Chancellor Kristina Johnson Visits SUNY Empire

SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson paid a visit to SUNY Empire State College as part of her ongoing tour of all 64 of the system campuses.

Johnson met with SUNY Empire Officer in Charge Mitchell S. Nesler and his cabinet Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 7.

Nesler shared the college’s vision, refined and updated as part of the college’s recently completed strategic plan, a current overview of the college and a look at future through the strategic plan.

Four themes, including student success, academic engagement and innovation, expanding impact and recognition and operational excellence and sustainability, support the college’s strategic plan.

“SUNY Empire State College’s updated vision and strategic plan demonstrates the campus’ ongoing efforts to support their students through a wide offering of academic and financial resources,” said Johnson. “I thoroughly enjoyed learning about SUNY Empire’s plans, and applaud them for their continued efforts to provide different modalities of learning for their diverse student body.”

Within each theme are strategic objectives, with specific measures and initiatives, and an associated strategy map, which shows how all the objectives work to support the four themes.

“Our nontraditional students require an accessible, affordable and flexible path to degree completion,” said Nesler. “Implementing our strategic plan means providing our students with a better education, and overall liberal arts experience, as efficiently as possible.”

The strategic plan, Nesler said, incorporates the ability to make enhancements as circumstances change and as data from the measurements of strategic objects are generated.

Nesler and the cabinet also discussed the college’s strengths in saving students time and money through prior learning assessment, where students earn college credit for their college-level learning, regardless of where the learning was acquired.

Other highlights included the college’s strength in delivering learning to students online, face-to-face in independent study, study groups, residencies and a blend of all modes of learning.