SUNY Poly 2022-2023 Highlights

Mission | Vision | Values

Mission

SUNY Polytechnic Institute serves as an intellectually vibrant, creative, and stimulating environment for innovation, education, and outreach that prepares its students to apply basic and applied knowledge to challenges, complexities, and opportunities to advance our modern technological society. SUNY Poly:

• Provides an affordable, comprehensive, and integrated range of undergraduate and graduate educational and research programs of the highest quality;
• Provides students with a well-rounded education to prepare them as future leaders in a dynamic and diverse world by demonstrating the interconnectedness of knowledge and cultures and emphasizing the importance of continuous learning;
• Engages in the formulation and dissemination of new discoveries, exciting innovations, stimulating research endeavors, and fundamental and applied knowledge through research and creative inquiry;
• Fosters economic development and creates educational opportunities within New York, the nation, and beyond and promotes responsibility and commitment to public service; and
• Serves as a leader for innovation throughout its educational program, from theoretical principles to practical applications.

Vision

SUNY Polytechnic Institute is a vibrant community engaged in the pursuit of scholarship, public service, and intellectual and creative endeavors. SUNY Poly is a premier polytechnic institution dedicated to improving society by advancing knowledge—and its application—and promoting entrepreneurship and economic development.

Values

• Academic Excellence through intellectual achievement, collaboration, accomplishment in teaching, research, discovery, and scholarship, and innovative pedagogy both in the classroom and online;
• Inclusiveness and Diversity through respect, accessibility, and actions to embrace difference, experience and thought;
• Transformational Experience through student-centered curricula, strong co-curricular environment, and support of personal and professional growth;
• Integrity by celebrating academic freedom, sustaining academic responsibility, and developing an ethical citizenry;
• Civic Responsibility;
• Student Success; and
• Faculty, Staff, and Student Lifelong Relationships.

New Leadership

SUNY Poly welcomes Wayne Westervelt as Chief of Staff and VP for External Relations

Wayne Westervelt brings more than 25 years of experience in communications, public, community and governmental relations, media management, and strategic marketing to the role of Chief of Staff and Vice President for External Relations.

Since 2016, Westervelt served as Chief Communication Officer at the State University of New York at Oswego. Before this, he was the Director of Communications & Media at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, and from 2004 to 2015, he served as Vice President for Marketing & Communications at Cazenovia College. He’s also held similar roles at the Central New York Regional Planning & Development Board, Dairylea Cooperative Inc., and Unity Mutual Life Insurance Company. Westervelt earned his Bachelor’s degree in English/Communications from Le Moyne College and then received a Master’s in Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

In his new role, Westervelt will be the liaison between the President’s Office and SUNY Chancellor’s Office, governance bodies, and the campus community. He is also responsible for the creation, refinement, and enhancement of a variety of tactical vehicles to create overarching policy, communication, and strategy in the realm of government, industry, and community interactions and partnerships. This position has the authority to assist in determining, creating, and affecting policy for SUNY Poly, and he will provide leadership to the strategic planning process, oversee the implementation of new programmatic and strategic initiatives, and carry out other strategic and operational oversight duties as assigned by the President.

SUNY Poly Appoints Dr. Mark Montgomery as Interim Provost

Dr. Montgomery has served as SUNY Poly’s Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) since July 2020. The author, mentor, and SUNY Poly graduate who has focused on further fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion for our community as CDO, while also taking on the additional role of Deputy Title IX Coordinator, was recently appointed Interim Provost.

Dr. Montgomery brings a strong background to this position that, when infused with his well-known, personal approach, will help advance SUNY Poly’s academic efforts. After serving as Associate Dean of Social Sciences and Public Services at Mohawk Valley Community College from 2016 to 2019, he became the Dean of Public and Human Services at MVCC until joining SUNY Poly to serve as CDO. He earned his associate’s degree in Human Services from MVCC, his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at SUNY Poly, and a Master’s in Education from the University of New England with a specialization in academic motivation; specifically, those of inmates. In 2014 he received his Ph.D. in Education. Importantly, he has conducted scores of academic workshops and seminars at collegiate level conferences, received numerous awards for excellence in leadership and community service, and makes lasting contributions through a number of charities, including his own, to help serve children with cancer.

As Interim Provost, he is responsible for overseeing each academic department, including Scholarship, Accreditation, Assessment, Distance Learning, Institutional Research, the Library, Registrar, and Student Success, in addition to the Deans of each of SUNY Poly’s colleges and Graduate School, as well as the academic fiscal balance of the institution, in order to foster increasing academic excellence and accountability.

He will also focus on a number of key opportunity areas to promote academic progress and institutional achievement, to advance priorities articulated in SUNY Poly’s 2023 Strategic Framework:

• Accreditation: Ensure a positive outcome related to the Middle States self-study
• Faculty Achievement: Support faculty excellence in scholarship, research, and creative works
• Student Success: In collaboration with student affairs, expand SUNY Poly’s approach to advising and supporting the needs of our students
• Engagement: Further develop external opportunities and partnerships by working closely with the Mohawk Valley community to renew and advance SUNY Poly’s identity as the premier polytechnic in New York State

While he takes on this role, Dr. Montgomery continues to serve as CDO, with that office receiving additional support to ensure its critically important activities remain robust.

SUNY Poly Appoints Dr. Michael Carpenter Associate Provost for Research

In this new role, Dr. Carpenter will oversee research activities, the promotion of research, research compliance, and interfacing with the Offices of Sponsored Programs, Finance, and Technology Transfer.

He also will support SUNY Poly faculty by finding and distributing information about funding opportunities, assisting faculty with grant proposal development, and helping to build collaborative research teams and relationships with external organizations.

Dr. Carpenter will also assist with the development of university-wide strategies for increasing research output and will improve the visibility of our research accomplishments at the state and federal level.

Dr. Carpenter and Interim Provost Mark Montgomery will also work together to issue recommendations by the end of 2023 to address the ways in which we can further build research infrastructure in the future and consider hiring more staff to support pre-award and grant development, while maintaining our ongoing relationship with the Research Foundation for SUNY.

Dr. Carpenter’s extensive research background and academic leadership experience will help catalyze SUNY Poly’s growing research efforts. He will also continue to serve as the interim dean of the College of Engineering.

On the Rise: Rankings

SUNY Poly Receives Strong 2022-2023 College Rankings by U.S. News & World Report

SUNY Poly’s year-over-year rankings by U.S. News & World Report continue to remain strong in the Regional Universities-North category:

• 2^nd in “Top Public Schools”
• 9^th in “Best Regional Universities-North”
• Top 50 “Best Value Colleges”
• Top 20 in “Social Mobility”
• 3^rd for “Best Colleges for Veterans”

Additional Rankings: SUNY Poly Overall

• Money lists SUNY Poly among the “Best Public Colleges” in the nation and “Best Colleges in the Northeast” in 2023.
• College Consensus recently ranked SUNY Poly 17th in the nation for “Best Value Colleges and Universities,” moving up 14 spots in the same category from 2022.
• DegreeChoices ranked SUNY Poly in the top 25 out of 159 other schools in New York State for financial ROI.
• ZDNet ranked SUNY Poly in Top Ten for “Best online colleges in New York 2022.”
• com named SUNY Poly to its 2023 list of “Best Online Colleges in New York.”

Accounting

• SUNY Poly’s MS in Accounting program has been ranked 33^rd in the nation among the 2023 Best Online Graduate Business Programs (excluding MBA) by S. News & World Report.
• Fortune ranked SUNY Poly #4 in the nation for “2023 Best Online Master’s in Accounting Program.”
• SUNY Poly’s Online Bachelor Degree Program in Accounting was also named “Top Ten in the Nation” by Best Accredited Colleges.
• SUNY Poly was listed among the ‘Best Accounting Online MBA programs’ in the nation by OnlineMBACoach.
• DegreeChoices ranked SUNY Poly’s master’s in accounting in the top 25 in New York State.

Business

• Forbes featured SUNY Poly in its “Best Online Business Administration Degrees Of 2023.”

Cybersecurity / Computer Engineering

• Best Universities ranked SUNY Poly among the “Top Ten Schools for Computer Engineering in the Nation”

Engineering and Mechanical Engineering

• DegreeChoices selected SUNY Poly’s bachelor’s programs in mechanical engineering and engineering as top 20 in New York State.

MBA

• SUNY Poly’s College of Business was ranked 15th in the Nation by OnlineMBACoach for ‘Best Online Healthcare MBA Programs 2023’
• Intelligent.com named SUNY Poly to its Best Online MBA in Human Resources Programs List as a top 50 program.

Nursing

• SUNY Poly ranked in the Top 5 for “Best Online RN to BS Program in New York State” by TopRNtoBSN.
• College Consensus gave SUNY Poly a Top 50 ranking in the “Best Online Ph.D. Programs” category for its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with specialization in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Program.
• DegreeChoices ranked SUNY Poly’s bachelor’s and master’s programs in nursing in the top 20 in New York State.
• EduMed ranked SUNY Poly Top 25 ‘Best Online Master’s Programs in Nursing Education for 2023’

On the Rise

SUNY Poly Graduates nearly 750 Students

SUNY Poly graduated 749 students in the 2022-2023 reporting year, including 331 from the College of Engineering, 105 from the College of Arts & Sciences, 142 from the College of Business, 134 from the College of Health Sciences, and 37 from the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.

Top Three Degrees 2022-2023 By Number of Students

• Computer Science (undergraduate and graduate): 123
• Business Administration: 57
• Mechanical Engineering Technology: 38

Senate Majority Leader Schumer visits SUNY Poly, continues to advance CHIPS Act

U.S. Senator and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited SUNY Poly’s Albany and Utica campuses in August and October, respectively, touting opportunities of the CHIPS Act.  Schumer discussed how the region and New York State are “on the precipice of a major transformation” because of the CHIPS Act, which he authored, and the resultant semiconductor investments across New York. “Most importantly, we have a robust workforce training pipeline because we have places like SUNY Poly here,” said Sen. Schumer before a tour of SUNY Poly’s Center for Global Advanced Manufacturing, led by Interim Dean of the College of Engineering Dr. Michael Carpenter.

Furthermore, in June, Schumer joined the National Institute for Innovation and Technology (NIIT) and the U.S. Department of Labor to announce New York as the nation’s first ever Career Opportunity Hub for building the tech workforce needed for the major expansion in the domestic semiconductor industry, including in Upstate New York, spurred by Sen. Schumer’s CHIPS and Science Act. The initiative, supported by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), including through a $9.6 million federal award over four years that was made by USDOL to NIIT last year, and the National Science Foundation, will create a first of its kind semiconductor Registered Apprenticeship Program training students from K-12 to higher education at the Albany NanoTech Complex’s world-class facilities and connecting students and workers to career opportunities with tech industry leaders like GlobalFoundries, Applied Materials, and Plug.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Visits SUNY Poly

SUNY Chancellor John B. King visited the Utica campus in March, engaging in a robust conversation with a diverse group of students about what initially excited them about becoming SUNY Poly students while he highlighted future opportunities of the institute. He received a tour led by Interim Dean of the College of Engineering Dr. Michael Carpenter where he saw each lab of the Center for Global Advanced Manufacturing (CGAM), located in Donovan Hall. As part of the tour, the Chancellor also met SUNY Poly’s Drone Club and was able to fly a drone in the robotics lab. In the 3D printing lab, Chancellor King also met the local high school FTC FIRST Robotics, team MUCC Bots, and their mentor, Kate Alcott. The team practiced with their robots for an upcoming competition. In addition, Chancellor King met with the Women in Engineering club in the Maker’s lab, as well as the Baja club and the ASCE bridge building team.

Chancellor King also took time to sit down with one dozen students representing EOP, CSTEP, student government, athletics, and the four colleges, asking them what makes SUNY Poly “SUNY Poly.” Their answers included the support they receive and small class sizes, top-tier facilities, accreditation of the Institute’s Colleges, relationships with faculty, diversity, and “incredible” internship opportunities with major companies.

Chancellor King, SUNY Poly Officer-in-Charge Dr. Andrew Russell, and College Council Chair RoAnn Destito then joined New York State Senator Joe Griffo, Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, and Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente for a news conference, touting a bright future for SUNY Poly. “I want to be clear,” said Chancellor King to the assembled crowd. “SUNY Poly has the support of the Governor, the SUNY Board of Trustees, and all of us at SUNY System to take this campus to new heights.” To learn more about his visit and to see media coverage from the day, click here.

SUNY Poly Partnerships Pave the Way for Innovation and Educational Opportunities

With Wolfspeed’s Mohawk Valley Fab located adjacent to SUNY Poly at the Marcy Nanocenter, opportunities abound at the world’s largest Silicon Carbide fabrication facility, which will also be automotive-qualified and 200mm-capable. There, Wolfspeed is expected to provide hundreds of jobs. In partnership with Wolfspeed, SUNY Poly is focused on preparing students for these opportunities through:

• Targeted, semiconductor-centered curricula and new high-tech equipment provided by Wolfspeed via the $250,000 Wolfspeed Curriculum Gift; and
• Uplifting traditionally underserved students through scholarship opportunities from Wolfspeed’s $2,000,000 scholarship program over 10 years.
• SUNY Poly and Wolfspeed have also collaboratively established the Dr. John Edmond and Dr. John Palmour SUNY Polytechnic Institute Endowed Faculty Chairs, made possible by $1,500,000 in funding from Wolfspeed.

Faculty, Students + Staff Excellence Continues

SUNY Poly Faculty, Staff, and Students Receive SUNY’S Highest Honor—Six Recognized with 2023 Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence

SUNY Poly proudly announced four members of its faculty and staff and two students received Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence from the State University of New York in 2023. Through these awards, SUNY publicly proclaims its pride in the accomplishments and personal dedication of its instructional faculty and professional staff across its campuses. SUNY Poly’s Chancellor’s Award recipients include:

• • Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence: Wakeley Banker, Jae Fish
  • Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service: Tyler Allen
  • Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching: Rebecca Weldon
  • Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities: Susan Sharfstein
  • Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service: Sabrina Howard

SUNY Poly Announces Second Cohort of CENN Fellowship Recipients

The SUNY Polytechnic Institute Office of Research and Graduate Studies was pleased to announce the Second cohort of New York State Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology (CENN) Fellowship recipients as Ph.D. candidates Sri Saravana Bharathi, Yamini Kumaran, and Maria Belen Paredes-Espinosa. The CENN is funded by the NYSTAR Division of Empire State Development and is hosted at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. Part of the mission of the CENN is to have universities engage with and support private companies in emerging high-technology fields in New York State and to expand technology-related businesses and employment. Read More

SUNY Poly Student Named Among Winners of the SUNY Chancellor Distinguished PhD Graduate Dissertation Awards

SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. celebrated student innovation as he announced the winners of the Chancellor Distinguished PhD Graduate Dissertation Awards, which recognize work done across the 64-campus system to address some of society’s most pressing issues. From SUNY Poly, Pujhitha Ramesh, Department of Nanobioscience, was selected for her dissertation: “Biomimetic Scaffolds Targeting Remediation of Fibrosis and Regeneration of the Salivary Gland.” Read More

Syracuse Post-Standard features alumnus Abbas Kazan and how he gives back

Abbas Kazan, 26, a native of Lebanon who designs roads and bridges for the Liverpool firm Barton & Loguidice, was recently honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers for his dedication to the field. Kazan, the first in his family to attend college, sat down with syracuse.com to talk about his journey from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to snowy Syracuse, why it’s hard living so far from family, and why he totes an earthquake simulator to local schools. Read More

Dr. Kristina Boylan, Melissa Prest honored for advancing SUNY Poly global learning initiatives

The Provost’s Office, in collaboration with the Office of Global Programs, recently honored Associate Professor of History Dr. Kristina Boylan and Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and Multicultural Affairs Director Melissa Prest, for significantly contributing to the advancement of the Global Learning for All initiative at SUNY Poly, and more specifically, for introducing Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) components into the curriculum, since Fall 2021. COIL connects students and professors in different countries for collaborative projects and discussions as part of their coursework, providing meaningful, significant opportunities for global experiences built into programs of study.

DEI as Part of SUNY Poly’s DNA

DEI as Part of SUNY Poly’s DNA

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) remain critical at SUNY Poly as the Institute is deeply committed to focusing on these important areas. The Institute continues to create an atmosphere that encourages the campus community to consider the lens our students look through. The Utica area celebrates 48 cultures and languages, which calls for an empathetic educational system, especially beyond the secondary environments. Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) Dr. Mark Montgomery, in collaboration with several offices on campus, continue to develop programming and build relationships across campus, advancing DEI efforts. Please see below for several highlights that focus on our campus’ collective progress through action.

The Office of the CDO

As CDO, Dr. Montgomery continued to be strong presence across the campus community, interacting with all facets of the college communities. Dr. Montgomery consistently encourages difficult conversations surrounding culture, race, identity, and inclusiveness to take place during his interactions across the campus communities. He continued to encourage creative pedagogical footprints with equity as a cornerstone.

He also contributes to and consults as needed to the Institute’s Cabinet. During the 2022/2023 academic year, he felt compelled to contribute in areas surrounding retention, transfer credit review processes, diversifying the university’s candidate pools, and the mental health of faculty, staff, and students. During the recent academic year, he proposed to the Deans that he be permitted to provide DEI vignettes at department meetings, an approach accepted by all, to be put into practice for the 2023/2024 academic year. Furthermore, his collaboration with HR was essential, as it’s the cornerstone of retention, recruitment, and satisfaction of many stakeholders. The CDO’s relationship with HR has yielded significant progress into increases in the diversity of our institution, and almost as importantly, the perception of the institution taking the role of DEI processes seriously.

During the recruitment season, the CDO continues to collaborate, contribute, and learn the student, faculty, and staff recruitment process and priorities. Faculty and staff connect students (accepted/potential) to the CDO which is something he encourages. Dr. Montgomery provided workshops during all acceptance weeks. He continues to participate in open houses, accepted student events, transfer days, and remains a strong advocate of modeling that which you are seeking. He still believes that a key to faculty and student connectivity is the sharing of experiences on and off-campus. The ability to communicate in real time was emphasized. Dr. Montgomery also traveled with the admissions team to areas where the DEI impact could be advanced by his presence, building and sustaining community-based contacts in the Albany region, i.e. Capital District Chamber of Commerce and 518 Unlimited. He continued to advance outreach efforts, providing workshops during all acceptance weeks, in addition to participating in open houses, accepted student events, and transfer days.

Moreover, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Mike Aiello was added to the Alumni office, and the CDO collaborates with him regularly, along with Assistant Vice President of Development Andrea LaGatta, as they continue to explore the means to engage alumni in DEI and retention efforts of SUNY Poly students.  

The CDO has worked diligently to advance engagement efforts of students who may not feel connected, to encourage a safe and welcoming campus community. This included working with SGU, maintaining strong relationships with the President and several key groups, forming additional relationships that enhance the student experience via office hours, professional development, and empowerment of students to be a part of the landscape versus an end product of programming. He also participated in a newly-formed DEI-Wellness Committee, which consists of representatives from EOP, Poly Wellness, the CDO and SGU. The CDO also advanced his strong relationship with the LGBTQ+ community on campus, to ensure a feeling of empowerment.

EOP and Multicultural Affairs

Educational Opportunity Program and Multicultural Affairs Department held on campus in the past year included:

• A Scavenger Hunt with clues centered around multicultural awareness and knowledge of EOP and library resources. 60 students attended.
• Portraits of Hope – in collaboration with the library, this event brought together alumni, community members, faculty, staff and students and highlighted our multicultural campus and local community.
• Johnson Park Food Giveaway – organized a group of staff and students to participate in monthly food giveaway in Johnson Park, Utica. This event brought to light inequities within our black community.
• Cortland Student Diversity Conference – in collaboration with CSI, SGU and Res Life organized a group of 15 students to attend Student led diversity conference at Cortland. Students are hoping to host the same type of conference on campus.
• Multicultural Generational Wealth Workshop – in collaboration with Office of Health and Wellness to discuss and promote financial literacy for underserved populations.
• Black History Month Poetry Slam – in collaboration with BLASU, Jazz & HipHop Club and CSI to celebrate and honor black history month.
• Multicultural Spring Fest – in collaboration with CSI, SGU, BLASU, and Jazz & HipHop Club, this event included entertainment, a ticketed multicultural themed dinner, and multicultural fashion show. Well attended and brought alumni back to campus.
• During the summer of 2022 and into the Fall 2022 semester, first year EOP SUNY Poly students and first year students in Columbia at UNIMINUTO University worked together via Collaborative Online International Learning. The incoming first-year EOP students participated in the COIL project as part of their Pre-Freshman Summer Academy and an EOP specific First Year Seminar course taught by the Director of EOP & Multicultural Affairs. The first-year students from UNIMINUTO University in Columbia participated in the COIL project as part of a linguistics course. Students from both universities were placed into groups consisting of students from both Poly and UNIMINUTO to work together on a project highlighting the similarities and differences in being a first-year student at each respective university. The students met via in class online meetings as well as outside of class on their own to produce a group presentation to be delivered as a group in class.
  • The project went very well and has become a staple of the Educational Opportunity Program. As a result of COIL experiences, EOP students have become more interested and less apprehensive about exploring study abroad opportunities. This past summer, one EOP student just participated in a study abroad opportunity in Europe. COIL is definitely a tool that the EOP happily uses in our DEI initiatives.

Also, in his role as CDO, Dr. Montgomery continued outreach and facilitation efforts with EOP, being available for individual and collective weekly Zoom meetings, offering academic supports and workshops, i.e.  “Finishing the semester strong.” The CDO also provided individual mentorship and/or student support positively influencing connectivity. He also had many one-on-one meetings with students, making connections with them in the process.

Residential Life

DEI events SUNY Poly’s Residential Life team led included:

• Cherry Blossom Festival – food event with authentic Japanese food and bookmark giveaway with history of the festival – 70 students attended.
• Women’s Empowerment Night – guest speaker Evon Ervin – faculty, staff and students attended a dinner while hearing about Evon’s journey and obstacles she overcame to become Deputy Director of Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency. The event also included a painting session with Angela Decarlis.
• Breaking Barriers and Building Resistance – student-driven and focused on honoring the accomplishments and contributions of Black individuals while also challenging stereotypes and promoting self-determination. Large group of faculty, staff and students attended. Hilda Jordan was guest speaker also allowing students to share their own experiences.

The CDO was also very involved with Residential Life, maintaining his availability for partnerships that provided contributions via DEI. He also remained highly visible across the campus communities and with the residential advisors, in addition to assisting with Freshman Move-In Day.

Center for Student Involvement

SUNY Poly CSI was also paramount in campuswide DEI initiatives. Events they played a key role in include:

• • Poly Leads Leadership Institute – in collaboration with Poly Leads, “Finding Your True North” was an intersectionality of mental health and inclusive leadership program. The prime focus of the 2 day program for 45 students was to challenge them with how to break the stigma and barriers of mental health as leaders with a DEI perspective. The program consisted of breakout sessions and keynote speakers to project-based work where students presented solutions to be more inclusive in dining, events, and facilities.
  • Drag Bingo – during LGTBQ History Month – 145 students attended and were able to learn with information throughout the event from facts and history to understand the significance to the community.
  • Cortland Student Diversity Conference – students were able to attend and came back with a desire to host a conference at Poly on inclusion and belonging.

SGU

Various DEI programming was organized by SUNY Poly’s Student Government Utica (SGU). This included – Diwali, Holi, Black History Month Trivia, Mardi Gras, Hispanic Heritage Festival, and Women’s History Night – all focused on fostering a more inclusive and equitable environment by addressing systemic biases, promoting diversity and ensuring that individuals from all backgrounds have a seat at the table. There were also efforts to connect both accepted and potential students with the CDO and increase the CDO’s accessibility via forums, lunches, and strategic invitation meetings, in partnership with SGU.

Title IX

This past June, Kathie Artigiani joined SUNY Poly as their Title IX Coordinator bringing 27 years of experience in human services to the position. In this role, she ensures that the Institute meets Title IX compliance by gathering and analyzing data; taking the lead in communication & training about Title IX issues; and advising campus leadership about the various important issues related to Title IX. During the Spring 2023 semester, Dr. Montgomery temporarily took on the role of Deputy Title IX Coordinator, dedicating time to refreshing, training, working cases, and collaborating with HR and Council, with those responsibilities having now completely shifted to Artigiani.

Accessibility Services

SUNY Poly Accessibility Services’ ‘Something Social’ series occurred weekly is a program that reaches out to students with ASD, ADHD, anxiety, and those that consider themselves neurodivergent.  Something Social focuses on executive functioning skills, relationship building, interpersonal skills, social nuances, navigating college life with a disability, ways to embrace neurodiversity and the challenges thereof.  Something Social offers a safe place where students can ask questions, sit on large beanbag chairs, relax, and be themselves.  Peer to peer support is also a theme.  It was open to all on campus and is advertised on Poly Engage.

Athletics

Relationships with athletics became more of a priority in 2022/23 with the CDO serving on many search committees and attending multiple events to support the department on behalf of the leadership team. During the Spring semester, there began a point of emphasis to provide DEI-related trainings for two reasons. The first was to support institutional core values. The second was at the request of students who were/are seeking more DEI/CDO interactions. During the Spring semester, the CDO provided DEI bases workshops for a couple teams with all of the teams having annual DEI-based workshops as an outcome.

Alumni Achievements

Three new Scholarships established by or in honor of alumni on Day of Giving

The generosity of SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s community of supporters was on display during this year’s SUNY Poly Foundation Annual Day of Giving with nearly $185,000 having been raised, surpassing last year’s total of $113,000. This includes new endowed scholarships by alumni Kevin P. Volk (’83), Steve (’06) and Gina Surace (’03), and NYSTEC in honor of longtime employee and alum Michele Salisbury (’94). SUNY Poly’s Day of Giving, a 24-hour fundraising campaign held on March 30, encouraged alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of SUNY Poly to contribute in an effort to move the university forward and ensure students meet their educational goals.

Volk recently announced that he is including the SUNY Poly Foundation in his estate plans to establish an endowed nursing scholarship to benefit undergraduate students in SUNY Poly’s College of Health Science nursing program. The commitment will be funded by a bequest, and when fully realized, will provide scholarships to ensure that students who have a history of strong academic efforts, financial need, and a desire to positively impact people’s health through the nursing profession will be able to achieve success in SUNY Poly’s hands-on nursing programs before finding an exciting career in this in-demand medical field.

The new $25,000 endowed scholarship established by NYSTEC in honor of Salisbury, a 1994 SUNY Poly alum who recently retired from the company, will benefit undergraduate female students enrolled in any field of study, with preference given to those with economic need.

Steve and Gina Surace, who graduated from SUNY Poly in 2006 and 2003, respectively, have established a $25,000 endowed scholarship that will benefit undergraduate business students.

The funds raised will benefit several areas of support on campus, including Wildcat athletics, student scholarships, the Educational Opportunities Program, SUNY Poly Emergency Fund, Poly Pantry, and the SUNY Poly Annual Fund. The new scholarships will help further defray college costs for students attending SUNY Poly.

Myles Duah ’23 receives Norman R. McConney, Jr. Award; Lands job at Naval Undersea Warfare Center

Recent grad Myles Duah was SUNY Poly’s recipient of the Norman R. McConney, Jr. Award, which celebrates the achievements of SUNY EOP seniors who have exhibited academic success, courage, perseverance and leadership qualities during their journey to earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. In addition to exceling in the classroom and sharing his passion for music with others as the founder of the Jazz and Hip Hop Club, Duah’s accomplishments also include: serving as a resident advisor; being a mentor and assistant with SUNY Poly’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP); co-founding SUNY Poly’s EOP and Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) Living Learning Community; serving on the SUNY Poly EOP Advisory Council; participating in the SUNY Poly Leadership Institute; and speaking at both the Equity & Empowerment and Breaking Barriers & Building Resistance Symposiums this past October. After walking across the stage at the Wildcat Field House, the computer science major/business management minor relocated to Newport, Rhode Island, where he’s been hired as a computer scientist at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Read Miles’ Story

Health Informatics Program Sees First Graduates

Every program has its hallmark. For SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Master of Science in Health Informatics (HI) program, it’s “teaching the hands-on skills that employers are looking for,” explains Associate Professor and Program Coordinator Dr. Jerome Niyirora. Launched in 2020, the online HI program is designed to provide specialized training in the informatics aspects of health, information science and technology, and social and behavioral science, as delineated in the foundational domains of the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). A particular emphasis is placed on health information science and technology to help train the workforce to meet the expanding need for experts in this area. This past academic year, the HI program saw its first two graduates: Natalya Leschuk and Michele Phillips — the most recent being Phillips, a Niagara County resident. Read more.

Lux Semiconductors developing new generation of advanced chip packaging

In February, four venture capital groups provided SUNY Poly spinoff Lux Semiconductors with $2.3 million in seed-round funding to develop a new generation of advanced chip packaging, which promises to provide chip designers increased performance and lowered cost. The round was led by Ultratech Capital Partners, with participation from AIN Ventures, Hemisphere Ventures, and Lockheed Martin Ventures. The new funding will accelerate the commercialization of System-on-Foil, set to deliver ‘More than Moore.’ For the past 50 years, semiconductor innovation has been achieved through unrelenting miniaturization of the transistor, following Moore’s Law. But the end of Moore’s era is now in sight, and an industry consensus on a new path forward has emerged – transistor miniaturization will give way to system miniaturization. Now, state-of-the-art chips will be partitioned into smaller ‘chiplets’ and reconnected inside advanced chip packaging.

Climb aboard the Metro North with DeAndre Walters ‘17

Taking the 7-train with his mother as a child, Queens native DeAndre Walters developed an interest in trains at an early age. The 2017 Electrical Engineering Technology grad was recently promoted to the Locomotive Fleet Superintendent at Metro-North Railroad (after previously serving as a Technical Supervisor and Electrician Tech). Each morning he catches a train from Poughkeepsie to Croton-on-Hudson to begin the work day, a career path made possible by his experience at SUNY Poly. In his new role, he will be managing a shop of 70 employees and the entire fleet of 54 locomotives, making sure they stay on the tracks for the rest of their life, have the requisite parts, and are in a good state of repair. Read DeAndre’s Story.

CET Alum uses talents as Director of Engineering & Operations – ceEntek  North America

Anthony Ragosta ’15, a Civil Engineering Technology major and Mathematics minor, is doing big things as Director of Engineering & Operations at ceEntek  North America. There, he is responsible for widespread industry support in the design with a high-tech material (UHPC), serving on national code writing committees, and ultimately helping engineers leverage the value engineering process to use UHPC and create sustainable infrastructure. For operations, he is responsible for overseeing their supply chain, field operations for successful implementation of their material, as well as shaping and executing the strategic direction of the company.  Read Anthony’s Story.

Beha stays local, serves as Nursing Instructor at St. Elizabeth’s

Marcy native Krysta Beha, who obtained her Nursing degree (’18) and Master’s in Nursing Education (’22), from SUNY Poly, has stayed local and works at St. Elizabeth’s College of Nursing as a Nursing Instructor. “I think that the nursing education program did a great job at teaching me the foundation of how to design and organize a nursing curriculum, then how to appropriately evaluate program outcomes and student learning,” she said. “Nursing education courses like curriculum design and instructional development allow students to create nursing coursework and build a curriculum as a small group project.” Read Krysta’s Story.

Infrastructure Improvements

The Facilities Department at SUNY Polytechnic Institute is responsible for the protection, operation, preservation, maintenance, and construction for over 910,000 square feet of building area and nearly 500 acres of landscape, athletic facilities, roadways, sidewalks, and parking lots.  This is achieved with a dedicated staff of more than 55 employees.  Each year, the Facilities department responds to thousands of work orders requested by campus residents, faculty, and staff for repairs and installations.  They also provide for the set up and take down of equipment for campus events, deliver the campus mail, and distribute packages to students and staff.

The Facilities Department is also responsible for major and minor construction projects on the SUNY Poly campus, highlighted below, with current projects totaling more than $72M.  The department plans, designs, and constructs capital projects to maintain and preserve the physical plant, address environmental concerns, and meet the changing pedagogies of higher education.

Capital Projects

Campus Center Renovations ($45 million)

This project, currently in the bid phase, will provide renovations and conversion of an old pool area to create classroom space.  A new centrally-located residential life suite, renovated athletic locker rooms, offices, and meeting spaces for coaches and athletes are also planned.  In addition, a renovated lobby area will create a welcoming atmosphere for students and visitors, as well as greatly improve circulation and ADA accessibility.  The project will reduce carbon emissions with the removal of existing natural gas boilers and installation of geothermal systems for cooling and heating the building.

Reconstruct Technology and Residential Drive ($5 million)

Reconstruct 3,264 feet of Technology Drive, spanning from the Marcy Parkway to Seymour Road and 895 feet of Residential Drive, spanning from Wildcat Drive to the intersection with Technology Drive.  Included in the work is the replacement of street lighting with new LED streetlights, new drainage structures, ADA crosswalks, and new pedestrian sidewalks.

Renovate Kunsela and Donovan Halls for STEM ($22 million)

This project is to provide partial interior renovations in Kunsela and Donovan Halls to update and enhance instructional, laboratory, and support spaces for growing STEM programs at SUNY Poly’s Utica campus.  The enhancements are targeted to highlight the laboratory and STEM spaces with the promotion of natural light and added interior storefront windows.  The project will renovate approximately 27,000 square feet in Kunslea Hall and approximately 18,000 square feet in Donovan Hall and will include renovations to dated restrooms and a new fire sprinkler system in Kunsela Hall C-Wing.  Due to the largest donation ever received from a single donor in SUNY Poly’s history, from the family of the late Francis A. Wilcox, SUNY Poly is moving forward with planning for the installation of new floors, ceilings, walls, and the installation of high efficiency LED lighting, as well as new lab equipment and more, in several Kunsela Hall laboratories located in the “Francis A. Wilcox Engineering and Technology Wing.”  The project will include everything from a new art studio to an upgraded chemistry lab, new space for the Interactive Media + Game Design (IMGD) program, as well as a semiconductor processing lab in the Center for Global Advances Manufacturing (CGAM) and STEM Communications Center.