SUNY Chancellor John King, who just began in that role in January, made a stop at the Brockport campus on Tuesday.
King is doing a tour of all 64 SUNY campuses, and Brockport was number 35 for him.
He talked with students and faculty and said that he came away impressed with some of the programs being developed at SUNY Brockport that are geared toward meeting regional economic needs.
“They've got a growing nursing program, and those graduates are very much in demand,” said King. “They've got a waitlist of students who are interested in the program, they're doing a lot of work in computer science, cybersecurity, other places where there's growing demand.”
One challenge that King faces, as do many college and university leaders, is declining enrollment, something that is driven in part by demographic changes in the population.
The Chancellor said that among the initiatives he has been involved with is reaching out to New Yorkers who have some college credits, but no degree, and finding ways to get those students back and help them complete their degree.
“We've got nearly two million New Yorkers who have some credits and no degree, we need to bring those students back and give them an opportunity to complete their degree,” King said. “And Brockport is actually creating a number of innovative programs, leveraging some online coursework to help students come back and finish their degree.”
One of the highlights of today's @SUNYChancellor visit was the trip to the @JoeyJacksonEsq Intercultural Center to meet with students and hear their stories. pic.twitter.com/4x7FHjOzNH
— Dr. Heidi Macpherson (@heidimacp) April 5, 2023
King said another initiative that begins this spring, is making it easier to directly admit students coming from community colleges in New York into four-year SUNY schools, based on a student’s academic record.
And King’s goals also include increasing diversity among SUNY faculty. That’s an area he said needs some work.
“it means that students of color don’t see themselves represented in our faculty, but it also means that white students don’t have the opportunity to learn from a diverse community of educators, so we’re working hard on that,” King said.
