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Productive Partnerships
—President Deborah F. Stanley, 2013
As a public institution, SUNY Oswego has always embraced our mission of contributing to the common good and being an educational resource that lifts all segments of the population. President Stanley has encouraged all facets of the college to connect with local, regional, state and national entities to create mutually beneficial partnerships. Her own leadership on such organizations as the American Association of Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education’s (ACE) Commission on Leadership, CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity, Operation Oswego County, New York State Campus Compact and several SUNY system committees has elevated the reputation of SUNY Oswego. Through her involvement with these organizations, she has shared SUNY Oswego’s successes and brought back best practices to infuse into our own operations and offerings. She was also a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, and has used that public promise to guide all future construction on the SUNY Oswego campus. Fulfilling her commitment to reduce Oswego’s carbon footprint and to improve energy efficiency, all campus projects have since followed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) construction system to earn certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. With its 700-acre campus and 76 buildings, SUNY Oswego is a valuable resource for the region, and President Stanley initiated the “Cruisin’ the Campus” program to integrate and embed the college’s arts, athletics, recreation and many other offerings in the community by opening up campus resources, facilities and programs to area residents.
She also wanted to bring the college into the community. As a result of a unique public-private partnership between the college and Pathfinder Bank, the Business Resource Center opened in 2017 to offer a range of services to entrepreneurs, startups and established businesses at the hub of downtown Oswego’s east side. It also houses the college’s Office of Business and Community Relations, the Greater OswegoFulton Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce Development Board of Oswego County.
1997 College hosts Global Energy Issues Forum “Electric Deregulation in the New Millennium”
1995
1997 Oswego joins SUNY Learning Network to offer online courses 2007 President Stanley became a charter signatory of the American College University Presidents’ Climate Commitment
2001 2007
2007 Teacher Opportunity Corps funding begins; increased support in every renewal in 2010, 2013 and 2017 for a total of $530,000
Similarly, the college promotes students’ involvement in life happening off campus, especially through volunteering. Students also commit thousands of hours of volunteer service to such initiatives as Adopt-A-Grandparent, youth mentor programs, literacy programs, tax preparation assistance and many others. President Stanley supported service learning—an educational experience that enables students to apply their knowledge in a setting or on a project that can provide tangible benefits to a community business or organization. These unique, and often multidisciplinary learning experiences have repeatedly earned the college the prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement Classification and listing on the Presidential Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. She encouraged the college to build pathways to new populations of students through articulation agreements and partnerships with community colleges, high schools and international organizations. These partnerships helped to diversify the college, support recruitment goals and create a more vibrant community of learners. True to her student-centered philosophy, President Stanley has worked to connect the campus and our students to community resources. For example, the college worked with several agencies to turn its Veterans Lounge into a NYSID-designated Battle Buddy Center, and the college has a robust website for veterans that pulls together all college and community resources into one area. Such efforts have led to the college’s designation as a military friendly school and inclusion on best college for veterans listings. Additionally, President Stanley co-chaired SUNY’s Mental Health Task Force to help develop recommendations on how the SUNY system can make a measurable difference in addressing the mental health needs of students. During her tenure, the college won a federal grant of nearly $280,000 over three years to strengthen the college’s crisis counseling capabilities. The college also created more direct pathways for students to communitybased mental health resources so that students had round-the-clock access to support when they needed it. While aware of the college’s role as an economic engine for the region, President Stanley also recognized the reciprocal nature of being a good neighbor. She helped develop a shared vision across our campus for building external partnerships and worked to ensure that the college enriched the lives of the community and external partners, and those same connections enhanced the educational experience and growth of our students and campus members. “Deborah Stanley is a national leader. Not too many presidents are presidents for 26 years, and she’s respected by her peers. As the chair of the AASCU board, she was leading a board of 17 college presidents and speaking for approximately 400 institutions that serve over 3.5 million students. AASCU institutions (regional comprehensive colleges and universities) are educating the new majority of
Americans—the first-generation, low income and students of color. That’s why her voice is so important across the country.”
— Dr. Millie Garcia, president of the
American Association of State
Colleges and Universities
2010 Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement Classification first earned 2013 President Stanley elected chair of CenterState CEO for economic development and business leadership 2016 Veterans Lounge adds Battle Buddy Center 2019 President Stanley appointed co-chair of SUNY’s Mental Health Task Force
TM 2011 The Village, on-campus townhouse residences, earns LEED Gold from U.S Building Council. All future construction on campus built to meet green building standards. 2015
2016 SUNY Oswego establishes co-op program with Port of Oswego for business and science students 2021
2017 Business Resource Center and Office of Business and Community Relations open in downtown Oswego
