Dear Colleagues:

I hope that it has been a most enjoyable summer for all of you!

Although the University's core academic activities are largely in recess during the summer, an array of initiatives, planning and budget-related activities, renovations, and student orientations have continued in preparation for the new academic year. I write to update you on these efforts as well as to report on several changes in administrative leadership.

While long delayed, the recently enacted State Budget contains particularly good news for the University at Albany. As I am sure you are all aware, the spending reductions in the University's base budget were restored in the final version of the State Budget, and the State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) was fully funded. As a result, the SUNY Trustees have announced that there will not be a tuition increase this year. I thank all of you who participated with us in advocacy for these critical restorations of our core funding.

Also of critical importance to our campus, the Governor and the Legislature have agreed to increase the SUNY bond cap for capital construction by $812 million which we expect will, in part, provide funding for the start of our Master Plan facilities expansion due to be finalized over the next several months. This is excellent news given the tremendous space constraints under which we are currently operating.

I am also delighted to report that the campus' efforts to secure new funding for a number of academic projects have also been successful. The Governor and the Legislature have expressed their support for this campus in a number of tangible ways. As part of the statewide economic development package they have included $10 million for the expansion of the CESTM facility. This expansion will house a microelectronics pilot manufacturing/workforce training facility. This state-of-the-art research facility will strengthen the University's bid to attract a major Semiconductor Industry Association research center, an initiative we are undertaking in partnership with RPI, MIT, and Stanford University. In addition, the budget includes a $5 million State match for this competition.

There were many other items of importance to our academic programs included in the Budget as well. There is an appropriation for $125,000 to support a new Center for Minority Health Training and Research Education based in our School of Public Health. This Center will serve the faculty, students and the public through research and outreach initiatives focused on minority health issues. Further, as a result of our legislative efforts, the School of Social Welfare will now be eligible to participate in the State's $2.5 million Caseworker Education Program. The School of Social Welfare also received funding for additional staff support to expand the Community and Public Service Program which serves thousands of citizens in over 100 not-for-profit agencies in the Capital Region. We were also successful in securing State matching funds for our Center for Advanced Technology, which will leverage equipment from the private sector valued at $1 million. We have also received legislative authorization to establish a long-term partnership with the College of St. Rose for programs to be housed in buildings on our Alumni Quad on the downtown campus. This partnership will benefit both institutions well into the next century. I will expand on these and other important budget-related matters at the Fall Faculty Meeting on September 10th. Suffice it to say, thanks to the help and support of many of you, the University at Albany has received support which will be critical as we continue to move the campus forward.

Let me also add how very pleased I am regarding the successfully negotiated Agreement between New York State and United University Professions, Inc. I have very much appreciated the continued collegiality and professionalism of all members of the faculty and professional staff during this lengthy negotiation.

As we look forward to welcoming the incoming Class of 2001, we are still on a course to achieve our recruitment goals of improving the academic profile of our freshman class and recruiting a class of 2,100 students. In addition, we are continuing to work with transfer applicants toward our ambitious goal of 1,200 transfer students. Graduate admission activity suggests that we will enroll about the same number as last year, which, though lower than we had hoped, will allow us to maintain campus enrollment. Again, many thanks to so many of you who have participated in these critical recruitment activities.

We have also continued to move forward on two significant planning activities. The first is Strategic Planning, through which we are engaging in a critical internal dialogue aimed at developing consensus around a shared vision for our University. As the first step, the Strategic Planning Committee, chaired by Provost Judy Genshaft, has enunciated and endorsed a set of strategic values to define our institution. These values complement the University's Mission Statement and set the context for the development of strategic goals which will guide our future planning and resource allocation . . . both at the campus and college level. On your return to campus, you will find in your campus mailbox a copy of my Inaugural Address which outlines several of the significant issues that I believe we, together, must address as we continue to develop as an academic community in the years ahead. The text of my Inaugural Address is offered as part of what I hope will be a full campus dialogue regarding our planning for the future. To further assist us in continuing our discussions across the broad range of campus constituencies, I am very pleased to announce that the University will participate in the PEW Higher Education Roundtable. Through this national program, the University will have access to a highly regarded national higher education resource that will facilitate a campus-based discussion of the environment within which we are developing our own Strategic Plan. I will provide details on this new program at the upcoming faculty meeting.

A second critically important planning initiative has been the development of a Master Plan, which will offer a set of priorities for construction and renovation consistent with our vision for the University. The Master Plan will be completed early in the fall, following a year of diligent effort by the Master Plan Steering Committee. Thanks to the efforts of many of our colleagues, the committee has continued to meet over the summer, and last month held two very well attended meetings with deans, chairs, and other faculty to discuss issues of design, landscaping and building programs. When completed, the Master Plan will be the guiding document for our annual capital budget to the State. The critical need for space and the lack of even temporary expansion space make it important that we have a thorough and careful plan in place to support our budget requests and expedite the capital budget process. A more detailed status report of the Master Plan initiative will also be in your campus mailbox on your return to campus.

In addition to these important initiatives, the coming year will bring changes in administrative leadership. As I announced in May, Dr. Judy Genshaft has been appointed as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. In addition, I have promoted Dr. Carl Carlucci to the position of Executive Vice President, in recognition of his outstanding leadership and significant contributions in reshaping the Division of Finance and Business to better support our core academic enterprise. Two Vice Presidencies will also undergo transition in the coming year. Dr. Jeanne Gullahorn, Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies since 1986, will be on leave during the coming year to serve as the Graduate Dean in Residence for the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) in Washington, D.C. This is a highly competitive, prestigious appointment, and I am sure you will join me in congratulating Dr. Gullahorn on her appointment. Upon her return to the University, Vice President Gullahorn has accepted my offer to serve as Special Assistant to the President so that we might all benefit from her experience as CGS Dean in Residence. I want to acknowledge with deep gratitude the outstanding leadership that Vice President Gullahorn has provided during a period of sustained growth in research and graduate education, and to wish her well in this exciting opportunity to provide significant national service.

Dr. Daniel Wulff, former Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics and Professor of Biological Sciences, has agreed to serve as Interim Vice President for Research. The University is fortunate to have an individual of Dr. Wulff's stature and skill to turn to for this important assignment in the coming year. Beginning September 1st, on an interim basis, responsibility for International Programs and Graduate Studies and Admissions will be assumed by the Division of Academic Affairs. In the Fall, we will engage in consultation regarding the optimal organizational structure for these mission-critical areas, and we will launch a national search for a new Vice President. Provost Genshaft will chair the search committee.

As you may already know, Mr. Christian Kersten, who has led University Advancement since 1988, has accepted a similar position at Albany Law School. Vice President Kersten demonstrated outstanding service to the University in building our advancement infrastructure and in leading our $55 million Campaign for Albany, the largest and most successful campaign in the State University of New York. We will immediately launch a national search for a new Vice President, with Executive Vice President Carlucci chairing the search committee. I am also pleased to announce that during the coming year the Division will be led by Mr. Paul Stec, who has served in University Advancement since 1991, first as Assistant and most recently as Associate Vice President for Advancement. He is an extremely talented administrator who will provide excellent leadership during this interim period.

Provost Judy Genshaft will also soon be announcing national searches for several other academic leadership positions, including the Deans of Arts and Sciences, Public Health, and Social Welfare. Deans David Carpenter and Lynn Videka-Sherman have indicated that they wish to step down from their deanships to return full time to their research and teaching. We salute and thank them for their exceptional academic leadership and significant contributions over many years. They have both made critical contributions to the growth of colleges regarded nationally as leaders in their respective fields.

I will be providing a fuller report on these and other matters at the Fall Faculty Meeting on September 10th in the Campus Center Ballroom. Let me close by thanking all of you for your support and for your deep commitment to our students and to the University at Albany. I look forward to seeing you in the Fall.

Sincerely,
Karen R. Hitchcock, Ph.D.
President