHIP AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES

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SUNY-LEVEL AWARDS

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STUDENT LIFE

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ATHLETICS

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CAMPUS INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENHANCEMENTS

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PROGRESS ON PRIORITIES ENSURE CAMPUS SAFETY DURING THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC

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ENSURE GENERAL CAMPUS SAFETY AND STUDENT WELLNESS

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FUNDRAISING

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ADDRESS ENROLLMENT DECLINE

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GOALS/OUTLOOK

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ADDRESS AND REVERSE THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT

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LEADERSHIP — PRESIDENT’S CABINET

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STABILIZE SENIOR LEADERSHIP

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INITIATE A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN

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ESTABLISH A JOINT TASK FORCE ON INSTRUCTIONAL LOAD 15

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Table of Contents

MISSION Fredonia educates, challenges, and inspires students to become skilled, connected, creative, and responsible global citizens and professionals. The university enriches the world through scholarship, artistic expression, community engagement, and entrepreneurship.

VISION As a premier public university, Fredonia aspires to transform our students, our region, and our world through experiential, intellectual and creative endeavors within the traditions of inclusive community and purposeful inquiry.

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Mission and Vision Statements

Burlington

ABOUT

Toronto Niagara Falls

Founded in 1826, SUNY Fredonia is one of the jewels of the SUNY system, known for its welcoming atmosphere, distinguished faculty, and beautiful 256-acre campus. Located in the Village of Fredonia and the neighboring City of Dunkirk, with a combined population of around 20,000 people, SUNY Fredonia offers a vibrant community life, and the surrounding area is full of opportunities to visit and explore. Fredonia is conveniently located an hour from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and 2.5 hours from Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Rochester Syracuse

Buffalo

Boston

Albany

Binghamton

Hartford

FREDONIA Erie

New York Cleveland Philadelphia Pittsburgh Baltimore Columbus

3,856 

UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT 28% MINORITY

219 

GRADUATE STUDENT ENROLLMENT

28%  

STUDENTS IDENTIFY AS BLACK, HISPANIC, ASIAN, MULTIRACIAL, NATIVE AMERICAN OR ALASKAN NATIVE

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84% MONEY-BILL-WAVE-ALT

UNDERGRADUATES RECIEVED GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

1,015 File-certificate

DEGREES AWARDED 911 BACHELOR'S, 98 MASTER'S, AND 6 CERTIFICATES OF ADVANCED STUDY

— OVER —

$8,000,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO INCOMING STUDENTS

828 

EMPLOYEES 401 INSTRUCTIONAL: 235 full time instructional 166 part time instructional

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Fredonia Fast Facts

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

President’s Message Dear Fredonia Faculty, Staff, Students, Stakeholders, and Friends, As I write this message to you, I want to honor and acknowledge the work and contributions so many of you have made toward the achievement of various goals.

Fredonia has so much to be proud of, and throughout this report, I will highlight some of the 2020-21 achievements of Fredonia students, faculty, and staff, which demonstrate the strong commitment to academic excellence and service at this institution. In addition, this report will summarize some of the progress made on the priorities I identified for my first three years as president.

When I took office in August 2020, I was very impressed by the outstanding faculty, students, and staff at SUNY Fredonia. I was equally pleased with the beauty of the campus and the investments that had been made over the years to ensure an impressive infrastructure. This place is truly a gem with enormous potential, I said to myself. I still feel that way one year later as I write this message.

This is not to say that Fredonia does not have its share of challenges, like many institutions of higher education in this current era. Can an institution have wonderful things going for it and be experiencing challenges at the same time? Yes. So, in addition to what I described above regarding Fredonia, I arrived at a time when the campus was in the midst of some challenges, not the least of which was the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Clearly, we faced simultaneous challenges: to keep the campus safe from COVID-19 and operate as a residential institution; to arrest and reverse the decline in enrollment and the growing structural deficit; to build a stable senior leadership team; to initiate the development of a new strategic plan to succeed the existing strategic plan ending in 2022; and to address faculty concerns about teaching load. Together, these realities shaped, to a large extent, my entry plan and priorities for my first three years.

Despite the continuing global pandemic, this past year has been remarkably positive, characterized by teamwork, problem-solving, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is Fredonia. As we navigated challenges related to COVID-19, we received strong support from faculty, staff, alumni, leaders in the SUNY System, the College Council, donors, and other stakeholders. For example, we received visits from SUNY Chancellor, Jim Malatras; Chair of the SUNY Board of Trustees, Dr. Merryl H. Tisch; Co-chair of the Student Life Committee of the SUNY Board of Trustees, Eunice A. Lewin; State Senator George Borrello; U.S. Congressman Tom Reed; State Assemblyman Andrew Goodell; fredonia.edu

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Essek; and Dunkirk mayor, Wilfred Rosas. Many people have been pulling for us throughout our efforts to keep members of our community safe, and we are grateful for their support.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has been described as one of the major challenges that higher education has had to face in almost a century. Hence, in such a time, I feel very fortunate to be at SUNY Fredonia, where faculty, staff, and students have excelled in demonstrating their creativity, resilience, and support of each other in meeting the past year’s challenges head-on. To be clear, it was difficult at all levels of the university. Several faculty and staff members shared with me the challenges they faced that were precipitated by the pandemic. Therefore, I owe my deepest thanks to the dedicated faculty and staff for their flexibility, commitment to student success, and efforts–going above and beyond not only to keep our campus safe and operational, but also, above all, to preserve it as a place of dialogue, learning, and civility. I am also grateful to the students of Fredonia, who have shown such compassion in keeping each other safe by practicing social distancing, wearing masks, and being adaptable throughout the many changes of the past year.

I would like to extend a special thanks to our donors for their generosity, which is helping support students to persist toward achieving their academic goals. To Fredonia alumni and many other friends of the university, thank you for your moral support.

I have no illusions about the effort that will be required to address the challenges discussed above and to take full advantage of the new opportunities for advancing the university. I have the utmost confidence that everyone at Fredonia will be doing their part. I look forward to the ongoing work of achieving our goals and making progress on optimizing our enrollment and strengthening the financial position of the university.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Stephen H. Kolison, Jr., Ph.D.

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Chautauqua County Executive, Paul M. Wendel, Jr.; Fredonia mayor, Doug

Ensure Campus Safety During the Global Pandemic Navigating the global pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge for our residential campus. The following were major steps SUNY Fredonia took to remain open throughout the pandemic.

PLANNING FOR CAMPUS SAFETY The Reopening Steering Committee led campus planning efforts. The committee developed a number of policies to ensure the safety of our campus and facilitated communication by maintaining a website with campus guidelines and a COVID-19 dashboard (www.fredonia.edu/about/fall2021) that helped us monitor breakouts on campus.

PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS Part of the overall strategy to control the spread of the virus on campus was to establish an effective communication mechanism aimed at keeping the campus informed about all major developments regarding COVID-19. Every Thursday evening, weekly email messages sent to the campus community by President Kolison addressed the campus's current COVID-19 infection rate, new efforts to manage the pandemic, changes in CDC guidance and campus procedures, support resources for students and employees, and other vital information.

The campus also developed and implemented a robust testing protocol. Over the past year, more than 40,000 pool tests were conducted for students, faculty, and staff. Mask wearing was also required of all persons in indoor as well as outdoor areas. Social distancing was maintained in classroom settings and other community areas on campus, and our campus fredonia.edu

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PROGRESS ON PRIORITIES

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

instituted a teleworking program that helped reduce density on campus at a critical time.

Thanks to our custodial staff, we were able to implement sanitation protocols and ensure the safety of our on-campus experiences.

As a result of these efforts, even at the peak of COVID-19 infections across the state, active cases on the campus were kept relatively low, and consequently, we were able to carry on the academic semester without having to pause.

ESTABLISHING VACCINATION CLINICS To facilitate campus and regional community access to COVID-19 vaccines, SUNY Fredonia partnered with the Chautauqua County Health Department to administer on campus over 15,000 vaccinations between March and the end of summer. A large number of our faculty, students, and community members were able to benefit from having these vaccine clinics in proximity to their homes and workplace.

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FREDheroes was a program established to recognize campus individuals and groups for their outstanding contributions to keeping the campus safe and operational during the COVID-19 crisis.

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Debbie Dibble, Director of Student Health

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Tracy Stenger, Chair of the Infectious Control Management Team

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Tracy Collingwood, Chair of the Reopening Steering Committee and all members of the Reopening Steering Committee (Cory Bezek, Maria Carroll, Betty Gossett, Judy Horowitz, Andy Karafa, Judy Langworthy, Sarah Laurie, Ted Lee, Tim Lillie, Scott Saunders, Tracy Stenger, and Jeff Woodard) Chuck Holder, Emergency Planning Coordinator Members of the Digital Instructional Support Team (Kim Conti, Mike Dunham, Dawn Eckenrode, Kathleen Gradel, Mike Jabot, Angela McGowan, Lisa Melohusky, Paul Mockovak, Laura Shrader, and Susan Spangler)

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Kelly Vincent, COVID-19 Response and Support Coordinator

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The Emergency Response Team

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Staff of the Student Health Center

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Employees of FSA and Dining Services, including Jeff Walter

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Staff in the Office of Financial Aid

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Staff in the Office of Residence Life

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Athletics staff

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Staff in Information Technology Services

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Reed Library staff including the librarians, clerks, and cleaning staff

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Pool Testing staff and volunteers

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All custodial staff, including Kim Burlison and Bobbie Santiago, who took care of the isolation spaces

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The graduating class of 2021

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All faculty and staff

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And all students

We owe many thanks to the members of these groups and offices for going above and beyond! fredonia.edu

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

RECOGNIZING FREDHEROES

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

RECOGNIZING EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT ENGAGEMENT In addition to adhering to COVID-19 safety requirements, some students took additional steps to motivate their fellow students to keep the virus from spreading. As an example of this, Morgan Davis, a Fredonia Blue Devils Women’s Basketball team member, and eight members of the Fredonia Blue Devils Women’s Softball team were featured by SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras in his State of the University System Address for their video submission of “Mask Up or Pack Up.” Ms. Davis helped to organize a number of videos featuring the Blue Devils athletes, who demonstrated their respect for others by masking up when at practice, on campus, or in public.

CELEBRATING THE IMPACT OF THE DIGITAL INSTRUCTION SUPPORT TEAM One of the groups recognized as FREDheroes, the Digital Instructional Support Team, not only maintained academic continuity, but also facilitated innovative instructional methods. To help all Fredonia faculty smoothly transition to remote teaching, the Digital Instructional Support Team (www.fredonia.edu/digital-instruction-support) and several faculty and staff members created dozens of virtual workshops and professional development sessions over the summer and made these available online to their colleagues. The team offered inspiration about the power of online learning and connected faculty to better ways to deliver instruction using technology. As a result, we are now able to offer a more robust array of online and remote learning options.

INCREASING EQUITY AND ACCESS TO ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY: FRED LAPTOP PROGRAM Having observed from the COVID-19 pandemic the disparities among students in terms of access to the digital tools essential for today’s learning, SUNY Fredonia established the FRED Laptop program to ensure that, irrespective of their income, all students at SUNY Fredonia would have access to Fredonia’s digital tools and the ability to transition quickly to remote learning if needed. Students receive an enterprise-grade laptop with premium warranties and comprehensive on-campus support services. Partnerships with vendors enable extremely competitive prices for the laptop packages with options for either a single payment purchase or for a four-semester lease-to-own program.

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Among the most important priorities at SUNY Fredonia are student safety and wellness.

During the year under review, the following efforts were accomplished.

FOUNDING THE FREDWELL LOUNGE After a year of COVID-19 safety measures that included social distancing, mask wearing, pool testing, and other restrictions with which students had to comply, many students were looking for face-to-face interaction whenever possible. So Residence Life, Campus Life, the Counseling Center, and the President of the Student Association came together with the goal of offering students a place where they could find the resources they needed to help them cope and move through the academic year successfully. The result was the FREDwell Lounge, a wellness-focused hub of informational resources and a center for peer-led group discussions about mental health, stress reduction, and coping techniques.

The FREDwell lounge was recognized with the Outstanding Student Affairs Program Award by the Office of Student Affairs of the State University of New York.

ESTABLISHING A STUDENT ADVISORY GROUP ON CAMPUS SAFETY During a year when the nation saw contention with and increasing distrust of the policing of America, our students and the University Police came together to establish a framework for better communication. The result was the establishment of a Student Advisory Group on Campus Safety. The goal of the group is to prevent potential misunderstandings between students and the University Police. Students meet with the University Police quarterly to provide recommendations related to campus safety. The foresight of our

As a note, capital projects are major initiatives funded separately through New

Chief of Police and of our Student Association for proactively developing this positive

York State, so these efforts are not funded from tuition dollars or from the existing

relationship and for establishing this initiative is highly commendable.

university budget. This project includes ensuring that all campus building exterior doors are on the card access control system, upgrading all obsolete security cameras,

IMPROVING CAMPUS SAFETY

and enhancing emergency power and uninterruptible power sources installed in critical locations across campus.

Undertaken in 2020-21 and scheduled to be completed during 2023, the campus has embarked upon a $1.4 million capital project to upgrade critical campus safety infrastructures. fredonia.edu

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Ensure General Campus Safety and Student Wellness

A significant challenge for SUNY Fredonia is declining enrollment. In view of the financial pressures that declining enrollment creates, a high priority is being given to reversing that trend. Multiple approaches are being explored to achieve this, including the following efforts.

ADDING NEW PROGRAMS We have looked at our academic program array and are currently exploring additional new programs that are in high demand by students and that fit our mission. We have set aside funding to facilitate the exploration and development of such programs.

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Address Enrollment Decline

ENHANCING MARKETING EFFORTS We need to make prospective students aware of what SUNY Fredonia has to offer. With the goal of raising awareness among prospective students in new markets, we set aside substantial resources for marketing, and we are looking at a wider array of promotional opportunities.

IMPROVING RECRUITMENT EFFORTS We began strengthening existing transfer partnerships and promoted awareness of the Good Neighbor Award program in Pennsylvania and Ohio, a renewable award to reduce out-of-state tuition for residents of these states.

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

IMPROVING RETENTION We observed that a significant number of students do not return at the end of their first semester or first year. Therefore, we implemented targeted efforts to reverse that trend.

As an example, we were able to create a position for a retention coach, and we utilized an early alert system to tailor assistance to students. We also successfully implemented a mobile app, CircleIn, which provides rewards for utilizing a virtual space where students can study remotely, collaborate, and stay productive.

Toward the end of the Fall 2020 semester, we conducted outreach to unregistered students and contacted each to offer assistance in registering and returning in the Spring 2021 semester. Through this effort, over 69% of the unregistered students were retained and were able to return to campus and continue their degree programs.

INCREASING INTERSESSION ENROLLMENT By reviewing past transfer data and identifying specific courses that Fredonia should offer to meet student demand, 2020 summer intersession enrollment increased by 11.8% and enrollment for J-Term increased by 31.4%.

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These efforts have established the foundation that we will continue to build upon. For

For the last several years, SUNY Fredonia has faced a structural deficit that has become

our operational budget by nearly $3 million. More will need to be done to align our

an impediment to the advancement of the university and its mission. Consequently,

expenditures and revenues.

significant efforts were made to address and reverse this deficit. These efforts have included the following: u u

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Optimized expenditures and reduced OTPS Planned the FY 2022 budget to include funds to explore program development in areas of high student demand

example, during the last year, through the maximization of efficiencies, we reduced

We recognize that we will not achieve financial sustainability merely by reducing expenditures. Rather, we will achieve this through a combination of strategic investments, enhanced operational efficiencies, private fundraising efforts, optimized enrollment and retention numbers, and other entrepreneurial efforts.

Set aside funding to improve marketing and to expand outreach efforts Put in place a smart hiring freeze. Every position that became vacant/available was moved centrally and discussions were held at the Cabinet level to decide whether to fill the positions Created a new policy on how to obligate the university financially Embarked on streamlining the process to vet requests for extra service pay and establish appropriate extra service pay standards Prioritized retention by using a generous private donation to conduct an internal search for a position that will focus on implementing initiatives that improve student success and increase retention

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Address and Reverse the Structural Deficit

Maria Carroll,

Going into the 2020-21 academic year, a number of leadership positions were vacant.

Ms. Maria Carroll brings more than a decade

These leadership positions included the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs;

of human resources and legal experience to

Vice President for University Advancement; Dean of the College of Education; Dean of

SUNY Fredonia. She most recently served as

the School of Business; Dean of the School of Music; Associate Provost of Curriculum,

the Senior Human Resources business partner at Anthology,

Assessment, and Academic Support; Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer; and the

formerly Campus Labs. Prior to this, Ms. Carroll spent

Director of Human Resources.

several years in the Human Resources office at Erie

Having a strong and stable campus leadership team with members possessing the appropriate expertise is important for the health of the institution. This was also observed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) accreditation team, and the university was encouraged to make sure these positions would be filled. In addition to

Director of Human Resources

Community College and has worked at law firms in the Buffalo region. A Hamburg resident, Ms. Carroll holds a doctoral degree from the University at Buffalo School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University at Buffalo.

these leadership vacancies were a number of vacant faculty positions that were critical to the success of programs.

Vicki Sapp, Chief Diversity Officer

In the 2020-21 academic year, the following positions were filled.

Dr. Vicki T. Sapp strengthened the role of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SUNY Fredonia when she was appointed as Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

David Starrett, Executive Vice President & Provost Dr. David A. Starrett was appointed as Fredonia’s new Executive Vice President and Provost and holds a concurrent tenured position as Professor in the Department of Biology. Dr. Starrett’s background in the natural sciences and his extensive research, teaching, and academic leadership experience make him a compelling and highly strategic selection to support Fredonia’s potential for future growth, especially in the areas of science and technology. A

Officer, Affirmative Action, ADA Compliance Officer and Title IX Coordinator. Dr. Sapp earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a master’s degree in Student Personnel Administration from SUNY Buffalo State College, and her Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from the University of Rochester. She came to Fredonia from the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where she was Director of Student Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Education.

plant physiologist, Dr. Starrett earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles, and he has served as a Research Associate for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He spent 20 years at Southeast Missouri State University where he was a tenured Full Professor who served in various roles including teaching and learning center director and two Dean positions. He spent three years as Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Columbia College in Missouri and for the past two years as Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Stabilize Senior Leadership

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Initiate a New Strategic Plan The current strategic plan, Blueprint for Excellence, ends in 2022 and a new plan will be necessary for tackling the challenges of the university and taking advantage of opportunities. A committee was appointed and is working on developing a strategic plan that will guide the university during the next five years.

The goal is to have the new plan (www.fredonia.edu/strategic-plan/2021-strategic-plan) ready to implement by the end of the current strategic plan.

Establish a Joint Task Force on Instructional Load During the 2019-20 academic year, in light of the growing deficit, the university made a decision to change the teaching load from what was believed to be a 3/3 load in some areas to a uniform 3/4 load.

This has been an issue of concern, and in the academic year 2020-21, the faculty requested that this issue be resolved. This was an opportunity to evaluate equity, efficiency, and effectiveness of our teaching load and make recommendations through the shared governance process. The University Senate and the administration agreed to create a Joint Task Force on Instructional Load (JTFoIL), and the group was charged with examining teaching loads with renewed attention to appropriateness, equity, cost, and transparency.

The task force was asked to develop at least three options with regard to determining teaching loads with the goals of ensuring equity and transparency, retaining high-impact practices, maintaining the university’s mission, and maximizing efficiencies without compromising goals. The JTFoIL began its work in the Spring 2021 semester and is scheduled to make its recommendations in late 2021.

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CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

ACCREDITATION SUNY Fredonia has been a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher

Rankings & Accreditations

Education (MSCHE) (www.msche.org) since 1952. In addition to our institutional accreditation through Middle States, several academic programs also have programspecific accreditation from the following organizations:

SUNY Fredonia has been ranked as a U.S. News & World Report "Best College" every year since 1989. In the 2020-21 academic year, US News & World Report ranked Fredonia 16th among the top public universities in the North. In the larger category of both public and

PROGRAMMATIC ACCREDITATIONS

private institutions in the North, SUNY Fredonia tied for 67th (out of 176 institutions) of

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American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

the “Best Regional Universities.”

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Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

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Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

large proportions of students awarded Pell Grants. U.S. News & World Report also

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National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)

lists Fredonia as a "Best College for Veterans" and as a "Best Value School." In addition,

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National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)

Money Magazine named Fredonia as one of the top colleges in the country for quality

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Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

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National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)

Fredonia is also listed as a top performer on social mobility by enrolling and graduating

and affordability, and the Princeton Review placed Fredonia on the 2021 list of "Best Northeastern" colleges for overall quality and listed Fredonia among the best "Green Colleges" for sustainability.

MSCHE RE-ACCREDITATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT In 2020, Fredonia completed the process for a Middle States Commision on Higher Education review. The official decision came in November 2020, and as anticipated by the campus, Fredonia received reaffirmation for another eight years, with a request for a supplementary report. fredonia.edu

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Academic Outcomes and New Initiatives DEGREES AWARDED 2020-21 u

Bachelor’s - 911

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Master’s - 98

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Certificate of Advanced Study - 6

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Undergraduate Fall-to-fall retention first-time-first-year 76.7%

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6 yr graduation (2014 Cohort) 62.4%

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Student Credit Hours Generated/FTE 206

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Faculty:Student Ratio 14:1

NEW DEGREE PROGRAMS u

B.A. International Studies

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B.F.A. Dance

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Advanced Certificate in Cybersecurity

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Advanced Certificate in Child Advocacy Studies

UPDATED AND REVISED PROGRAMS

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Advanced Certificate in Bilingual Education

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M.M. Music Therapy

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Scholarship and Creative Activities GRAMMYS AWARDED TO FREDONIA FACULTY & ALUMNI Fredonia faculty and alumni received 11 Grammy nominations and 5 wins, spanning classical, opera, rock, and chart-topping pop music genres. Among the 11 nominations, School of Music faculty member Dr. Adam Luebke received the Grammy for Best Choral Performance for the recording of Richard Danielpour’s “The

Dr. Adam Luebke

Passion of Yeshua,” performed by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO), the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, and the UCLA Chamber Singers. Bernd Gottinger, coordinator of Fredonia’s Sound Recording Technology program, was engineer. Also featured on the recording were School of Music faculty instrumentalists, including trumpet professor Alex Jokipii, who is the BPO Principal Trumpet, and BPO Principal Trombone Jonathan Lombardo. Fredonia alumni were also members of the chorus.

FACULTY TEACHING, SCHOLARSHIP, AND CREATIVE WORKS u

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works (https://bit.ly/3AeXVqM)

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Grants totaled $760,122.39 for 2020-21 faculty research and projects

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Instructional faculty 402: Part-time 166 Full-time instructional 236 Tenured 148 Tenure-track 44

Non-tenure track 44

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SCH per FTE Instructor 206

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Total SCH generated 59,690; UG SCH 57,750 and GR SCH 1,940

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

FREDONIA WELCOMES SUNY PRODIG FACULTY Dr. Andrés García Molina is spending two years as a research fellow in Ethnomusicology at the Fredonia School of Music as the recipient of a SUNY PRODiG Fellowship. His research focuses on sound, labor, and media in contemporary Cuba and has been funded by the Mellon Foundation and the Social Science Research Council. His doctoral dissertation at Columbia University was on the politics of street vendor songs in Cuba during the reforms of Raúl Castro, for which Dr. Andrés García Molina conducted extensive fieldwork in Cuba.

SUPPORT FOR UNDERREPRESENTED MUSICIANS

Dr. Andrés García Molina

The Claudette Sorel Visiting Artist Fund was established to support and raise the visibility and advancement of underrepresented music and musicians in the fields of composition, conducting, film scoring, performance, arts leadership and music education. The Sorel Organization has made a three-year pledge, with the first visiting artist residency beginning in 2021.

CURRICULAR ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVES Fredonia increased the number and variety of incentive programs, training sessions, and resources for faculty and staff to enhance the curriculum, promote dialogue, and create opportunities to practice inclusion. Among the many resources and forms of support offered over the last year are the following: Summer Research & Creativity Awards, Instructional Incentive Awards for Teaching Innovation, Open Educational Resources (OER) Course Redesign Incentives, Hagan Young Scholar and Artist Awards, Kasling Lecture Awards, Kraus/Fredonia Conversations in Discipline Awards, a Fredonia Brown Bag Series, an eDossiers program, the annual Teaching and Learning Conference, a Connections mentoring program, FRED Diversity Facilitators Training, Gender Harassment Training, an online Cultural Information Index, and a Diversity in Study Abroad website.

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SUNY-Level Awards

David Kaplin

Joe Dan Harper

CHANCELLOR’S AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE The Chancellor awarded the following awards for excellence to Fredonia students and employees. These awards, along with their certificates and medallions, were presented to Tracy Stenger

faculty and staff recipients during the All-Campus Meeting and represent the SUNY Systemlevel recognitions of our colleagues’ consistent pursuit of professionalism in service to Fredonia and teaching of our students. u

Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service - Kevin Lane

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Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service - Tracy Stenger

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Linda Prechtl

Leah Betts

Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities - Joe Dan Harper

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Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching - Michael Joseph Igoe

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Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching - David Kaplin

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Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Classified Service - Leah Betts

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Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching - Linda Prechtl

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Michael Joseph Igoe

Braelin Scott

Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence - Elizabeth Hahn, Braelin Scott and Thomas Sheffield

SUNY DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR

Kevin Lane

Dr. James Davis, a Professor of Musicology in the Fredonia School of Music, was appointed a State University of New York Distinguished Professor. Dr. Davis is known for his meticulous on-site archival research and his large body of groundbreaking published work. He is an internationally renowned musicologist with an expertise in the music of the American Civil War.

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Thomas Sheffield

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James Davis Elizabeth Hahn

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Student Life With over 1700 students living on campus in Fall 2020, Fredonia is proud of its vibrant campus life and student access to over 170 student clubs that support academic learning and personal growth. The following highlights are just a few examples from the 2020-21 year.

HYBRID COMMENCEMENT A total of 917 students graduated in 2021. Students completing degree programs were given the opportunity to experience a Commencement walk in the more intimate King Concert Hall, much as they would have done on a raised platform in the Steele Hall Field House, our traditional site of Commencement. Graduates attired in the traditional cap and gown were welcomed by greeters while “Pomp and Circumstance” played in the background. As the graduates walked across the stage, they were congratulated by the Vice Presidents and President Kolison. There were 443 students, 410 undergraduates and 33 graduate students, who participated in the Commencement walk, which was recorded and made available to friends and families worldwide.

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Over 4,800 positions are made available daily for students and alumni in the FREDNetwork, with approximately 1,000 of these positions being internship opportunities for our students. Fredonia implemented our first ever virtual Fredonia Employer Showcase with over 30 presentations made by employers to 360 participating students.

COLLINGWOOD DISTINGUISHED LECTURES FOR DIVERSITY Tiq Milan, a Black trans activist, writer, public speaker and strategic media consultant, presented "The Future of Inclusion: Innovating in a Post-COVID World." Mr. Milan’s talk was the inaugural address in the Collingwood Distinguished Lecture for Diversity series that brings annual talks to Fredonia. An advocate in the LGBT community for over 10 years, Milan shared stories of his journey of becoming a man and what he’s learned about the masculine experience and binary gender.

Writer, advocate, and advisor Dr. Crystal Williams presented “Charting Your Path and Deploying Your Talents in Service to Others” for the spring Collingwood Distinguished Lecture for Diversity. Dr. Williams is Vice President and Associate Provost for Community and Inclusion and Professor of English at Boston University. Williams is a regular advisor to senior leaders, organizations, and colleges, with a focus on leadership development, recruitment, retention, inclusive climate development, and organizational capacity building in the arts and higher education.

EMPATHY: THE TOPIC OF CONVOCATION 2020-21 Emily Calandrelli, MIT engineer turned Emmy-nominated science TV host, was the Maytum Convocation Lecturer in 2020-21. She discussed “Empathetic Science Communication in an Increasingly Polarized World." Calandrelli has been featured as a correspondent on Bill Nye Saves the World and has worked as an executive producer and host of FOX's Xploration Outer Space, which airs in 100 million households each week.

GILMAN DIVERSITY ABROAD Carl Aldinger, a rising senior Honors student double-majoring in Communication: Video Production and Spanish, has been awarded a $3,000 national Benjamin A. Gilman fredonia.edu

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

INTERNSHIPS AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Since 2015, the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship program has awarded more than $60,000 to 15 Fredonia students.

STUDENT RESEARCH RECOGNIZED Over 30 students developed poster presentations, research papers and other projects that were showcased virtually at Fredonia’s 23rd annual Office of Student Creative Activity and Research Exposition in April. All projects can be viewed online. https://padlet.com/FREDpad/hd9cct26pg8nq5fm

VIRTUAL PERFORMANCES The COVID-19 crisis did not stop our students from showcasing their talent and connecting to the community. Among the many examples, the percussion ensemble was a first place winner in an international competition and was featured on CNN International Inside Africa. Fredonia hosted its annual String Festival virtually with special guest artists from Project: Music Heals Us, and students led community outreach initiatives that connected with the Fredonia Central School district and the community’s elderly population.

HONORS PROGRAM The Honors Program offered nearly 100 virtual and in-person events including an exclusive training session with organizational psychologist, Dr. Benjamin Hardy, and a talk

by Honors alumna Rebekah Denz, who works at the Office of Records Management at the White House. The program also partnered with FSA to offer healthy cooking demos with videos that are available on how to make inexpensive, healthy snacks that don't require access to a full kitchen.

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

International Scholarship to support a study abroad experience in Ecuador.

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Athletics Fredonia hosts 11 Women’s Teams (soccer, tennis, volleyball, cross country, basketball, swimming and diving, track and field, lacrosse, softball, and cheerleading) and 8 Men’s Teams (soccer, cross country, basketball, hockey, swimming and diving, track and field, and baseball). Despite the limited season, SUNYAC announced a return to sports starting in February 2021. This was a great step toward returning to in-person activities with spring sports teams playing in a reduced schedule of conference-centered games and fall sports teams enjoying regular practices and a day of competition.

Despite being held virtually, the FREDDYS, Fredonia’s annual athletics award ceremony, highlighted both team and individual successes. A total of 137 Blue Devils were included on the SUNYAC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll, and 25 Blue Devils athletes were recognized for academic excellence as they were inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma honor society.

AWARDS FOR THE SEASON: u

Blue Devils Women’s volleyball team earned 2020-21 USMC/AVCA

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Blue Devils Athletes named to SUNYAC All-Conference teams - 137

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Jane Chiacchia was named SUNYAC Elite 20 Award Women’s Tennis and 2021 SUNYAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women’s tennis Eleanor Clarke was named SUNYAC Elite 20 Award Women’s Track and Field

A recap of the 2020-21 FREDDYS can be viewed online

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Campus Infrastructure and Enhancements RENOVATION OF HOUGHTON HALL Fredonia completed renovation of Houghton Hall, a $37 million capital project, which completes the STEM academic corridor. Departments will begin moving into their new spaces over the next year. The building will house the Departments of Computer & Information Sciences, Geology and Environmental Sciences, Physics, and Math. Some of the features of the renovated space are modernized teaching and research laboratories, computer teaching labs, the Stanley Museum Lab, a fabrication lab, conference rooms, student lounges, faculty offices, and an administrative suite.

INSTALLATION OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC ARRAY Supporting the SUNY Clean Energy Roadmap, the installation of the 1.4 megawatt solar array and 500 kilowatt battery provide financial savings and support campus environmental sustainability efforts. The project was a collaboration among SUNY Fredonia, New York Power Authority, Oriden, and Solar Liberty.

IMPROVED SERVICES AND INCREASED EFFICIENCIES u

Implemented a shared service framework with other SUNYs

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Upgraded to a VoIP phone system

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Upgraded the information technology network backbone

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Implemented a new procurement software as part of SUNY system pilot: FredMART/Jaggaer Transitioned to an electronic timesheet system for CSEA staff

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According to the SUNY Fundraising Survey Report, Fredonia is 5th among SUNY Comprehensive colleges in fundraising over the last 2 years.

During the 2020-21 academic year, we surpassed $50 million in net assets in the Fredonia College Foundation.

We also closed out the largest capital campaign, Nurturing Innovation: The Campaign for Fredonia, and surpassed the $20 million goal by $4.5 million, raising a total of $24,520,307.

This campaign was publicly announced in Fall 2017 and completed in 2021.

During 2020-21, the final academic year of the campaign, nearly $1.8 million was raised.

Students and programs directly benefited from these funds, with over $1.6 million awarded in scholarships and support for campus programs.

The many alumni, friends, parents, students, organizations, foundations, boards, corporations, faculty, staff, and emeritus members who helped achieve this fundraising goal deserve our thanks.

BREAKDOWN OF FUNDRAISING CATEGORIES:

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Access to Quality Education Goal $10 million; Raised $10,343,254

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Learning from Experience Goal $4 million; Raised $5,809,537

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Learning Spaces Goal $2 million; Raised $4,683,675

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Exceptional Faculty Goal $2 million; Raised $1,445,939

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Unrestricted Gifts Goal $2 million; Raised $2,237,902

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Fundraising

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Goals/Outlook In the 2021-22 academic year, several of the initiatives from 2020-21 will continue while new goals and initiatives will also be pursued. These will include the following: u

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Enhancing enrollment and retention efforts Identifying and implementing cost-saving measures aimed at addressing the structural deficit Continuing to strengthen leadership of the university by providing professional development for individuals in leadership roles and completing searches for the Chief Information Officer and for Deans for the School of Business and School of Music

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Continuing the development of a new strategic plan

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Resolving concerns about teaching load

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Ensuring that Fredonia remains safe and vibrant as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic

Reviewing the academic array to ensure the appropriate mix of programs that will attract students Filling critical faculty vacancies Undertaking branding initiatives that will allow effective marketing of the university and its programs Developing and launching a bicentennial capital campaign that will enhance access and persistence Reviewing and enhancing diversity and inclusion efforts

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For the academic year 2020-21, the following individuals served on the President’s Cabinet:

Dr. Kevin Kearns

Dr. Cedric Howard

Ms. Betty Gossett

Mr. Michael Metzger

Mr. Jeff Woodard

Ms. Denise Szalkowski

Director of Marketing and

Assistant to the President

Communications

Interim Provost and Vice

Vice President for

Interim Vice President for

Vice President for Finance

President of Academic

Enrollment and Student

University Advancement

and Administration

Affairs

Services

and Fredonia College Foundation Executive Director

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

Leadership — President’s Cabinet

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