Welcome to SUNY Cortland. We are pleased you have chosen to join us and look forward to your participation in our College community. There are many special programs and events planned to ensure a smooth transition and a successful first year.
This year's New Full-time Faculty Orientation has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 20 - Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. You will be receiving additional information before then.
The Help Center provides assistance with technology problems and questions about library services. Help is available by telephone at 607-753-2500, in person at the library and by email at THC@cortland.edu.
Note: for campus numbers, dial only the last four digits when calling internally.
Contact your department administrative assistant for information about setting up your netID and email account. You will need a Cortland ID number (C#) to obtain an email account, so you will want to do this first.
For additional help with setting up an email account, getting general technology support and accessing myRedDragon, please contact The Help Center at 607-753-2500. The myRedDragon portal contains exclusive content for SUNY Cortland faculty, staff and students.
Your department administrative assistant will have already requested that your phone be set up for voice mail. If voice mail is not working on your phone, request that the department admin open a Help Ticket. You can also request voice mail activation yourself by sending an email to THC@cortland.edu. Include your phone number in the email.
More information on setting up and using your voice mail for the first time is available by logging into myRedDragon, selecting the Tech Help tab, and following the link at Get Started, Faculty/Staff.
Each new tenure-track faculty member is assigned a new computer. You may choose whether you want a Mac or PC operating platform. If you have specific needs for software, inform your department administrative assistant. Please be aware that not all software is supported at SUNY Cortland. Special requests for software must be cleared through Information Resources.
Department administrative assistants will submit the appropriate hardware and software request through their respective dean's office to the Provost's Office for approval prior to processing in Information Resources. Department administrative assistants will also submit reassigned computer requests for visiting faculty.
Ask your department administrative assistant about how to access supplies.
You need to make a written request (memo) to the chair of your department for supplies that are course-specific.
Faculty members are obligated to meet their classes during each scheduled class period. In the case of planned absences (such as for conference attendance), a faculty member is expected to arrange for another qualified person to conduct his/her classes. If a faculty member has to cancel class due to illness or emergency, the faculty member should contact both the department chair and the department administrative assistant. (Chapter 220.02 of the SUNY Cortland Handbook: Responsibility of Faculty)
The President's Office will send out an announcement regarding the cancellation of all classes due to severe weather or other campus emergencies via radio and on the SUNY Cortland website. According to the Emergency Closing Policies, Section 490.01 of the SUNY Cortland Handbook, "cancellation of classes held on campus also applies to online classes (ASYNCH)."
Please Note: There is a two-week delay in your pay after the start of your contract date. If you need to borrow funds against future paychecks, a transition allowance is available to you. Please call the Payroll Office for details at 607-753-2405. The goal of the transition allowance is to provide temporary financial assistance to new faculty and professional staff to ease the transition and minimize the impact of the NYS lag payroll system.
Make sure you have returned your contact and all the necessary paperwork (W-4 and I-9) to human resources.
Direct Deposit is also available by contacting the Payroll office. The Payroll Office encourages employees to sign up for direct deposit and opt out of receiving hard copies of paystubs, with the option to view and print the paystubs from the NYS Payroll Online self-service functionality. To opt out, please follow these steps:
You may contact your department administrative assistant about their practice regarding pick up. However, with most people signing up for the paperless option, employees who prefer paystubs usually pick them up from the Payroll Office in Miller Building, Room 330.
All faculty have mailboxes in their respective departments. The mail is distributed and picked up in the main office every morning.
Take your signed employment verification to the Parking Department located on the first floor of Whitaker Hall, Room 110. The annual cost of the parking permit for all faculty or staff represented by a union is $25. You will need to have your vehicle registration information readily available. You may also register your vehicle and purchase a parking permit online using instructions on the Parking Rules and Regulations webpage.
All SUNY Cortland employees are asked to review and update their information in the online campus directory. Basic information that should be listed includes name, title, department, phone number, office location and email address for each employee.
Please note that the phone number you enter for your directory listing is accessible to the public on the SUNY Cortland People Search (Directory) page. Home addresses, telephone numbers and other personal or academic information can be listed by choice.
State employees should check and update their information as follows:
Information about graphic and communication standards can be found in the Brand Identity Guide, which can be accessed from the Faculty/Staff tab on the university home page and then by choosing Brand Identity Guide from the right-hand menu. An additional resource is the Writing Style Guide.
The Faculty Development Center, located in Cornish Hall, Room 1307, supports the professional development of faculty by organizing activities to improve their teaching and scholarship.
The Responsibilities of the Faculty Development Center:
Contact Dominick Fantacone, directory Research and Sponsored Programs Office in Miller Building, Room 303, or 607-753-2511. Additional information can be found on the Research and Sponsored Programs webpage.
See your department administrative assistant for forms to attend conferences, workshops, or personal business. Travel authorization forms must be submitted at least 14 days prior to departure. Funds from the department as well as the standard travel funds from the dean's office (if presenting and pending funding availability) must be requested and the information submitted with the Travel Authorization Form. Save all receipts and verify registration and attendance. You will need the following travel forms, which are available through your department or can be downloaded from the Travel Forms webpage.
Additional information about travel can be found on the Purchasing and Accounts Payable webpage.
Throughout the year, the Faculty Development Center schedules functions especially for new faculty to meet and connect. Each tenure-track faculty member is assigned a mentor to help with the transition. These arrangements are informal. You and your mentor meet whenever you wish.
The SUNY Cortland Campus Store uses the online course material adoption platform on eCampus FAST. All faculty members will receive an email with login information and instructions to submit their course material requests, when it is time to submit requests.
Below are the steps to order materials for your course;
If you need assistance, please contact the Campus Bookstore at 607-753-2090, email anthony.marchewka@cortland.edu or contact your department administrative assistant.
Below are links to instructional documents about eCampus FAST:
Summer and Fall requests are due in March/April. Winter and Spring requests are due in early November. The early adoption of course materials give us the ability to source textbooks at the best prices and pass those savings along to our students!
If you are interested in any of these current trends and options or have any course material (textbook) questions, please contact Anthony Marchewka, Assistant Store Director, at 607-753-2090 or anthony.marchewka@cortland.edu.
We have a central duplicating center in the basement of the Corey Union. Large copying jobs, such as your course syllabus or other classroom materials, should be dropped off or sent via campus mail to Duplicating, Corey Union. You must fill out a duplicating form with specific print information. This can be obtained from your department administrative assistant for at the Duplicating Center. Materials are usually returned within 48 hours. Deliveries are on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you would like to pick up your materials in person, this will speed the process even more. Small duplicating jobs of 3-4 pages can be done within your department. Please check with your department administrative assistant for details.
Syllabi should have a standard format to make your expectations clear to your students. Each syllabus should be given out during the first weeks of classes and must include all items listed in the five categories outlined below (Chapter 220.02 of the SUNY Cortland Handbook)
Academic Integrity Statement: Faculty must include in all syllabi a reference to upholding academic integrity and intolerance of academic dishonesty. Suggested wording: All students are expected to uphold academic integrity standards. Plagiarism is defined as taking the ideas of others and using them as one's own without due credit. Students who cheat in examinations, course assignments, or plagiarize in this course may be disciplined in accordance with university rules and regulations. (SUNY Cortland Handbook, Chapter 340)
Disability Statement: Required wording: "As part of SUNY Cortland's commitment to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, we strive to provide students with equal access to all courses. If you believe you will require accommodations in this course, please place a request with the Disability Resources Office at disability.resources@cortland.edu or call 607-753-2967. Please note that accommodations are generally not provided retroactively so timely contact with the Disability Resources Office is important. All students should consider meeting with their course instructor who may be helpful in other ways." (SUNY Cortland Handbook, Chapter 745)
Diversity Statement: Required wording: “SUNY Cortland is dedicated to the premise that every individual is important in a unique way and contributes to the overall quality of the institution. We define diversity broadly to include all aspects of human difference. The university is committed to inclusion, equity, and access and thus committed to creating and sustaining a climate that is equitable, respectful and free from prejudice for students, faculty and staff. We value diversity in the learning environment and know that it enhances our ability to inspire students to learn, lead and serve in a changing world. We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive campus through the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff and students. As a community, we hold important the democracy of ideas, tempered by a commitment to free speech and the standards of inquiry and debate. To this end, we are dedicated to developing and sustaining a learning environment where it is safe to explore our differences and celebrate the richness inherent in our pluralistic society.” (SUNY Cortland Handbook, Chapter 130)
Inclusive Learning Environment Statement: Required wording: "SUNY Cortland is committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment. The course instructor honors this commitment and respects and values differences. All students enrolled in this course are expected to be considerate of others, promote a collaborative and supportive educational environment, and demonstrate respect for individuals with regard to ability or disability, age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity/expression, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic status or other aspects of identity. In an environment that fosters inclusion, students have the opportunity to bring their various identities into conversation as they find helpful, but are not expected to represent or speak for an entire group of people who share aspects of an identity. If you have any questions or concerns about this statement, contact the Institutional Equity and Inclusion Office at 607-753-2263."
Title IX Statement: Required wording: “Title IX, when combined with New York Human Rights Law and the New York Education Law 129-B, prohibits discrimination, harassment and violence based on sex, gender, gender identity/expression, and/or sexual orientation in the education setting. The federal Clery Act and NY Education Law 129-B provide certain rights and responsibilities after an incident of sexual or interpersonal violence. When a violation occurs, victims and survivors are eligible for campus and community resources. Where the university has jurisdiction, it may investigate and take action in accordance with university policy. If you or someone you know wishes to report discrimination based in sex, gender, gender identity/expression, and/or sexual orientation, or wishes to report sexual harassment, sexual violence, stalking or relationship violence, please contact the Title IX Coordinator at 607-753-4550, or visit cortland.edu/titleix to learn about all reporting options and resources. (Updated by SUNY Legal Feb. 1, 2018).”
Additional syllabus components (e.g. faculty course description, contract for engagement, faculty cell number, reference to student support services) can be added at the discretion of the faculty member while maintaining program guidelines and department compliance.
It is sometimes helpful to consider your syllabus as a contract between you and your students. The clearer you make your expectations of them - their reading, their absences, their amount of work outside of class that is required - the better your chances of a successful class. The course you are teaching may have a standard course syllabus. Please ask your department administrative assistant or chair if this is the case. If you would like to see some sample syllabi for guidance, contact your department administrative assistant or the director of the Faculty Development Center, at 607-753-4753.
Department chairs may have discipline-specific needs regarding office hours. Please discuss this topic with your chair. According to Chapter 220.02 of the SUNY Cortland Handbook, "faculty with a full teaching obligation should be available in their office for at least five hours per week to meet with students. Preferably, the hours should be spread through the week and at different times of the day. Those with part-time teaching assignments should hold proportionate office. hours. Department chairs and deans will address any variations in these expectations." It also states, "within the first two weeks of classes, faculty should post their office hours and submit them to their department chair."
The Memorial Library provides an array of services to support faculty research and teaching. Services include a strong collection of monographs, print periodicals, online resources, as well as loan services. Material are checked out using your SUNY Cortland ID. The library also has a strong library instruction program, research and reference services, and a liaison program for departments. The library provides information via the Web on the Library Tab on myRedDragon, by walk-in and by phone at 607-753-2500.
Instructional Technologies and Design Services, located in the Memorial Library, provides an array of support, including instructional design assistance for Blackboard Learn, the campus learning management system, assistance with Web development for academic webpages, surveying tools, and poster printing for scholarly presentations. Each department has an instructional designer assigned as a liaison. you can think of this person as "my designer". Assistance is available by appointment and by scheduled walk-in sessions. Contact is by email at itds@cortland.edu or by phone 607-753-2500.
Many SUNY Cortland classrooms are "smart" classrooms, which means they are equipped with computer, laptop hook-up, DVD player, projector and Elmo. If you know what room you are teaching in, you may go to myRedDragon and under the Tech Help tab, go to Technology Classroom information. Click on the room you are teaching in, and you will see what technology is available to you for that space. If you would like additional information or to request one-on-one training in using the technology in these spaces, please contact Campus Technology Services at 607-753-4799.
It is SUNY Cortland's policy that final exams are given in each course during finals week. Exams may not be given the final two weeks of a course. For classes with projects or papers, it is preferable to make these due during finals week. The full policy on final exams can be found under "Academic Policies" in the College Catalog.
Grades are submitted on the Web. Both mid-semester and final grades must be submitted for all students. Final grades are due 72 hours after your last class. A midterm estimate tutorial and a final grading tutorial can be found on the Registrar's home page.
Please consult your department chair about the requirements specific to your department.
The department assigns advisees. Advisement and Transition offers workshops each year that you are encouraged to attend.
The best way to find suitable housing in Cortland is through the website for the Cortland County Board of Realtors. If buying a house in not an option for you, rentals can be found via realtors or from the advertisements in the Cortland Standard newspaper or on the Live in Cortland webpage. Additionally, the Human Resources Office sometimes has information on housing opportunities. Call Marie Nelson 607-753-5751.
These housing opportunities are in no way screened by or endorsed by SUNY Cortland.
Call the Faculty Development Center at 607-753-4753. You may also call Eunice Miller at 607-753-5421 if you have questions about the FAQ resources.