May 15, 2023... Congratulations to all on a great Spring 2023 semester.
CELEBRATING OUR GRADUATES I am very excited that we will soon celebrate the graduates of fall 2022, and winter, spring and summer 2023 during the campus' 57th Commencement Ceremony. Last week's Commencement Celebration had a great spirit to it, and I thank all who played a part in making those exciting days occur. I am pleased to announce that, when we gather at the Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday, May 24, we will welcome as our Commencement Speaker Dr. Laura Anker, distinguished professor emerita. I am very excited to have Dr. Anker provide the Commencement Address. The Class of 2023 includes many who were members of our First-Year class in Fall 2019, and whose collegiate experience has been like none other. To me, it's the perfect time to have Dr. Anker reflect on their experience, discuss how Old Westbury's mission has shaped them, and send them forward into their lives to be changemakers for themselves, their loved ones and their communities. My thanks to the Commencement Committee, and especially its chair, Danielle Collins Groner, for the work they have done and all that they still have to do over the next nine days. I simply can't wait to congratulate our graduates.
A COLLEGE NO MORE I am equally excited about our institution being recognized as a "university," formally named as the State University of New York at Old Westbury effective July 1, 2023. While I made this announcement during my inauguration in April and in an e-mail I shared with all on campus in days afterward, I want to reiterate that this change not only reflects the quality and prestige of an Old Westbury education, but it also will support our continued growth as we work to attract top talent from around the nation. Further, I want to again point out that our mission and focus will not change. SUNY Old Westbury is a campus committed to powerful, liberal arts education and dedicated to preparing its students for career and life success while empowering them to be changemakers for social and environmental justice. While the change technically takes place over the summer, we will find ways to celebrate it as a community when all return to campus next fall.
FOUNDING DAYS OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE INSTITUTE This semester saw the soft launch of the Social & Environmental Justice Institute (SEJI) at SUNY Old Westbury. Planned to serve as the hub of a living-learning community with its offices within Woodland Hall 1, the Institute serves as the home to the varied centers of inquiry and activity led by members of the College’s faculty who embrace social justice in their research and teaching and engage with students and community partners through shared ideals and co-curricular programming. Among the College’s current centers already working as part of the Institute are the Black Studies Center, the Community Action Learning and Leadership program, El Conuco - the College’s center focused on Latinx and Ibero-American culture, history and impact, the School of Education’s Summer Institute for Teachers, the campus’ United Nations Academic Impact liaison, and the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Center. A new center related to environmental studies and protection is in development as part of the Institute as well. I thank all the faculty who are taking part in the development of this effort, and for the many programs that you collaborated on this semester to bring life to SEJI. I look forward to even more progress in the fall.
PHYSICAL CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTSThe work to improve campus facilities and beautify our surroundings will always be an ongoing priority for me. Much progress has occurred and there is more to come. The renovation of the Duane L. Jones Recital Hall in Campus Center is nearly complete and, from what I have seen, it is fantastic! Pending the arrival of a few technological elements, it should be ready for campus use in the fall semester. The renewal of the Clark Athletic Center and the Jackie Robinson Athletic Fields is also nearly complete. After not having them available to us for more than three years due to the pandemic-related uses that were housed there, I cannot wait to cheer on our Panther athletes -- right here on campus, with actual home games and matches -- next year! The installation of an outdoor fitness center (behind the Campus Library) for the use of all on campus should be finished shortly. Work to replace the railings and appearance of the Campus Center Atrium continues to press forward, with roughly half the space complete. The refurbished Media Innovation Center is expected to come online for fall. Several critical student service functions were moved to create greater access and efficiency. This list just touches a few of the many, important projects underway or completed this semester and in no way does justice to the amount of time, effort and coordination required. My thanks to the teams in the Office of Capital Planning and the Maintenance and Facilities Department for their leadership in making these projects a reality.
STRATEGIC PLANNING CONTINUES The planning process for the next five years of our institution’s future made progress this semester, with the entirety of the work revolving around the shared vision we will carry forward together. A series of visioning workshops, cascading sessions and more have occurred and I expect we will soon settle on the proposed vision statement that will buttress the rest of our strategic planning process. I really hope that we have a wide array of participants in this process as we continue to move forward. The strategic planning process will also include various committees who will develop goals and ideas across the wide spectrum of academic, operational, community and other aspects that make our campus what it is -- and what it can be. If you have not volunteered for a strategic planning subcommittee but still have an interest in doing so, please contact Roger Mayer and Jo-Ann Robinson, co-chairs of the Strategic Plan Analysis, Assessment and Review sub-committee of the campus' Planning and Budget Committee, via chiefofstaffow@oldwestbury.edu. TAKE PART! Have your voice heard!
Thank you all! Enjoy the summer and I look forward to seeing you back on campus this fall as students, faculty, staff and -- for those will celebrate at Commencement -- ALUMNI!
Timothy E. Sams