Strategic Planning Steering Committee Charge
On December 13, 2022, the SUNY Board of Trustees approved a resolution that initiated “the process to transfer the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), presently under the administrative authority of the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly), to the State University of New York at Albany (UAlbany).”
The same resolution also authorized and directed the Officer-in-Charge of SUNY Poly to “begin the process of creating a robust strategic plan along with local stakeholders strengthening the future of SUNY Poly Utica as the premier public Polytech school in the state and nation without CNSE under its administrative authority, including a consideration to partner with all levels of educational institutions and economic development partners, to be completed no later than December 2023.”
The SUNY Poly Strategic Planning Steering Committee will be an ad-hoc committee, appointed by the Officer-in-Charge (OIC). It will:
- Assist with the design of a process that engages the campus community and local stakeholders and partners;
- Listen to and prioritize community suggestions for the SUNY Poly Strategic Plan;
- Report weekly to the OIC on its activities and progress;
- Prepare a draft list of recommendations for inclusion in the Strategic Plan, no later than February 28, 2023;
- Coordinate and support the efforts of subcommittees to establish recommendations for:
- Academic programs and educational experiences that are accessible and support regional needs;
- Dynamic external partnerships that serve the Mohawk Valley and New York State;
- Research and scholarship at the leading edge of science, technology, engineering, and health sciences; and
- Student success, driven by an inclusive, all-campus approach.
- Make recommendations for Strategic Plan implementation after March 31, 2023; and
- Coordinate with OIC, Cabinet, and College Council Chair on recommendations for advocacy.
Membership
- Jennifer Adams, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at SUNY Poly
- Timothy Busch, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Heather Hage, President & CEO of the Griffiss Institute
Term of Service
- Members shall serve a term that may last one year from the date of the committee’s inception, with the option to continue their service should the committee be required to continue its function.
Meeting Schedule
- The Committee shall meet weekly until May 12, 2023, and biweekly thereafter.
Updates
SUNY Poly Strategic Plan Update: Current Status, and Sharing Next Steps - March 21, 2023 (pdf)
Timeline to develop, review, and finalize SUNY Poly’s Strategic Plan:
- January 2023: Research SUNY Poly previous strategic & tactical plans and “frameworks,” as well as strategic planning in peer institutions.
- Establish structure, scope, process, and timeline.
- February 10, 2023: Engage the Utica campus community and local stakeholders through facilitated workshops to assess the community values, strategic priorities, and specific objectives that they would like to see reflected in a Strategic Plan.
- This effort is proceeding alongside MSCHE self-study and Poly Presidential search.
- February 17-March 1, 2023: The Steering Committee and OIC developed recommendations for capital requests that were shared with SUNY Chancellor John King and local elected officials, ahead of the Executive Budget to be announced on April 1.
- March 10-April 1: The Steering Committee and OIC are engaging with listening sessions with different constituencies on and off campus and developing a draft report that will be shared publicly and available for comment.
- April and May: We will work with SUNY to implement the Strategic Plan, ensure it has appropriate resource support from SUNY, and create a schedule for the completion, implementation, and revision of the plan in 2023 and 2024.
Jennifer Adams
Jennifer R. B. Adams is the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, New York. Jennifer oversees the areas of Residential Life and Housing, Student Involvement, Orientation, Student Government and the Care Team. Jennifer is also an adjunct instructor for the College of Business at SUNY Poly, teaching both online and in person courses. Jennifer most commonly teaches business management, organizational behavior and human resource management. She is a frequent presenter for students in the areas of attention management, values identification and leadership, particularly in the areas of stakeholder development and communication.
With 25 years of experience in Higher Education and Student Affairs, Jennifer has worked within many functional areas from academic advisement to residential life. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University and an MBA from Heidelberg University. Prior to working at SUNY Poly, she served as Assistant Dean of the College at Colgate University, and as a member of Colgate’s Behavioral Assessment Team. She also worked at West Liberty University, Heidelberg University and Bowling Green State University during and since graduate school.
Dr. Tim Busch
Dr. Timothy Busch, Col USAF (Ret), is an Associate Professor in and the coordinator of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Program at the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Binghamton University in the area of control theory applied to intersatellite laser communication systems while working for the Air Force Research Laboratory. Dr. Busch went on to work in the area of modeling and simulation for use in command and control of air operations. His current research interest is in the application of control and game theory to dynamic decision problems typical in high tempo operations and the use of neuromorphic computing for decision making. Dr. Busch is a senior member of the IEEE, a member of the International Council of Systems Engineers (INCOSE), and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).
Heather Hage
Heather Hage is President & CEO of the Griffiss Institute (GI), a leading national nonprofit in service to the United States Department of Defense. Heather leads the GI’s focus on developing the next generation of STEM talent and defense technologies for a stronger, safer America. This includes the operation of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s open innovation facilities at Innovare Advancement Center in Rome, NY, to engage aspiring and inspiring scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs from academia and industry to partner with the government on solutions to national challenges. Prior to joining the Griffiss Institute, Heather served the State University of New York for 17 years, where she oversaw innovation and partnerships activities at SUNY Research Foundation. A graduate of Hamilton College and Albany Law School, where she was Managing Editor of the Journal of Science and Technology, and a former adjunct faculty member at Albany Law School and SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Heather is the recipient of various honors and awards, including SUNY’s 2015 Woman of Excellence award for outstanding service, exemplary support of women in leadership, and a distinguished career. When Heather is not working, you can find her in the Adirondacks, with her family.
- Academic programs and educational experiences that are accessible and support regional needs;
- Dynamic external partnerships that serve the Mohawk Valley and New York State.
- Research and scholarship at the leading edge of science, technology, engineering, and health sciences; and
- Student success, driven by an inclusive, all-campus approach
At the Community Co-Design Day on February 10, 2023, Session Leaders posed engaging questions and guided discussion amongst a wide range of SUNY Poly stakeholders. From these sessions the Facilitators sought to obtain useful data to inform action related to the strategic priorities:
- Academic programs and educational experiences that are accessible and support regional needs;
- An inclusive, all-campus approach dedicated to student success;
- Research and scholarship at the leading edge of science, technology, engineering, and health sciences; and
- Dynamic external partnerships that serve the Mohawk Valley and New York State.
