I hope that you all had a very happy and restful Thanksgiving and have returned to campus determined to finish the semester in full stride. Over the Thanksgiving break, I attended the American Association of State Colleges and Universities annual conference. The conference focused on accountability and in the coming weeks, the Provost and I, along with the Cabinet, will be discussing some of the national initiatives regarding accountability and the use of institutional data.
Updates:
Fire in Linden Hall
Right before Thanksgiving, a fire occurred in the Linden Hall laundry room. The State is still investigating the exact cause. Thanks to our Security Staff for their exemplary work in fighting the fire initially using extinguishers and for evacuating the building promptly. I speak for the entire College in expressing gratitude for their dedication to the well being of our students.
Alert Me Now
As of December 3rd, 2,132 College members have signed up for the Emergency Alert System. I strongly urge anyone who has not signed up to do so, as this will be our primary means of communication in case of emergency. Alert Me Now will not be used in the case of snow closings or delayed openings. Ramapo will continue to operate its weather-closing hotline as well post information on our website. Units may wish to create phone chains as another means of information.
Campus Happenings:
WWW.RAMAPO.EDU’S News and Media Page Wins CASE Award
It is a pleasure to announce that Ramapo’s News and Media webpage has been chosen by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for a District II award. This marks the third consecutive year that Ramapo has achieved this distinction. Congratulations to Stephen Schur and the Marketing and Communications Staff for their accomplishment!
AASCU Presidents’ Climate Commitment
On Friday, November 30th at the opening of the Green meets Green conference, I signed the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Presidents Climate Commitment. This commitment is a national initiative by the AASCU to actively engage campuses in reversing the trends of global warming by achieving climate neutrality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Echoing my remarks at the groundbreaking for our new Sustainability Education Center, sustainability and environmental awareness are integral not only to Ramapo’s history, but to its future.
With the groundbreaking of our new Sustainability Education Center, the pending approval of our Strategic Plan embodying sustainability as a fundamental principle, and the signing of this commitment, Ramapo continues to dedicate itself to teaching and research on the environment and to promoting a more sustainable campus. Shortly, I will be convening a task force to initiate the research outlined in the commitment and develop an action plan. More about that in my next post.
