<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;font-weight:700">Academic Affairs Newsletter: April/May 2025</span></div><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-fe216416-7fff-b0cc-b964-1ac0abfc53b3"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:10pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">May 12, 2025</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:10pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">To:<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Academic Affairs Faculty and Staff  </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:10pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">From:<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Marcus Tye, Provost & SVPAA   </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">[he/him]</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">With our Queensbury commencement a success this past Saturday, and our Plattsburgh commencement coming up May 17, we have much to be grateful for. I want to express my personal gratitude for an amazing first year at an institution with people truly dedicated to our students’ success. I hope we’ll have even more attending our Academic Planning Summit May 22 (and May 23 virtual). Please </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTfn5fvhHGvKu1B96_UcNTtfsvherZzHJRNFToiBDVs7GvRA/viewform" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">register here</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> by Thursday May 15 for the in-person event, no registration needed for virtual. This summer the Steering Committee will undertake significant work. Online spaces will be announced to permit faculty who are away in summer to participate in academic planning should they wish. I am optimistic we’ll arrive at an academic plan in Fall that will enhance our students’ academic experience across many dimensions, be mindful of future demographic changes while preserving our strengths, history and mission as a regional public comprehensive, and offer clarity for how enrollment needs relate to budgets and the potential for sustaining programs and indeed growing and creating a vibrant environment for faculty and staff alike. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">In other announcements, the new Faculty Senate recommended Course Opinion Survey will be run this summer with links presented to students through email and the LMS. We’ve been testing it with a small group of early adopters with spring courses and they’ve found positive feedback from students on their ability to complete. Taking class time and asking students to complete during class on their phones/laptops has been found to increase response rates. Faculty still have the option of including questions from optional department surveys, including questions from the old COS should you wish, in the new system (which students can take via phone or web). We hope you will move away from Scantrons as we implement the Senate’s new policy fully. More to come from JoAnn for those teaching summer courses, keep an eye out for email.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The state budget was finalized recently and we are cautiously optimistic our campus budget will be as expected. If all continues to go well, we will be able to undertake 9 faculty searches in 2025-2026 to start Sept. 1, 2026. These will be funded from a larger number of retirements, after taking year 2 reductions in Academic Affairs’ total budget reductions per the President’s 3-year reduction timeline in order to keep our campus fiscally responsible. Together as a team I worked with our Academic Affairs (provost’s) cabinet to consider as a team needs in all areas within academic affairs, reaching consensus on the best allocation of limited resources given factors such as new programs, current trends, and general education, as well as program and accreditation needs. I am hopeful that the Academic Plan will provide additional guideposts for such decisions in future years and mechanisms to link growth to additional resources. All hires of course will be subject to our enrollment projections and state funding remaining as anticipated. In the case of unexpected resignations, I am also authorizing where essential “like-kind” replacement outside of the spring lines decisions. I am being cautious about funding new initiatives or continuing ones that were funded from one-time dollars, balancing these requests with needs for faculty searches.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Working with Mike Simpson, over the summer we hope to produce </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">a lookbook/viewbook of student-faculty creative and scholarly work</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">, an e-booklet of 24-25 and ongoing scholarly and creative work between faculty and students, please look out for calls from Mike for a Google Form or similar so we can complete this in summer. This will be a simple “slide” for each project with a few words on the student, on the project, on the impact/benefit for the student and world, and on faculty advisor and their interest.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Announcing CIAPI! </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">We will be merging the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Technology Enhanced Learning Center into a new Center for Instructional and Program Innovation. Thanks to Kelly Theisen for the name! I hope we might adopt an Italian-British-ish pronunciation, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">CHEE-ah-pea</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">. This merging would take place once we have a CIAPI Director, and I hope will help facilitate support for teaching excellence and also enhance new program development (including micro-credentials, online, and traditional programs). The first step is a search for the director. We are in the final stage of HR review of the classification (funded from the former CTE director salary, but with broader responsibilities). There will be continuing faculty fellows involvement in CIAPI (two in Fall 2025 continuing current CTE programming).</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">I know this is one of our busiest times of year, and thank you for reading this far. Good luck as you work through final grades on time, complete any past-due mandatory trainings for compliance, get ready for a joy-filled commencement as we celebrate our students and each other’s accomplishments in helping them accomplish their academic journeys. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">As you construct fall syllabi, I hope you will include where appropriate encouraging or even assigning students to attend one of the many cultural, academic events, and athletic events that occur throughout the semester.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Whether you are in a 12-month position busy with summer budget close-outs and the like, teaching summer sessions, or faculty “away” yet equally busy with curriculum, scholarly and creative work, I hope each of you will have some time for recharging. Safe travels for those venturing afar! And, my best wishes for a healthy and productive summer to all. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">kind regards, Marcus</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;text-align:center;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Below the Fold</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Highlights and accomplishments from throughout Academic Affairs for the prior month are here in a slightly modified version of AA’s most recent </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hOsYCbmIm9J1v9bNuMfHbeX8AboBKV22w0xbjHYNa7s/edit?usp=drive_link" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">University Council Report April 2025</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">. More extensive </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EwL_J8IprBgaB3KrkVO3IwV8AQHDhAcOaap6JMVXAHM/edit?tab=t.0" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">news and accomplishments (a small selection) can be read here</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">. I would also like to point your attention to some great work from the </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yh7fJ4-zRkFL1MIz_5ThyYEBvM0DrCITXNhjdQODKEE/edit?tab=t.0" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">Plattsburgh State Art Museum</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">.</span></p></span><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"></span><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div>