I grew up on Onondaga County, where each town has a supervisor and there is also a County Legislature with an elected County Executive.   When I moved to this area, the idea of a Board of Supervisors with a county administrator was quite alien to me, and it took me a little while and a bit of research to understand how the Ontario County system works.  Before I started at FLCC, an experienced community college president gave me just one piece of advice - he said to attend all of the meetings of the Board of Supervisors and get to know how they work.  So, when I arrived last summer I took his advice and I’ve now been observing our supervisors in action for nearly a year.  After a while of having me join them at their meetings, they asked if I’d like to be put on the agenda, so now I update them briefly about the college at most of their meetings.  My work with the supervisors has turned out to be one of the most unexpectedly fascinating aspects of being president of FLCC.  It has truly been a lesson on how local government works.

Ontario County has a reputation for fiscal responsibility, and it is well deserved.  I have been impressed by the care that goes into all decisions, but especially those with financial implications.  While a casual observer at Board of Supervisor meetings might be surprised that often resolutions are passed with little discussion, that does not mean that decisions are made without careful consideration.  The committee structure is very strong and each resolution is carefully vetted in committee before it moves to the full Board.  Typically when there is considerable discussion at the full meeting, it is because the committee vote was not unanimous and committee members believe it’s important for the pros and cons to be discussed by the full group.

The major college-county initiative this year has been related to FLCC’s Facilities Master Plan.  The plan was completed by an architectural firm in the fall of 2007, and offers a roadmap for future facility needs at the college.  The Board of Supervisors approved the plan in concept in January, and it was sent off to SUNY on schedule to be included in the state budget.  While the state worked on a SUNY-wide capital budget (changing the rules several times along the way), our FLCC Projects Committee and college staff worked through the plan in a methodical way. 

Projects were combined for efficiency and prioritized.  Issues related to routine maintenance of a building that is more than thirty-five years old were included in the conversations.  Concerns about the learning environment - the heart of what we do - centered around upgrading classroom and lab facilities, addressing technology needs and building more general purpose classrooms.  The analysis of campus centers was discussed at length, including the results of a feasibility study that strongly urged the college to build a third center in Victor.  Our lease in Geneva will expire in a couple of years, and the committee talked through the implications of finding a permanent home for the college in Geneva.  Also in the mix was discussion of facility needs for growing programs, our plans to move to a more efficient one-stop enrollment services center, Phase II of student housing and addressing the changing needs of a college that will have 600 resident students in 2009, safety concerns with the campus ring road and issues with the “temporary” trailer space that currently houses eleven classrooms at our main campus in Hopewell.   

After many months of consideration, the Projects Committee considered the college’s strategic plan and worked with college staff to prioritize the significant pressing needs at FLCC.  Preliminary drawings and cost estimates were reviewed by the committee in great detail and eventually nearly $10 million was eliminated from Phase I of the project.      

The theme throughout our discussions with the county was that the college needed to identify a comprehensive plan so the county could consider the big picture and plan ahead.  There are a number of costly county capital projects on the horizon, many of which were mandated by the state.  My most fascinating lesson in local government actually came from watching the work of the Financial Management Committee.  The Public Works Committee and the FLCC Projects Committee had carefully vetted requests for capital projects county-wide, and it was up to the Financial Management Committee to determine how to pay for them.  Along with county administrators, this group worked with a spreadsheet that laid out all of the county’s capital projects and the funding requirements.  They determined several possible scenarios to cover the annual cost, including the impact on the property tax rate, cutting county operations or increasing the sales tax.  The discussions at this committee centered on how to move the county foreward by addressing critical needs with the least possible financial impact on the taxpayers of Ontario County.   Over the spring months, a plan began to take shape.  

It is in this context that the supervisors considered a resolution last week to raise the sales tax in Ontario County from 7-1/8 percent to 7-1/2 percent.  This carefully crafted plan addresses in a comprehensive way the long-range facilities needs of the county and the college, and taxpayers will see the positive impact of these funds on a variety of fronts.  The supervisors knew that it was very important to move forward, even in challenging financial times, because the facility issues will not go away and over time they will clearly grow in expense to the taxpayers.  As a group, they expressed serious concerns with any additional property taxes.  The small increase in the sales tax offers a couple of significant advantages as a source of funding:  our sales tax will remain at least .5% lower than all surrounding counties and a considerable amount of our sales tax revenue is paid by people who live outside of Ontario County.  As part of the plan, they are also lowering the county tax on home heating fuel, which is welcome in these times and has a positive impact on homeowners in our county.

After the vote last week, a number of reporters asked me to comment on the increase in sales tax.  I am very grateful to the supervisors for their recognition of the importance of facility upgrades to the future of FLCC, of course.  Still, I think watching the careful and thoughtful process that led to the point when they were ready to take the vote was a lesson for me in local government.  This decision was not made quickly and the supervisors took into consideration a wide range of factors before deciding to move forward.  Projects were reviewed in careful detail and cuts were made to ensure that the final comprehensive plan - both county and college projects - only included real needs.  There are quite a few more decisions ahead, and I have no doubt that the supervisors will scrutinize each element of each project before voting to move forward.  That is their job.  After working closely with them this year, though, I have confidence that they truly care about the future of FLCC and share our vision of a college of choice - central to the cultural and economic vitality of the region.  It will take a partnership between the college and the county for us to achieve that vision.

I’ve posted below a column I wrote for The Messenger, which appeared earlier this week:

This summer, with the junior prom now a distant memory, rising high school seniors and their parents will take a deep breath and plunge head first into the great college search.  It can be a confusing and stressful process, especially the first time around.   There are so many decisions:  Close to home or out of state?  Public or private?   Big city or small town?  Community college or liberal arts college or university?  Just sifting through the piles of slick view books is a daunting task.  Nearly every brochure features the requisite photo of an attractive young woman seated beneath a tree, glancing at the ducks gliding by on the pristine campus lake.  The student’s textbook lies open on her lap and she smiles contentedly as she contemplates the wisdom of her decision to attend Ivy State.  While she clearly made the right choice, lots of questions probably remain for the senior in your family as you look ahead to a summer and fall of college visits.

            I managed to humiliate both of my daughters during college tours by asking far too many questions, and I urge all parents to do the same.  In the end, though, finding the right college is more of an art than a science.  In retrospect, there were a few clues during our college visits that should have gotten more attention, so let me pass them along to you:

• If the cars in the student parking lots (presumably high school graduation gifts) rival the type of automobile that you aspire to own before you die, this school may not be a good social fit.
• If the residence halls for first year students are cramped, old and depressing, think about what it would feel like to actually live there your first time away from home…sharing a tiny room with two other people.  Check beyond the “official” residence hall room included on the tour.
• If faculty members are too busy to chat with visiting students and their families, be cautious.  If they are annoyed by your question because they are far too important to talk with you, run the other way.
• If it takes good intuition and twelve clicks on the college website to find the tuition and fee schedule and when you find it you’re convinced there must be a typo, it’s time to get practical.  Figure out how much you can afford, set a budget, and make your college choice fit that budget.
• Don’t overlook the gem in your own backyard – your local community college.  Two years close to home at reasonable cost can make that expensive baccalaureate degree from a private college affordable.  Our warm, friendly environment with faculty who love to teach is a great place to start.
• If the brochure has a lake but the college doesn’t, question everything.

I wish you the best as you begin the college search process.  Above all, please avoid the most common mistake families make in selecting a college.  Don’t be like the bride and groom who obsess about the wedding day and never contemplate the marriage.  Remember, in the end it’s not about getting in, it’s about feeling at home.

The College Council formed a Sustainability ad hoc committee in 2006, and the group has met regularly to assess efforts already underway across the college and to formulate recommendations for making FLCC a “green campus”.   This group has done a great job, going far beyond their original charge.  Their final report was submitted to the College Council last month and it includes a wide range of recommendations.

In March, the college formally launched our sustainability initiative with a Board of Trustees resolution declaring March 2008 “Sustainability Month” at FLCC.  I signed the American College and Universities Presidents’ Climate Commitment on behalf of the college, which commits us to taking major steps toward carbon neutrality in the years ahead.   The college has been visible in the community, sponsoring outreach efforts related to sustainability and partnering with local television stations to support weekly “Go Green” educational segments.  In April, I appointed Kim Babcock, chair of the Sustainability ad hoc committee, as our Sustainability Coordinator for 2008-09.  She will begin her new role in September.

Based on the recommendations of the Sustainability ad hoc committee, I will ask Kim to work with the Sustainability Committee (now a standing committee of the College Council) to develop a five year action plan centered on four areas:

1.  College Operations - this includes identifying specific action steps related to purchasing, recycling, composting, pesticide use, green building, green landscaping, college vehicles/public transportation, lighting and heat efficiency, potential use of alternative energy on campus, and other areas of college operations  

2.  Curriculum - this includes working with faculty to consider a variety of ways to incorporate sustainability into the academic life of our students, such as infusing sustainability into each program; developing an elective course focused on sustainability; introducing a required general education sustainability course or incorporating sustainability within first year seminar courses; offering ’sustainability focused’ versions of existing courses, similar to Writing Intensive courses; exploring internships with green industries; and considering new academic programs aligned with future careers in emerging sustainability fields.

3.  Community Outreach - this includes initiatives that will position the college as a resource for the community in matters related to sustainability such as research and scholarship, workshops on and off campus, continuation of the “Go Green” initiative, and partnerships with our sponsor on sustainability related projects

4.  Student Life - this includes initiatives that will encourage our students to become actively involved in sustainability at FLCC both on campus and in the community, such as service learning, sustainability-related projects for student clubs, projects at residence halls, and community educational activities 

Year One of our five year Sustainability Plan will begin in September 2008.  I’m looking forward to working with Kim and the Sustainability Committee as they identify long-term goals and first year action steps toward making sustainability a way of life at FLCC.  �

This week I had the opportunity to attend two very special graduation ceremonies.  On Monday, I joined proud families and friends to celebrate the graduation of three members of the FLCC family who completed the very rigorous Finger Lakes Police Academy.  Our new campus peace officers, Tim Tapscott, Andrew George and Derrick Smith, looked quite striking on the stage in uniform, along with their colleagues from police agencies in the area.  It was very clear that the group of new police officers had formed a real bond during their months of training.  Amazingly, all of the original recruits completed the training - quite a feat.   The FLCC supporters in the audience had another reason to celebrate.   Randy Callin from our Educational Technology Department was cheering on his son Ryan, a member of the Canandaigua police department and the valedictorian of the police academy class of 2008.  Ryan represented the members of his class as the student speaker and did a great job.  It was a memorable evening!

 On Thursday, I was delighted to attend our GED graduation and recognition ceremony on campus.  This year’s graduation recognized the accomplishments of 74 very determined people who worked hard to reach an important life goal.  Four student speakers thanked their families and friends for supporting them and hugged the teachers who patiently answered questions and urged them on.  One graduate told the story of why she decided to pursue her GED.  Although she had gone on to earn her Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) designation and she was employed as a Nurse Assistant, she was always troubled that she hadn’t completed high school.  When her son said he wanted to leave high school before earning his diploma, she did her very best to convince him to stay, but she was unsuccessful.  They decided to attend GED classes together so she could earn a GED along with him.  Both mother and son graduated on Thursday evening!  This was a big step for all of the graduates and I’m hoping that many of them will decide to continue their education at FLCC in the fall.   The same determination and hard work that led to their achieving a GED is what it takes to be successful in college, and we encourage them to return to campus to begin the next step in their educational lives with us.  After all, they are already part of the FLCC family!

In conversations over the past week or two, people keep saying that they imagine that things are calming down at the college now that the academic year has come to an end.  I’ve been waiting and watching for that period of calm, which I’m sure will happen any time now  : )    In fact, now that I think about it, on Tuesday for a couple of hours in the afternoon there was definitely a slow down that gave me time to actually read a couple of reports that I’ve been trying to get to for weeks.  Maybe this is the calm time, after all.

A reporter asked me the other day to talk about the highlights of my first year at the college.  It was interesting what images appeared in my mind with that question. 

• I recalled many, many events on campus and in the community this year where I had the chance to get to know the wonderful, welcoming people of the college and in the area.  Last August, I would walk in a room and there would be one or two familiar faces…this was a new experience for me and a bit unsettling.  However, it really didn’t take long before I felt very much at home here - not only on campus but in the community. 
• I thought about Opening Days, and the launching of our mission/vision process, which laid the groundwork for our new Strategic Plan.  Small group meetings, meetings with community members, open forums, and strategic planning workgroups all stand out as I look back on this year. 
• I recall my first impression of facilities issues at the college and our work this year on the Facilities Master Plan - images of floor plans, piles of aerial views of the campus, and FLCC Projects Committee meetings with hours of serious number crunching.
• I remember the faces of some special students I met this year and how listening to their stories and concerns helped keep me grounded on why we are here.
• I thought about the day I signed the President’s Climate Commitment and thought about a few of the college’s initial steps in going green.
• I flashed back to a trip to the Muller Field Station, an image of a faculty member in the hallway on campus with a red tailed hawk strapped to her wrist, and my stumbling upon the massive white oak tree along the walking trails on campus.  I also thought about poetry readings at the Honors House, the Spring Arts Festival and the line of faculty members cheering graduates on after commencement.  All reminded me of some of the things that are truly unique and special about FLCC.
• I remembered some great images from the inauguration, including the first performance of our alma mater and having the amazing opportunity to give my daughter her degree from Fredonia as part of the program (since her graduation was held at the same time as the FLCC ceremony).  We ended up planting quite a few “inauguration” trees in our back yard and they will remain wonderful reminders of a memorable day.

Of course, the year had its challenging moments, as well.  Still, the images that come to mind when I look back are all positive ones.   Thanks to everyone who has helped me hit the ground running!