SUNY Adirondack: February, 28, 2025: 17/30

                                                

                #visit-number-seventeen

Friday, February, 28, 2025 

What a nice visit to SUNY Adirondack!

The night before my visit FCCC delegate Wendy Johnston  graciously invited me to dinner with some of her friends at Seasoned SUNY Adirondack’s culinary restaurant and the meal was delicious. It was the second time that I was able to visit the restaurant, the first was Fall 2022, when SUNY Adirondack hosted the FCCC plenary. 

FCCC President Candice Vacin on
the SUNY Adirondack campus.

Before long, we were joined by FCCC Delegate Wendy Johnston, Alternate Delegate Carrie Menard, Vice President for Student Affairs John Delate, and Vice President for Administrative Services Keith Kaplan. Together, we had a thoughtful conversation about the issues facing community colleges and the work required to meet this moment with clarity and purpose.

    

  From left: VP for Administrative Services Keith Kaplan, VP for Student 

Services John Delate, President Kris Duffy, FCCC Alternate Delegate 

Carrie Menard, Vice President for Academic Affairs John Jablonski, 

FCCC President Candice Vacin and FCCC Delegate Wendy Johnston.

One of the joys of the day was seeing more of the campus. I visited "The Reef" - if you are looking for a peaceful, meditative location on campus this is it! 

          FCCC President Candice Vacin in front of "the Reef" 

       a large aquarium in Adirondack Hall.

The day continued with a productive meeting with the Senate Executive Committee, lunch with several campus colleagues, including CAO Jablonski, and a faculty forum on Zoom focused on the importance of faculty voice in curricular matters. I was especially struck by Adirondack’s dedication to that work. Several years ago, the faculty gave that dedication clear expression by forming a faculty-only assembly, an example of faculty leadership rooted in both conviction and care for the academic mission.

After a full and meaningful day at SUNY Adirondack, I ended the evening with CGL Mark Guise, Delegate Wendy Johnston, and Alternate Delegate Carrie Menard over a delicious dinner at Spargel on 9.

From left: FCCC Alternate Delegate Carrie Menard, FCCC Delegate 

Wendy Johnston, Campus Governance Leader Marc Guise and FCCC 

President Candice Vacin enjoy authentic German food at Spargel on 9.

Before leaving the region I had to head back to the campus one more time to take a selfie with what has to be one of the most memorable sights on any community college campus: the enormous green Adirondack chair. It felt like a fitting reminder that campuses are not only places of serious work, but also places with personality, and a strong sense of pride.

FCCC President Candice Vacin in front of SUNY
Adirondack's enormous iconic green Adirondack chair.