AISS Newsletter: September 2026

The fountains at Campus Center at night are lit up in purple light.

Finish in Four

The Office of Academic Innovation and Student Success is proud to launch the UAlbany Finish in Four program starting this fall. While the national average for time to undergraduate degree completion often spans five to six years, this Finish in Four initiative encourages students to stay on track and graduate within four years, directly supporting our mission to increase graduation and time-to-degree rates. By signing the Finish in Four pledge, students commit to their academic timeline and receive dedicated support from their advisors in meeting this timeline.

 

Fall 2026 Progress Reporting Cycle

Progress reports for the fall 2026 cycle opened on September 21, 2026 and will close on October 14, 2026. We value the ongoing partnership of teaching faculty as these reports allow us to connect at-risk students with a wide range of resources to support their retention and academic success. It’s useful to note that progress reports can be submitted outside of this reporting cycle at any point during the semester. Instructions and general information can be found in the EAB Navigate Faculty & Staff User's guide.

Additionally, the Graduate School is launching Graduate Progress Reports in EAB Navigate this semester for all graduate faculty. In a collaborative effort to support faculty, the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Graduate School are offering virtual office hour sessions for faculty seeking guidance in the progress reporting process. Our goal is to provide a dedicated space for personalized troubleshooting and direct consultation. Please find the scheduled dates, times and access credentials below. No registration is necessary.

If you have any questions, please contact Natalie Coffey.

 

Gen Ed Proposal Form & CAF Form update

As of July 2026, General Education course proposals are to be submitted through the General Education Proposal Form. All General Education course proposals are routed first through the department and school/college before they come to Undergraduate Education. UGE then forwards the proposals to the General Education Committee for review and decision. If the request is for a new course that also includes a Gen Ed attribute, the proposer should first complete the Course Action Form to provide the new course information and then submit the General Education Proposal Form providing the necessary information on the Gen Ed attribute. When submitting a General Education proposal, please review the learning objectives of each attribute to ensure the course meets all the learning objectives of the attribute. Questions concerning the General Education program, including the Gen Ed Committee review and approval process, should be directed to Glyne Griffith, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education.

If you have any questions, please contact Glyne Griffith.

 

Provost’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advising

Now in its tenth year, the annual Provost’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising is presented to UAlbany professional advisors and faculty who have demonstrated significant and meritorious achievement in academic advising. Excellent undergraduate advising helps improve retention and persistence and supports the university’s mission as a public R1 institution with a large undergraduate population. A ceremony in honor of the 2026 awardees was held last spring on May 11. The 2026 recipients of the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising are: Zachary Desjardins, Megan Sanzo, Elizabeth Lansing and Tyriq Johnson.

Please join us in congratulating these colleagues on their outstanding achievement!

A group of people pose for a photo at the Provost's Award for Excellence in Academic Advising ceremony.
Pictured from left to right are: Kristen Swaney, Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Director of Academic Advising, Zachary Desjardins, Academic Support Center, Megan Sanzo, Academic Support Center, Dr. Carol Kim, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Elizabeth Lansing, Lecturer II, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Tyriq Johnson, Academic Support Center and Dr. JoAnne Malatesta, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation & Student Success and Dean of Undergraduate Education.

New Director of Online Education: Meghan Forcier

Academic Innovation & Student Success (AISS) is pleased to announce that Meghan Forcier has joined UAlbany as the new Director of Online Education. In this role, Meghan will provide strategic leadership to expand online program offerings, enhance student success and drive operational excellence.

She brings over 20 years of higher education experience, most recently serving as Director of Operations for Instructional Design and Development at Excelsior University. Her background spans scalable program growth, data-informed strategy and online advising for adult and non-traditional learners at both Excelsior University and Empire State University.

UAlbany currently offers 11 fully online undergraduate programs. For the fall 2026 semester, there are 1,335 students enrolled as fully online learners and this number includes 385 freshmen and transfer students.

Meghan Forcier.

Please join us in welcoming Meghan Forcier to the AISS team!

 

Living-Learning Communities: Connection Day

On Saturday, September 12, the Office of First Year Experience (FYE) hosted its annual Living-Learning Community Connections Day where students and staff from all 18 Living-Learning Communities (LLCs) came together to work on service projects to benefit both UAlbany and the greater Albany community, deepening the bonds of connection between our two communities. About 180 students and staff attended.

Here’s a look at what our students accomplished on behalf of various local organizations:

  • Joseph’s House and Shelter: 100 lunches were provided, each containing fresh fruit, juice, chips and two sandwiches. Also donated were 100 drawstring bags that students decked with reflective tape for safety and stuffed with warm wool socks and student-prepared toiletry kits.
  • Grassroot Givers: 108 bean soup kits and approximately 50 kitchen kits were prepared and distributed.
  • South End Children’s Cafe: Personalized bracelets were made for each of the 46 registered students in their honor.
  • Albany Medical Center Children’s Hospital: Roughly 100 do-it-yourself (DIY) puppet kits were prepared and distributed.
  • Mohawk Humane Society: Two full bags of cat and dog toys were handmade and delivered.
  • RISSE: Approximately 50 DIY bracelet kits were made for children supported by this organization.
  • The Little Red Bookshelf: Students mended an entire van full of books.
  • Promenade Assisted Living Facility: Approximately 55 succulents were potted in student-decorated pots and donated.
  • UAlbany Campus: Two full garbage bags of trash were collected from around the UAlbany campus.

Students also cut out “snowflakes” for The Next Act’s production of Elf Jr. (to be added to the set pieces), wrote cards for Veteran’s Day and contributed to the National Archives as Citizen Archivists, transcribing and tagging documents.

We are thrilled to have had such a successful program and look forward to future community service initiatives with the LLCs. Kudos to all our colleagues who contributed to making this huge undertaking a resounding success!