Performance Planning Awardees 2021-2022

Award Amount:  $54,500

This project builds on Old Westbury’s vibrant, and well-rounded, campus life. Collaborators believe the performing arts hold the key to the human spirit, developing empathy and mutual understanding, while unlocking creativity and inspiration undergirding intellectual life. Through performance, communities appreciate shared values and aesthetics, and experience transgressive ideas that lead to innovation and invention.  Through the development of a minor, alongside the delivery of robust programming in the College’s two performance venues, this pilot helps the College restore performing arts. Using an incremental approach that is manageable and modest, the project is well-situated to enlist the broader public in our quest for a restored performing arts curriculum.  Once realized, our vision for a lively performing arts curriculum and activities will enrich campus life even as we expand our residential population—offering students a variety of stimulating and inspiring events to attend on evenings and weekends and producing quality performances for the broader community. 

Award Amount: $30, 240

The AAC&U has recognized undergraduate research (UR) as a high-impact practice, supporting retention, college completion, and the preparation of a highly skilled workforce.  The HACU has noted the positive influence UR has in promoting college success among underrepresented minorities.  Further, student engagement in UR strengthens critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills, all valued by employers. We propose developing a center focused on providing information, support and funding to undergraduates (and their faculty mentors) seeking on and off-campus research opportunities, as well as supporting undergraduate students competing for national scholarships and fellowships i.e. Truman, Marshall, Mitchell, Udall, Gates, and Rhodes.  This center will be the Panther Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement (Panther CURE).  We will promote a Student Summer Research Fellowship (Panther Research Fellows), encourage student participation in national conferences, sponsor the development of course-embedded research opportunities, and mentor and guide students applying for national scholarships and fellowships. 

Award Amount: $43,324

The Summer Institute will expand course offerings and serve as an innovative means to increase enrollment and diversify student population, strengthen internal and external partnerships, and generate additional income for the growth and development of the institution and its academic programs and the maintenance and sustainability of this initiative. Through a blended on-campus and remote model, the institute will provide:

• academic courses during intense summer schedules for students who work during the day and cannot complete the degree of study or state required courses for additional or extended certification and/or promotion
• weekends only program for students to acquire a degree or as an option to accelerate a current degree program.
• CTLE Credits, professional conferences, workshops on timely education topics and issues which meet the needs of our internal and external partners
• evidence-based sessions for higher education faculty at OW and other institutions across the region/world to improve pedagogical skills.

Award Amount: $27,000

The SUNY Old Westbury Black Studies Center is designed to be a centralized hub for interdisciplinary program initiatives centered in Black /African American /Diasporic Studies. Like many academic departments at Old Westbury, the center will be a space for fostering co-curricular innovations and scholarship as well as provide a space to encourage student – faculty engagement, and collaboration with stakeholders across campus. The Student Government Association, Performing Arts Committee, and the Auxiliary Services Committee are just a few additional opportunities to strengthen our campus infrastructure, build institutional partnerships, and build a presence outside of the campus community by partnering with cultural, non-profit, and community-based organizations. The Black Studies Center also provides Old Westbury with an opportunity to increase its faculty diversity by hiring more BIPOC faculty to contribute to the major in accordance with our mission of social justice and the 2018 – 2023 strategic plan.

Award Amount: $67,000

As the closest SUNY to the media capital of NYC offering media production, OW is a natural fit for a signature program in Media. We envision our pilot program Diversity in Media and Journalism (DMJ) as a national model for public education addressing diversity, equity and inclusion in media and journalism. Additionally, DMJ will serve as a magnet program to attract and retain URM/BIPOC faculty. This initiative builds on OW’s strengths in diversity, social justice and our location. We seek an annual budget, faculty release time, institutional support and expanded staff to realize and maintain this outstanding campus community resource. MIC will realize its mission and the campus's mission with a focus on diversifying the media and journalism industries.

First year outcomes:

• Support URM & Women-in-Tech success through mentoring, networking and programing,
• Increase enrollment by establishing a signature program in media, and
• Contributing to campus culture through expanded hours and programming.

Award Amount: $25,000

Young people today and their parents are looking for tangible outcomes from colleges on their short list as they comparison shop. To compete for the best and brightest students with high GPAs who are in great demand by other schools that offer large scholarships, SUNY OW must provide outstanding co-curricular enrichment programming in addition to a world-class education at a fraction of the cost of other colleges. For the past nine years, Honors activities have been largely funded by the Honors Director. To grow and sustain the Honors program, a modest annual budget of $25,000 is requested. OW Honors graduates land great jobs, gain admission to law and medical schools and prestigious graduate schools such as Columbia, Cornell, and Harvard. Think of this budget as far lower and more effective than the marketing investment it will take to elevate the reputation of SUNY OW without these outcomes.

Award Amount: $57,317

The Center for Student Leadership and Involvement (CSLI) and the Student Government Association (SGA) strives to provide an easier way for students to learn about co-curricular opportunities and events on campus to ensure our campus is thriving with student life. Our goal is to bring a new platform to campus to phase out our current co-curricular platform. The new proposed platform, Engage, provides us an opportunity to customize our co-curricular tracking experience and offers us the chance to expand our use of the platform to minimize the number of systems/platforms we utilize for our day-to-day work. This new software would enhance the student experience by providing one app to view involvement opportunities, RSVP to upcoming events and the ability to check into events. This platform can also connect the academic side with the student involvement piece with micro-credentialing and badging with an add-on.