[Important Information for Employees] April Campus Update

[Office of the President]

Dear Cardinal Community,

The final weeks of the spring semester are perhaps the most joyful and
busiest in the life of any university campus. Each of our lives is filled
with some combination of activities, celebrations, examinations, reviews,
and other deadline-oriented work.
It is both the best time and simultaneously can be the most stressful.

Whether you are coordinating these special programs or making them possible
through other efforts, I encourage you to take breaks where you can but
also to be energized by the incredible students around us. In a meeting
this week with the Plattsburgh Next accountability partners, I was drawn to
the "why" of our purpose here. It culminates when approximately 1,000 of
our students gather on Saturday, May 20 and they cross the stage in the
Field House gymnasium. Collectively, we help students forge productive,
powerful and creative futures for themselves and all whose lives they will
touch. This campus helps students achieve their academic dreams and changes
their lives forever.

There are so many moments that draw us to that. Last night I celebrated
with EOP students at a moving awards ceremony. On Monday in Albany, SUNY
honored two of our graduates -- Jerry Jean-Baptiste, a Communication
Sciences & Disorders senior from Brooklyn; and Nina Serafini, an English
Language Arts / English Literature senior from Schenectady, with the
prestigious Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. We are proud of
these graduates and all of our students, as I am proud of each of you.


*Enrollment *In the spirit of the seasonal busyness, I am sending an email
that is a bit shorter. However, I anticipate that I will have more to say
next month.

As of Monday, we had 988 total deposits for new students, or 58% of the way
to our total target of 1,700. This includes 771 undergraduate deposits and
217 graduate deposits. First-year New York state domestic student deposits
for fall 2023 are trending 12% higher than this time last year. The North
Country region continues to be a bright spot with applications,
acceptances, and deposits up by 31%, 36%, and 26% respectively. Similarly,
out-of-state students are showing increased applications, acceptances, and
deposits of 34%, 20%, and 50% compared to this time last year. Out-of-state
student recruitment was the target for investment of some of our one-time
SUNY funds. I am pleased that this strategy is yielding positive results.

Our admissions office is contacting students and the parents of accepted
students to answer questions they might have about committing to our
university as we work toward the May 1 deposit deadline for first-year
students. Telephone calls, text messages and emails are part of the
communication process by staff and current-student ambassadors. I also want
to thank the faculty and others who continue to reach out to accepted
students. We are grateful for this support as we work to enroll the fall
2023 class.


*NY State Budget and Campus Plans*The New York state budget is now almost
four weeks late. It has entered and remained in the quiet phase, with
matters like housing regulations, bail reform and policy matters seeming to
hold up the process. Based on recent news reports, lawmakers will continue
to pass budget extenders to keep employees paid until all is resolved,
perhaps next week.

Until then, we remain optimistic that the early wins for us and the entire
SUNY system remain intact. Increased state operating aid to individual
campuses was advanced by Gov. Hochul and both the Senate and Assembly. This
is critical for us as we tackle increased costs, as is added money
narrowing the "TAP gap" -- the difference between tuition billed to the
student and that paid for by state aid. More one-time funds, both for
needed technology upgrades and possible enhancements to our endowments, are
also possible budget additions. We will stay tuned. As we do, our own
budget work across divisions continues and I will share more of those
details in next month's update.


*Plattsburgh Next Implementation*Details on our continued work to advance
the four strategic pillars -- growing and stabilizing enrollment,
strengthening student success, prioritizing equity and inclusion, and
engaging the North Country region -- have been updated online at
*plattsburgh.edu/next* <http://plattsburgh.edu/next>. I encourage you to
read through these details when you are able. I also *encourage you to
share your ideas online here*
<https://www.plattsburgh.edu/about/president-leadership/index.html>. We
will be looking at ways over the summer to instill the pillars and
mileposts in more of the day-to-day work of campus, as well as venues for
more conversations and reviews of its implementation.

As we prepare for the summer recharging and refocusing that will lead to a
strong fall 2023 semester, I am drawn back to the beginning of this message
-- the "why," and the special events that take place on Saturday, May 20. This
is such an important time, and it is far more than ritual. It is a direct
reflection and culmination of our efforts, ones that will live on in the
lives of these future alumni and their continued connection with our
university. What an incredible opportunity we have to be a part of that!

As always, thank you for all you do to support our students and each other.

Alex
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