With the theme of “getting down to business,” SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher delivered her State of the University address on Jan. 9.

Reviewing the past year’s accomplishments, she gave a shout-out to Oswego’s new multiple-major co-op education program, the first in the SUNY system.

Her address attracted an audience from around the state who also saw the premiere of the 64-campus video on the SUNY Advantage. (Oswego’s three seconds occur at 2:18 of the nearly three-minute video and feature the human-computer interaction program’s students and robots.)

In response to the chancellor’s message, SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley issued the following statement:

“Chancellor Zimpher has introduced exciting ideas to propel SUNY to national prominence in a time when public universities in every state are challenged to deliver the best possible education to our citizens in the face of declining resources.

“SUNY’s purpose is teaching and learning that enrich the quality of life for individuals and communities across the state and contribute to New York’s economic vitality. The initiatives the chancellor has introduced promise to enhance SUNY’s efficiency so that we may channel additional resources into this vital mission of teaching and learning.

“SUNY Oswego has already been pursuing a number of approaches Chancellor Zimpher outlined: We promote on-time graduation with our pioneering Oswego Guarantee. We are a leader in the SUNY system in online instruction. Our School of Education has innovative partnerships with school districts to help plug leaks in the education pipeline and produce college-ready high school graduates. We are constantly developing new academic programs in response to regional workforce needs and finding ways to connect our students with the workplace, such as our new co-op program spotlighted in the chancellor’s speech.

“Chancellor Zimpher has set a goal for a higher level of collaboration and discipline across our State University system that will help us overcome fiscal challenges and ensure that we offer our state an exceptional education targeted to the needs of our time.”

(Posted: Jan 17, 2012)

Tags: vitality, nancy zimpher, engagement, deborah f. stanley, cooperative education