Schenectady Community College: February 27, 2025: 16/30
#visit-number-sixteen
Thursday, February, 27, 2025
Today marked a significant milestone in my statewide tour—my 16th visit to a SUNY community college since beginning this journey in September 2024. I’ve officially passed the halfway mark, and each visit continues to reinforce just how diverse, dynamic, and essential our community colleges are to the fabric of public higher education in New York State.
SUNY Schenectady, located in the heart of downtown Schenectady, is a campus with unique character. Many of its buildings are repurposed from a historic hotel, and while the college has grown and modernized over the years, architectural echoes of its earlier life still emerge in charming and unexpected ways. It’s a setting that blends history and purpose—a perfect metaphor for the role community colleges play in bridging past and future.
Upon arrival, I was warmly welcomed by Dan Holz, SUNY Schenectady’s alternate delegate to the FCCC. I want to take a moment to underscore just how vital our alternate delegates are to the strength and sustainability of the work of the FCCC. While some may mistakenly view alternate delegates as simply “backups” who step in only when the primary delegate is unavailable, their role is far more substantial. Alternate delegates, like their counterparts, are assigned to standing committees, contribute to policy discussions, and are encourages to attend and actively participate in statewide committee meetings and Plenaries. In fact, one of our current alternate delegates serves as Vice Chair of a standing committee—a testament to the depth of leadership that they bring. The power of the FCCC lies in its collective voice—one that includes delegates, campus governance leaders and alternate delegates alike. Each plays a critical role in advancing the mission of advocating for faculty governance and strengthening our community colleges in a time when that advocacy is more necessary than ever.
The day began with a substantive meeting with SUNY Schenectady’s Chief Academic Officer, Mark Meachem. Our conversation could have easily gone on for hours as we discussed the evolving challenges facing community colleges—challenges that require collaboration, adaptability, and vision from administrators and faculty leaders alike.
From left clockwise: FCCC Delegate/Professor of History Babette Faehmel, FCCC Alternate delegate/Professor of Mathematics Dan Holz, Senate President/Professor of Communications Rae Doyle & FCCC President Candice Vacin.
The day continued with a working lunch with Academic Senate Chair (CGL) and Professor of Communications, Rae Doyle, FCCC delegate, Professor of History Babette Faehmel and FCCC alternate delegate and Professor of Mathematics, Dan Holz. The discussion was rich and thoughtful, covering the need to continually educate the campus on shared governance, structure effective systems, revisit practices regularly, and uphold governance amid growing external pressures.
After meeting with Rae, Babette and Dan I joined an open faculty forum, but before describing the forum, I want to briefly highlight the exceptional work Babette does beyond the classroom—work that exemplifies the remarkable dedication of faculty across our community colleges. Babette is the host and producer of the podcast Many Voices, One Call and if that is not enough they are a member of the inaugural cohort of SUNY’s Civic Education and Engagement and Civic Discourse Fellows. At this point, trying to recruit Babette for the FCCC executive committee feels like asking Oprah to co-host a faculty book club—brilliant, overbooked, and declining my ask for the sixth time with a smile that says, “Bless your heart.” But I’m not giving up. I’ve got spreadsheets, whiteboards, and increasingly desperate charm. Sooner or later, even Oprah wants to weigh in on by-laws revisions and the phrasing of a strongly worded resolution.
Next, I joined an open faculty forum where conversation flowed openly and honestly. Faculty spoke with clarity and conviction about the shifting expectations placed upon them, the realities of navigating the current national climate, and the vital importance of both local and statewide support in sustaining the academic mission. Their insight, passion, and deep commitment to their students and the institution were evident throughout.
From left clockwise: President Steady Moono, Provost Mark Meachem, FCCC Alternate delegate/Professor of Mathematics Dan Holz, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives & Planning David Clickner, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Stephen Fragale, FCCC Delegate/Professor of History Babette Faehmel, Chief of Staff Tiombé Tatum, Senate President/Professor of Communications Rae Doyle & FCCC President Candice Vacin.
From left clockwise: President Steady Moono, Provost Mark Meachem, Senate President/Professor of Communications Rae Doyle, FCCC Alternate delegate/Professor of Mathematics Dan Holz, FCCC Delegate/Professor of History Babette Faehmel, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives & Planning David Clickner, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Stephen Fragale & FCCC President Candice Vacin.
Later in the day, I participated in a broader conversation that included members of the administration and faculty leadership. A wide range of topics was explored—from the need for increased support for faculty compensation, to the broader societal value of higher education. A particularly resonant theme emerged: faculty are not just educating students for short-term workforce success. They are shaping citizens, building communities, and advancing democracy. That sense of mission runs deep at SUNY Schenectady.
As I reflect on the day, one thought continues to stand out: institutions of higher education—and community colleges in particular—must remain spaces where multiple viewpoints can be expressed and examined. They are one of the last remaining arenas in public life where reasoned disagreement and critical thinking are not just possible, but expected. Faculty play an extraordinary role in safeguarding that space, modeling civic discourse, guiding their students and colleagues alike in asking hard questions, and engaging difference with integrity.
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