President Wheeler’s May 2025 Faculty Report

Dear Colleagues,

Campus Climate and Culture
As we wrap up another academic year—as if we did not have enough on our plates—I want to state the obvious:  the constant onslaught of national and world events impacting every aspect of our professional and personal lives is adding to the weight of what already is a stressful time. These rapid-fire forces outside our campus have most, if not all, of us engaged in new realities we cannot control, but that we must navigate, together.

Last week, for example, I heard your clarion calls to sign on to the American Association of State Colleges & University’s “A Call for Constructive Engagement” letter along with other higher education leaders. I signed the letter in large part because I recognize the importance of such symbolic actions from leadership that foster a sense of solidarity within our campus community and with our colleagues and institutions across the country. Signing a letter is one step. The true work for me comes in the many day-to-day efforts to fulfill our educational mission and fight for our values, including diversity, equity and inclusion. A recent example of this came in March when I spoke out at our live-streamed, public SUNY New Paltz Council meeting about our campus’s commitment to DEI, despite daily attacks from our federal administration. Those comments were picked up by local media, and the next day I was contacted by a colleague who heard the report on the radio. She simply wanted to encourage me—us–to stay the course!  Another example of the small but constant work came on Jan. 29 during a webinar by the Constructive Dialogue Institute, where I spoke about the importance of my monthly student office hours, captured in a February Inside Higher Ed article titled, “Students Don’t Trust Their College Presidents. What Can Help?”

In citing these examples, I am trying to do my part in sharing with you ways in which I am working every day to ensure that I am raising the flag and supporting our beloved SUNY New Paltz.  Further—and this is something I keep to myself more often than not—I am sharing that I am not impervious to the feelings so many of you are experiencing or to the jeers shouted at me on the streets of New Paltz. I also feel the pain, frustration, anger, confusion and uncertainty that so many of you have expressed to me. As the president of SUNY New Paltz, I rarely if ever have the luxury of responding or reacting without considering the implications of my words and actions, which can become the next risk or threat to SUNY New Paltz. I take strength in the daily encounters I have with students who tell me about their life-changing experiences at this institution and the colleagues who are doing the hard work of preparing the next generation of civic leaders who can actuate real change in our institutions and systems.  For these and so many other unnamed acts I say THANK YOU. Now, let me turn to some of those highlights in the remainder of my final report for this academic year.

First, let me share updates on my other two priorities for this year: fiscal sustainability and strategic planning.

Fiscal Sustainability
As of this writing, it looks like there is agreement in Albany on the New York State fiscal year 2025-26 budget, but no enacted budget yet. Departments should be reviewing their current year expenditures and building their new year budgets, utilizing the budget documents located on my.newpaltz.edu. If you would like assistance in understanding your divisional budgets, please reach out to the Budget Office. The Purchasing Office will soon be sending out the annual year-end process memo. This memo will contain important dates for account holders to keep in mind for procurements intended to utilize current fiscal year funding.

Enrollment Management
We have now completed two successful, large-scale spring yield events. Academic departments have been engaged in outreach to accepted students who have not committed to New Paltz with phone calls, personal notes and emails. Some divisions have met with accepted students at the SUNY Global Center in New York City and our admission teams have been meeting accepted students on campus tours and at off-campus locations. Students and families continue to indicate that they enjoy the personal touch that our faculty and staff provide. We have seen positive results with 15% more first-year students committing to New Paltz as compared to this time last year. These are great results, but the yield season has not ended.  Many students are still making decisions, and we have more work to do to reach our target enrollment. Let’s continue to help students know that New Paltz is the right community for them.

Our continuing students registered for fall 2025 classes in the third week of April.  There are still more than 500 students who have not yet registered. Records & Registration has been reaching out to these students to learn more. Some have not registered because they have not met with their academic advisors; some because they have account holds or have other issues that need attention. Advisors should contact their students who have not registered for fall 2025 to find out how we can assist them.

In April, we announced our Office of Veteran and Military Services (OVMS) received the Silver Status designation for 2025-2026 as a Military Friendly School. We have since learned that we also received the designation as a Military Spouse Friendly school. Congratulations to our wonderful OVMS program.

Strategic Planning
As the Strategic Planning Committee holds its final workshop this week, I ask you to please mark your calendars for the virtual launch of our Strategic Plan on Wednesday, May 7, from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Click here to join. During this presentation, I will unveil the strategic plan that reflects our collective vision, values, and objectives. All campus stakeholders – students, faculty, staff and community groups – as well as planning participants are welcome.

The virtual launch next week marks a significant milestone in our journey towards shaping the future of our institution. The plan serves as our roadmap for the next three years, Fall 2025 through May 2028, and prepares us to continue to be focused, adaptive and resilient for the next 100 years. It outlines how our decisions, resource allocations, and daily operations will be guided by our strategic priorities. We are poised not only to adapt to the changing world of higher education but to actively shape it, ensuring that our contributions have lasting impact. The plan is anchored by our two strategic pillars: Academic Excellence/Student Success and Value-Added Community Engagement in New York. The official in-person launch will take place at the start of the new academic year. Thank you for the dedication and hard work of the Strategic Planning Committee and to all those in our campus community who helped shape this plan.

Food for Thought: A Community Outreach Effort
Food for Thought is the name we are using to champion the alternate food opportunities we are planning during the three-year Peregrine Dining Hall closure for a gut renovation and the ties we are building with local food and hospitality vendors. Together with our partners at Sodexo & Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS), SUNY New Paltz has already hosted two pop-up dining events for students last week and another will be held Tuesday, April 29, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the College Terrace when two local eateries, The Bossanova and Gunks Gaming Guild, will be serving on campus.

President’s Listening Learning Community
I wish to thank the President’s Listening Learning Community for our valuable discussions this year. The group of 15 individuals represents key stakeholders from across the campus. Please watch in the coming months for opportunities to sign up to be part of next year’s President’s Listening Learning Community.

Development & Alumni Relations
Thanks to the incredible generosity of SUNY New Paltz alumni, friends, and family, the second annual Orange & Blue Day of Giving raised over $32,000 for the Fund for New Paltz—including matching gifts from Fahad A. Ahmed ’06, Dion Baccus ’92, Renee Padmore-Baccus ’91, and Jeffrey Korn ’79. Thanks to the numerous faculty and staff who also gave generously.

The Senior Gift Committee is in full swing to raise funds for the Fund for New Paltz. Seniors can make gifts online or in the Bookstore to receive Orange & Blue philanthropy cords for Commencement. Anyone can make a gift in honor of the Class of 2025 here.

Development & Alumni Relations recently hosted successful alumni events in New Orleans and Boston and will be hosting alumni in Santa Fe on May 30 (while the Geology field trip students are in New Mexico) and June 18 in New York City (hosted in collaboration with the Career Resource Center). Members from the campus community who may be in these cities on these dates are encouraged to register to attend via the links above.

The 26th Annual Golf Tournament will take place on June 9 at The Powelton Club in Newburgh. This signature fundraiser benefits the Fund for New Paltz. If you are a golfer, please consider registering here.

Alumni Reunion 2025 is set for October 17-19, 2025, and all departments, affinity groups, and programs are invited to participate. The deadline has been extended for colleagues and alumni leaders to coordinate an event in tandem with Alumni Reunion. Approved submissions will be featured on the 2025 Alumni Reunion Weekend website this summer. Please contact Jennifer D’Andrea, interim director of alumni relations, with questions or ideas.

May 2025 Commencement
Commencement is on May 16-18! I wish to thank the newly formed Commencement Committee for their valuable insights that have shaped this year’s ceremonies. Thank you to the faculty department chairs and graduate program coordinators who will participate in the Stage Party this year to congratulate their graduating students. We will be surveying graduates and their families and faculty members this year to gain a better understanding of their impressions of their commencement experience.

Watch for announcements in the coming days about this year’s faculty grand marshals, valedictorian and salutatorian, and commencement speakers, who will receive honorary degrees at our Saturday and Sunday ceremonies.

As a reminder, we have FREE master’s and doctoral regalia available. To claim yours, you must register to march at one or more of the commencement ceremonies. Then you can register for regalia, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis; after registering, please go to the Campus Bookstore for pickup.

I will happily answer any questions you may have about my report or any other topic at the Wednesday, April 30, Faculty Senate meeting.

Darrell P. Wheeler
President