[SUNY Plattsburgh Families] Greetings from SUNY Plattsburgh

[Stephen Matthews]

I hope this finds each of you doing well.  Fall is setting in across the
North Country and our Fall Foliage is showing. The Campus has started to
settle into a routine for many of our students as the Fall 2023 semester is
now 6 weeks old (First Year Families can you believe it?!)  As many of our
students venture away from campus for our Fall Break (10/7-10/10) this
weekend, we can feel a collective sense of, "I need a little break."  For
those that are headed to see you and their families, keep in mind that
although they want to share what's going in their lives, this, for many of
them, is the first real time they've spent away from campus this semester.
They will be looking forward to seeing friends, other members of their
families, pets, and yes, even their siblings!  Some of our students will
use this time to take a short road trip or do something fun with others
from our campus.  Understand that as they grow, they will find energy from
others as much as from you.  Encourage that growth but remind them how much
you miss them as well.  As you do interact with your students here are some
things you might want to bring up with them:

· *Academics* - How are they doing?  Where are they struggling, how can you
help, and where are they seeing success?  Ask them about their classes.  Do
they like them, are they starting to get a sense of what they might want to
do when they leave the College atmosphere, etc?  If they are struggling,
suggest the Claude Clark Learning Center
<https://www.plattsburgh.edu/academics/resources/learning-center/index.html> as
a resource when they return.

· *Midterms* - Many of your students have started, or will be very soon,
completing their mid-term examinations.  This can be a busy time full of
studying and stress.  Talk with them about how they manage stress and
continue to work with them on not procrastinating.  Planning out their work
for the semester is a great strategy for success.  If they have concerns,
now is the time to visit their professors in their office hours.  Our
faculty want to work with them and help them be successful, but your
students often will need to take that first step of showing up for their
Office hours.

· *Getting Involved* - What are they doing to occupy themselves when they
are not in class?  Are they having fun, making connections, finding their
way?  If they need a nudge, share some of the information on our Getting
Involved <https://www.plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/get-involved/index.html> page,
or send them to see me.  I'm happy to work with them, I really am!

· *Advisement and courses for the Spring* - It may not seem possible, but
your students will soon be meeting with their Academic Advisors to talk
about their coursework and the courses they are hoping to take in the
Spring 2024 semester.  Registration begins for returning students on
Monday, October 23. They will need to have worked with their advisor before
they Register for their Spring classes.  Make sure they are thinking about
what they are hoping to take and are aware of the need to talk with their
Academic Advisor.  If your student does not know who their Advisor is, they
can log into their MyPlattsburgh account to find out.

I also wanted to alert you that there will be some changes coming to the
2024-25 FAFSA in December of 2023.  Some of these changes, as communicated
to me from our Student Financial Services office are:



· The application will have contributors (parents, stepparents, or spouses)
who contribute information to your application.

· Federal tax information will now be transferred directly from the IRS to
your form.

· All contributors to the form must each have a StudentAid.gov
<http://studentaid.gov/> username and password.

Visit StudentAid.gov <http://studentaid.gov/> to keep informed on the
2024-25 FAFSA launch, get your username and password, and learn about
federal student aid opportunities. If you have questions or want more
details, feel free to reach out to our Student Financial Services office
sfs at plattsburgh.edu



I can speak for all of us at SUNY Plattsburgh that it is indeed our
pleasure to work with your students.  They make us smile so often each
week, and warm our hearts with their stories, successes, and dreams.  We
are indeed privileged to be able to work with each of them.  If you are
travelling, please do so safely.  Please let me know if there is something
you need.  Be well.

STEVE MATTHEWS '90; '94
Dean of Students
106 Angell College Center
101 Broad Street
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(o) 518-564-2280 <+1-518-564-2280>
plattsburgh.edu <https://www.plattsburgh.edu/>
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