Report of the President 2016

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2016 Report of the President

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Dear Friends: As president of Southern, I’m thrilled to be leading a diverse, vibrant institution historically committed to access, affordability, and student success.

And as a social justice educator for more than 25 years, I am also delighted that this University is dedicated to being a good neighbor and advancing the public good.

My administration is committed to social justice, not just in word, but in action and in deed. A social justice initiative is one of six presidential priorities that I have identified as I begin my tenure.

The others are: • Enhancing enrollment management, by identifying and resolving issues related to financial aid and retention.

• Boosting Southern’s profile and highlighting to our students, our community, and the State of Connecticut all that the University offers.

• Achieving financial stablility through the promotion of entrepreneurship, community partnerships and a greater emphasis on private fundraising.

• Ensuring student success by enhancing academic excellence, removing obstacles to graduation, and improving the retention rate.

• Implementing our new, 10-year Strategic Plan: Discover Southern, a University for the 21st Century.

With more than 85 percent of our graduates staying on to live and work in Connecticut, Southern is a driving force for our state’s economy. Even in the midst of a challenging fiscal climate for public institutions, I believe we have the commitment and the opportunity to respond to the latest workforce demands and the needs of the wider community — all the while putting our students first.

Joe Bertolino | President

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Southern At A glAnce

2012

new england association of schools and colleges voted to continue southern’s accreditation CAMPUS

70 undergraduate degree programs

47 graduate

degree programs

172 acres nearly

ACCREDITATION DIVERSITY ATHLETICS

ACADEMICS ALUMNI

94,000

10 79

national ncAA division II team titles individual championships

% 33 belong to racial or ethnic minorities

736

students with disabilities

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2,701

full-time undergrads live on campus in

9 residence

10,320 students

halls

RESIDENCE LIFE ENROLLMENT

$223 million

OPERATING BUDGET UNDERGRAD STUDENTS

FACULTY GRAD STUDENTS

ENDOWMENT

$16.69 million

2,357 440 full time

% 85 with doctoral and other terminal degrees

7,963

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Opa! JANUARY

SOUTHERN CHOIR TRAVELS TO GREECE

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outhern’s globe-trotting University choir, led by Director Terese Gemme, performed in several venues around Athens, including a gala New Year’s concert at Syntagma Square.

Supported by the Stutzman Family Foundation, the choir has previously traveled to Ireland, England, and Spain, working with internationally-known guest conductors.

“Being able to perform great music with new friends from around the world in historic venues is awe-inspiring,” Gemme said. “These trips, with their combination of musical inspiration, cultural exploration, personal discovery, and community-building experiences have been life-changing events for everyone.”

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Nurturing Musical Talent Southern has about 65 music majors and 20-plus music minors. They’re a hardworking group: one-third of students majoring in music work 21 hours a week or more.

Enter the Stutzman Family Foundation Music Scholarship, first awarded in 2016-17, for majors with a 3.0 GPA or higher. Stutzman Scholars are selected through musical auditions and a review of their musical and academic achievements.

Recipient Terri Lane said receiving the scholarship was a defining moment: “What the Stutzman family has done is so meaningful. They have built a wonderful legacy through their commitment to the arts and now I can be part of that forever.”

Through the leadership of Walter Stutzman (right), an alumnus who now teaches in the music program, the foundation has funded numerous initiatives benefitting Southern students, including an electronic music laboratory, and free weekly voice or instrument lessons for music majors and minors.

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And the Award Goes to...

ALUMNA NAMED NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR

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outhern pride ran high when Jahana Hayes, ’05, a history teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Waterbury, was recognized by President Barack Obama. “Jahana inspires her students to believe in their ability to change the world, igniting a love of learning,” said Connecticut Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell. “She is a true role model for educators across the nation.” More honors were to follow: Connecticut’s Superintendent, Teacher, and Counselor of the Year were all Southern alums.

FEBRUARY

Boosting the Ranks of Minority Educators Southern’s School of education has joined with a consortium of regional school superintendents to launch a Minority Educator Initiative targeting students pursuing a career in K-12 teaching.

Devised by Dean Stephen Hegedus, the initiative includes scholarships for students at both undergraduate and graduate levels, along with mentorship programs pairing existing education majors with high school students; and school district leaders and K-12 teachers with Southern students.

While the percentage of minority students in Connecticut’s public schools crossed the 41 percent mark in 2012, only about 7 percent of the state’s public school teachers at that time were minorities.

“Research shows that students of color tend to learn more effectively when they have teachers and administrators from similar racial, ethnic and demographic backgrounds,” Hegedus said.

“By partnering with area school districts we believe we can make significant strides toward encouraging more black, Latino, and Asian students to pursue a career in education.”

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A Home for The Bard lm Shakespeare company, recognized as one of the best of its kind in New England, is now officially “in residence” at Southern. Under the partnership, the University provides rehearsal, production, and office space for the company.

In turn, Elm Shakespeare brings its expertise into the Theatre Department’s programming.

ESC, which has been offering free professional outdoor Shakespeare performances in New Haven for 20 years, provides fieldwork opportunities for students interested in theater education; free Shakespeare workshops; and non-union acting or technical positions for Southern students during its summer season.

The SCSU Theatre Department is the only undergraduate theater program in Connecticut with a professional theater company in residence.

“Having the company and its artistic staff ensconced on our campus and interacting with students and faculty every day will be a ‘shot’ of creative adrenaline,” said Steven Breese, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

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MARCH

Theater Majors Excel at Regionals Southern’s theatre Department continued its long track record of producing awardwinning students and productions at the John F. Kennedy center American college theater (KcActF) Festival, Region I. Directed by Sheila Hickey garvey, professor of theatre, ‘Almost, Maine’ – “a delightful comedy/romance with cosmic overtones,” was one of just six productions selected for presentation from almost 150 submissions across new York and new england. Among other honors, Southern thespians were also recognized for acting, stagecraft, lighting design, and sound engineering.

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KELLY GUNNESON

CAITLIN HANSEN MEGAN MANCINELLI

KRISTEN DEARBORN

These students — among the best and brightest at Southern — represent the ideals of the Barnard award through their outstanding scholarship and generous service to the community.

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Great Minds & Big Hearts

F

APRIL

our Southern students excelling in both the classroom and community service were named recipients of the CSCU system’s Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award.

English major Kristen Dearborn is president of the Golden Key International Honor Society and a recipient of the Study Abroad Academic Merit Scholarship and wrote a series of poems she plans to publish. She intends to pursue a master’s degree in a health-related field.

Kelly gunneson, a secondary education major, was a captain of the women’s volleyball team and named to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll. She is head coach of the Connecticut Juniors Volleyball Association.

Physics major caitlin Hansen received the SCSU Honors College Scholarship and the NASA Connecticut Space Undergraduate Research Fellowship. She coordinates outreach programs for New Haven Public Schools as part of Southern’s STEM-Innovation and Leadership program.

Megan Mancinelli is a psychology major and a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society. She tutors area middle and high school students and worked with New Haven youngsters through the Gear-Up program.

Students Win Statewide Investment Competition A team of Southern business students captured the inaugural Connecticut Venture Capital Investment Competition – pitting some of the state’s best undergraduate investment students against one another in a test of investment strategy skills.

Each team had to decide how much to invest among a variety of business plans presented during the program. Southern had the most astute investment plan, according to the judges.

“This was a great win for our students,” said Benjamin Abugri, faculty advisor for the Southern team. “It underscores the quality of our program and the value of our stock market trading room, which is an important tool in their finance education.”

$ 11

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Gates Millenium Scholar teenaged mother who almost dropped out of high school, Shylah McQueen triumphed over adversity to earn her Southern diploma as a recipient of the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship.

The award, presented to only 1,000 out of 24,000 exceptional minority applicants nationwide, provides full college tuition, and graduate tuition in seven fields.

Majoring in recreation and leisure studies with a concentration in therapeutic recreation, McQueen has enrolled in Southern’s special education graduate program.

She was also a recreation leader at New Haven’s Hill Central School, where she previously attended. “I want to be that role model,” says McQueen of her young charges. “ . . . to let them know that whatever they want to do, the sky’s the limit.”

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MAY

“Make Your Mess Your Message” At the 18th annual Mary and louis Fusco Distinguished lecture, Robin Roberts, co-anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” spoke to a sold-out crowd of about 1,600 at Lyman Center. She focused on the challenges she has faced in her life emanating from two bouts with cancer.

Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, two years after coming to “Good Morning America,” and in 2012 was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disease of the blood and bone marrow. “We’re all stronger than we think we are,” Roberts told the audience.

“Make your mess your message.”

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Building a Higher Education Bridge Across ‘The Pond’ JUNE

Southern continues to strengthen its trans-Atlantic Alliance with liverpool John Moores University, with increased opportunities for students and faculty at both institutions.

Recent collaborations include English, sport and entertainment management, and media studies, as well as a combined summer study abroad program in Iceland. Joint master’s programs are being developed in Coastal Resilience, an Accelerated MBA, and Public Health.

LJMU is currently working to adjust its academic year to a semester system that would mirror that of Southern’s, and plans are for 50 to 75 students from both institutions to be studying abroad at either location at any given time, beginning in fall 2017.

GLOBAL ATTRACTIONS

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key part of Southern’s mission is “preparing our local students for global lives.” The University has joined 240 institutions nationwide in the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad initiative to double the number of American students who study abroad by the end of the decade.

In 2016, Southern added five new study abroad programs. Destinations now range from Liverpool to Laos, and program fees are affordable compared to other institutional and third-party programs study abroad programs outside of Southern.

The new programs include: Amsterdam (sociology), China (nursing), Guatemala (special education), Laos (English), and Liverpool (recreation and leisure) — joining existing programs in locales like Belize (biology) and Iceland (the environment, geography, and marine sciences).

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Community Connections

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Reflecting Our Diverse World

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Joe Bertolino Named 12th President

resident Joe, as he is affectionately known, has been a social justice educator for 25 years, and is passionate about student success and access to higher education.

Since being named as president of Southern in July, 2016, Bertolino’s priorities have included: raising the University’s profile, expanding community outreach and partnerships; strategic enrollment recruitment and retention; and streamlining students’ path to earning a degree.

Early initiatives include a new marketing program that is reintroducing the University to the region and beyond; the University’s first comprehensive enrollment plan and new community partnerships at multiple levels to establish Southern as a good neighbor.

Administrative leadership in higher education has long been Bertolino’s passion. From 2012-16, he served as President of Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont, where he instituted a plan of “Moving Forward,” reintroducing Lyndon State as “the College” of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

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JULY

Westward Bound After four-and-a-half years at the helm, Mary A. Papazian left Southern in July to become the 29th president of San JosĂŠ State University.

During her tenure at Southern, Papazian established a Student Success Taskforce that enhanced student services and support, and the first Presidents Commission on Campus Climate and Inclusion. Major construction projects

included the new home for the School of Business, renovation of Buley Library, and the Academic and Laboratory Science Building.

The opening of the new science building also saw the establishment of an Office for STEM innovation and Leadership and a new bioscience partnership linking Southern and the City of New Haven.

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A Boost to Community Health

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outhern’s community outreach was enhanced when the University welcomed the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) to campus.

CARE has been based at Yale University since 2007, working to identify solutions to community health challenges such as diabetes, asthma, and heart and lung diseases through community-based research and projects focusing on social, environmental, and behavioral risk factors.

Through the School of Health and Human Services, Southern will become responsible for CARE’s community engagement work and its research agenda will transition here during the next three years.

Above: Poster from the CARE Community Health Forum exhibit at New Haven City Hall.

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AUGUST

Nursing Program Named in Top 10 Percent Nationally Southern’s highly rated nursing program gained an added distinction with this nationwide ranking from NursingSchools Almanac.com.

Southern was praised for its student outcomes, including a 90 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination, which nursing students must pass to gain a license.

In the Accelerated Career Entry (ACE) program, students garnered a pass rate of 93 to 100 percent on the NCLEX since 2010, and the most recent graduating class of the family nurse practitioner MSN had a 100 percent pass rate.

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SEPTEMBER

F

Going For The Green

or the third year in a row, Southern was named one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges by The Princeton Review, which features the University in its Princeton Review Guide to 361 Green Colleges.

SCSU Sustainability Coordinator Suzanne Huminski said the rating reflects Southern’s long and strong leadership record with energy efficiency, green building design, waste reduction, and recycling.

The Review also recognized the University for sustainability in curriculum, research, student involvement, and community outreach, and finding symbioses among all of these elements to strengthen the campus community and surrounding neighborhoods.

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Campus Becomes a Wildlife-Friendly Habitat the University is part of a city-wide initiative – the Urban Oasis partnership — to establish habitats more hospitable to birds and pollinators. Campus projects like the Science Garden built last spring near the Academic Science and Laboratory building, and the refurbishing of the area around Beaver Pond contribute to a network of wildlife-friendly sites across the city.

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A ‘Founding Father’ in a Cutting-Edge Field

errell Ward Bynum, internationally recognized as the most prominent teacher and theoretician in the field of computer ethics, was named to one of the highest honors in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System.

As one of just 12 Connecticut State University professors systemwide, Bynum joins fellow SCSU incumbent Vivian Shipley, a professor of English.

The founder of Southern’s Research Center on Computing and Society, Bynum organized the first international conference of computer

ethics in 1991. In 2009, he received the inaugural INSEIT/Joseph Weizenbaum Award for making significant contributions to the field through research, service, and vision. Earlier that year, he was the recipient of the American Philosophical Association’s Barwise Prize for his life-long work on computing and human values.

His first book, “Gottlieb Frege, Conceptual Notation and Related Articles,” about a noted German philosopher, was republished

by Oxford University Press as an Oxford Scholarly Classic.

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OCTOBER

In the Aftermath of Tragedy As a precursor to Southern’s third annual Social Justice Week, the University hosted panel discussions and a screening of Newtown. The documentary, by director Kim A. Snyder and produced by Maria Cuomo Cole, uses testimonials from parents, teachers, school staff, first responders, and clergy members grappling with the 2012 Newtown tragedy to document the resilience and sense of purpose within a traumatized community.

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Synthetic Biology Skills Earn iGem Recognition

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n its ďŹ rst foray into the International genetically engineered Machine competition, (iGEM) a team of nine science students earned a bronze medal for their work to develop a faster method to detect tuberculosis.

Held in Boston, the prestigious event included nearly 300 teams of students and Southern joined Yale University and the University of Connecticut as the only entrants from Connecticut.

Tuberculosis is one of the leading killers of humans worldwide, and many tests for TB still take several weeks before the results are learned.

Southern’s team examined gases called Volatile Organic Compounds, which individuals infected with TB emit. One particular gas, 1-Methylnapthalene, has been shown to be a positive marker for TB.

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NOVEMBER

Probing Effects of Climate Change long Island Sound’s once abundant and thriving kelp beds are being decimated – and a Southern marine biologist is playing a key role in finding out why.

Sean Grace has been diving in the Sound for two decades and is a member of the worldwide Kelp Ecosystem Ecology Network, which examines the effects of global climate change on kelp habitats.

Grace collects data on water temperature, acidity, dissolved oxygen levels, and other conditions to try to pinpoint the cause of the decline, which is being seen in similar coastal locations worldwide.

Kelp is a natural habitat for fish, crabs, and a multitude of invertebrates. It also keeps the Sound healthy by producing oxygen and collecting pollutants from the water, “The greater diversity you have, the healthier the system,” Grace said. “Without these beautiful three-dimensional structures under water, all of those other species will just disappear.”

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A Scorer for the Ages

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fter a 30-point performance in a 92-87 victory over American International college, Michael Mallory passed Rich Radicioni as the all-time leading scorer in Owls’ men’s basketball, with 1,938 career points and counting.

A week earlier, after pouring in a season-high 34 points against the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Mallory was named Division II National Player of the Week by the United States Basketball Writers of America.

Mallory, an All-State player at Holy Cross-Waterbury, was a preseason All-America in Division II. He also holds the Owls individual game scoring record with 47 points.

“He's a scorer…he can really light it up,” said Owls Coach Scott Burrell. “We're lucky to have him here in Division II. In this day and age when a lot of kids don't appreciate where they started, I appreciate his loyalty to Southern.”

DECEMBER

Swimmer Shows Commitment and Character

Sophomore tyler Steskla of the Owls men’s swimming and diving team is accustomed to dealing with adversity.

In fall, 2014, Steskla was deemed ineligible by the NCAA following a review of his high school coursework.

But, having overcome many roadblocks since being diagnosed with autism at age 3, he pushed his GPA above 3.0 in the spring of 2015. Steskla went on to help the Owls to their sixth straight Northeast-10 title and 14th in the last 15 years in 2016.

“He’s a great example of when you set your mind to something, anything’s possible,” said Owls Coach Tim Quill. “People might look at Tyler as if he has a disability, but I look at it more as a strength.”

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With a renewed focus on student success, 2016 was a banner year for fundraising.

The SCSU Foundation surpassed the $25 million mark in the endowment pool.

SCSU undergraduates received

77%

financial aid in 2015-16

SCSU undergraduates received a Federal

Pell Grant in 2015-16, awarded to

almost

41%

students with the greatest need

more donors gave in

4,123 donors

80%

2016!

The increase in the

percentage of students

who completed the new

ni taff Alum aculty/S F SCSU ations or Corp tions ts, a d n n Fou Pare , s d Frien tudents S and

online SCSU Foundation

scholarships application in

comparison to last year

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Philanthropic Support

$ $

5 • sm a 2.2 m llest gift ill

$

Scholarship Support

$

ion* large st gif t

16 • 20 n o i l l mi 15 • 20 n o i l l mi

29.4 $ 27.3

il l io n

20

15

$

1,392,000 • 2016 $ 816,000 • 2015

$

72 7 1 7 ,0 1 ,0 0 0 00 • 2 0 16 •

$

$

• 201 5

$

16.69 14.43 million • 2016 m

SCSU Foundation’s Net Assets

SCSU Foundation Endowment

$

Gifts — Large and Small

4.4 million • 2016 2.3 million • 2015

Donor Support of University Programs $100 • TUITION 1960s $10,054 • TUITION TODAY,

a comparative value but still a challenge for students

*Amount reflects the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years. Southern’s fiscal year begins July 1.

Informational graphic by Marylou Conley

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MISSION STATEMENT SOUtHeRn cOnnectIcUt StAte UnIveRSItY pROvIDeS exeMplARY gRADUAte AnD UnDeRgRADUAte eDUcAtIOn In tHe lIBeRAl ARtS AnD pROFeSSIOnAl DIScIplIneS. AS An IntentIOnAllY DIveRSe AnD cOMpReHenSIve UnIveRSItY, SOUtHeRn IS cOMMItteD tO AcADeMIc excellence, AcceSS, SOcIAl JUStIce, AnD SeRvIce FOR tHe pUBlIc gOOD.

connecticut State colleges & Universities Board of Regents for Higher education

Officers for Southern connecticut State University

Matt Fleury Chair Yvette Meléndez Vice Chair Richard J. Balducci Aviva D. Budd Naomi K. Cohen Lawrence DeNardis Merle W. Harris David R. Jimenez William J. McGurk Holly Palmer JoAnn H. Price Elease E. Wright Joseph Young

Joe Bertolino President Ellen D. Durnin Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Mark Rozewski Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Tracy Tyree Vice President for Student Affairs Robert L. Stamp Vice President for Institutional Advancement Robert Rennie Chief Information Officer Terricita E. Sass Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management

Senior Administrative Officers for the connecticut State colleges & Universities

produced by the Office of Integrated communications & Marketing

Mark E. Ojakian President Jane McBride Gates Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs David Levinson Vice President for Community Colleges Elsa Núñez Vice President for State Universities

Patrick Dilger Director Patrick Dilger, Betsy Beacom, Joe Musante Editors and Writers Mike Kobylanski, Villia Struyk Writers Isabel Chenoweth Photographer Brokk Tollefson Additional Photography Barbara Kagan Designer Mansir Printing Printer

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501 Crescent Street New Haven, CT 06515-1355 SouthernCT.edu