<div dir="ltr"><p>Dear Campus Community,</p>

<p>Please see the announcement below from SUNY regarding the launch of the new Disability Support Leadership Institute, which strengthens system wide efforts to advance accessibility and support students with disabilities.</p>

<p>SUNY Plattsburgh is already strongly aligned with these priorities through several initiatives currently underway on our campus, including:</p>

<ul>

<li>

<p>Accessibility Day on Monday, January 12, 2026, will bring faculty and staff together for a full day of events focused on strengthening accessibility in teaching, learning, and student support. <a href="https://facweb.plattsburgh.edu/workshops/" style="">Registration</a> is open through January 5.</p>

</li>

<li>

<p>Our new Center for Instructional and Program Innovation (CIAPI) integrates instructional support and course development services to help ensure accessible, high-quality learning experiences across all modalities.</p>

</li>

<li>

<p>The ongoing work of our <a href="https://www.plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/student-support/index.html" style="">Access & Opportunity Programs</a> (AOP) and student support units continues to expand academic resources and mentoring for students from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds, including many students with disabilities.</p>

</li>

</ul>

<p>These and many other efforts, programs and resources across campus position our campus well as SUNY continues to elevate accessibility and inclusive learning across the system. Thank you to the many faculty and staff whose work contributes to these important initiatives.</p><p>Dr. Alexander Enyedi, President<br><br></p><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">SUNY Communications</strong> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:communications@suny.edu">communications@suny.edu</a>></span><br>Date: Wed, Dec 3, 2025 at 12:02 PM<br>Subject: News Release: SUNY Chancellor King Commemorates International Day of Persons with Disabilities with Launch of the SUNY Disability Support Leadership Institute<br>To:  <<a href="mailto:SUNYPIO-L@ls.sysadm.suny.edu">SUNYPIO-L@ls.sysadm.suny.edu</a>><br></div><br><br><div class="msg-4374115362542655335">

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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">For Immediate Release: Wednesday, December 3, 2025<u></u><u></u></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Contact: Holly Liapis,

</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:Holly.Liapis@suny.edu" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext">Holly.Liapis@suny.edu</span></a></span><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">,

 (518) 477-0757<u></u><u></u></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">SUNY Chancellor King Commemorates International Day of Persons with Disabilities with Launch of the SUNY Disability

 Support Leadership Institute<u></u><u></u></span></b></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">SUNY’s Disability Support Leadership Institute Will Bolster the Success of Emerging Campus Leaders in Supporting

 Students with Disabilities<u></u><u></u></span></i></b></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Lauren Rodriguez Named as Inaugural Executive Director<u></u><u></u></span></i></b></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Albany, NY —

</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the launch of the Disability Support Leadership Institute and named Dr. Lauren Rodriguez as

 executive director. The Disability Support Leadership Institute, included in the

</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/chancellor/SUNY-State-of-the-University-PolicyAgenda-2025.pdf#page=[30]" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext">2025

State of the University</a> agenda<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">, will help foster the success of emerging campus leaders in supporting students with disabilities.

<u></u><u></u></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">“There is a place at SUNY for everyone, and we are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment at all of our campuses,”<b> SUNY Chancellor

 King said. </b>“The launch of the SUNY Disability Support Leadership Institute will help our faculty and staff committed to accessibility develop their leadership skills and ensure our students with disabilities have the necessary tools to thrive during their

 educational journeys. I am excited to name Lauren Rodriguez the executive director of the Disability Support Leadership

<a name="m_-4374115362542655335__Int_FExeHv0P">Institute and </a>look forward to working with her to continue to expand accessibility at SUNY.”<u></u><u></u></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">SUNY Trustee Camille Joseph Varlack and SUNY Trustee Marcos Crespo, Co-Chairs of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, said,

</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">“Ensuring that all students feel supported and represented is an important part of SUNY’s commitment to student success. The Disability Support Leadership Institute

 will play a key role in guaranteeing SUNY continues to provide a welcoming and accessible environment for our students with disabilities. Thank you to Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for their continued support of accessibility and inclusivity at

 SUNY.”<u></u><u></u></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">In January, Chancellor King announced the inaugural class of

</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.suny.edu/suny-news/press-releases/1-25/1-9-25/udl-fellows.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext">SUNY

 Accessibility Advocates and Allies (AAA) Faculty Fellowship Program</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">. A total of 11 fellows from across the SUNY system were chosen to work to expand digital

 accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) across their campuses. Currently, SUNY serves more than 41,000 students with disabilities — and the largest group of these

<a name="m_-4374115362542655335__Int_lHmVYE7X">students</a> report having a neurodevelopmental disability. The launch of the Disability Support Leadership Institute builds on SUNY’s actions to increase

<a name="m_-4374115362542655335__Int_SlCJZM1B">supports</a> for students with disabilities. Chancellor King will be announcing the next cohort of SUNY Accessibility Advocates and Allies Faculty Fellows to continue the work undertaken by the initial SUNY AAA fellow cohort.

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">SUNY has also invested

</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/news/Students-Disabilities-10M-fact-sheet.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext">$10

 million in annual recurring State funding</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> to support State-operated campuses in increasing support for students with disabilities. SUNY campuses have utilized

 their portion of the state investment to expand services for students with disabilities in a variety of ways, including hiring staff to mitigate barriers and support students with disabilities, purchase new accessibility technology equipment for student and

 faculty use, and make physical space improvements to increase accessibility. <u></u>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Lauren Rodriguez brings 15 years of dedicated experience to her new position as Executive Director of SUNY's Disability Support Leadership Institute. Since

 2021, Dr. Rodriguez has served as the SUNY Director of Resources for Students with Disabilities. Chancellor King selected Dr. Rodriguez to serve as the first executive director of the newly launched Disability Support Leadership Institute because of her deep

 understanding of higher education operations, her focus on collaborative leadership, and her experience in supporting and serving individuals with disabilities. The SUNY Disability Support Leadership Institute will be a part of the

</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.suny.edu/leads/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext">SUNY Leads initiative</span></a>,</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">

 which was established by Chancellor King and is designed to empower individuals to become influential leaders within their campuses, the SUNY System, and across the higher education sector.<u></u><u></u></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">About The State University of New York</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers

 live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only

 college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs.

 SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.16 billion in fiscal year 2024, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide,

 and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="http://www.suny.edu/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext">www.suny.edu</a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">.

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