To watch the full forum, click here. 

Students, faculty and staff, as well as local media, gathered in the Kunsela Auditorium on October 16 for a campus forum led by newly-appointed SUNY Poly President Dr. Winston Oluwole Soboyejo.

In his first formal remarks to the campus community, Dr. Soboyejo shared his vision for SUNY Poly as the State and the nation’s premier public polytechnic. He also summarized his plans for the first 100 days of his tenure, which include:

Days 0-33
•    Get to know SUNY Poly’s students
•    Invest in ourselves and in SUNY Poly initiatives 
•    Finalize budget for FY 2023-2024
•    Commence DEI Programming for Fall 2023
•    Tour facilities
•    Support accreditation visits and “revel in SUNY Poly’s wins”
•    Review operation hours to improve the student experience

Days 34-66
•    Strengthen the SUNY Poly team
•    Re-engage the Strategic Planning process
•    Build community throughout the student life cycle
•    Develop and nurture strategic partnerships
•    Explore bringing events back to campus
•    Review possible venues for a Wildcat Esports space (“arena”)
•    Progress on the formation of innovative academic centers
•    Launch Transformation Fund Initiatives ($930K) focused on recruitment and retention
•    Aggressively market SUNY Poly
•    Establish a budget process that begins annually in November
•    Identify areas for sharing resources and develop more efficient processes

Days 67-100
•    Initiate Provost search 
•    Advance along in the Middle States Accreditation process
•    Identify initial programs for professional master’s degrees or doctoral programs
•    Develop 5-year strategic enrollment plan 
•    Evaluate feasibility of revamping the Student Center “Pub”
•    Break down existing silos, enhance a cohesive work environment
•    Build a team to identify/develop interdisciplinary priority projects
•    Work with construction fund on capital projects
•    Initiate development of a more sophisticated fundraising strategy
•    Finalize SUNY Poly’s Strategic Plan

Beyond those first 100 days, Dr. Soboyejo noted that SUNY Poly would double down on being a true industry and community partner, continue to invest in the institution’s students, faculty and staff, create a culture of innovation, and be a catalyst in moving SUNY Poly and the Mohawk Valley region forward and beyond. 

Looking 5-10 years down the road, Dr. Soboyejo sees SUNY Poly building on its solid foundation, leveraging interdisciplinary education and research in areas including advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence, in addition to continuing to prepare its graduates for the 21st Century Workforce.

To view WKTV's coverage of the forum, click here.