08/22/2024
SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum welcomed faculty and staff members at the Fall 2024 President’s Opening Meeting by stressing the importance of strengthening the school’s culture of belonging.
Speaking in the Corey Union Function Room, the president also highlighted recent examples of student and faculty excellence, shared campus updates from the summer and discussed the importance of maintaining a safe academic environment that ensures freedom of speech and expression.
“Belonging taps into our deepest, fundamental needs — of wanting to connect to something bigger than ourselves,” Bitterbaum said. “We want to know that what we do matters. We want to be seen and heard. It is true for the faculty and staff, but especially true for our students.”
The president noted that SUNY Cortland will welcome a historic class of 1,422 first-year students — the most ever in the university’s history — along with 438 new transfers. He also highlighted Cortland’s strong first-year retention rate of 81% and stressed the importance of classroom engagement, mental health services and opportunities such as service, undergraduate research and student activities.
Bitterbaum discussed his own experience pursuing research as an undergraduate biology major in the High Sierra mountain range in eastern California, crediting it with helping him envision a career in higher education.
“There’s a lot of success where there are special relationships between faculty, staff and students,” he said.
Bitterbaum offered several examples, from SUNY Cortland’s most recent summer undergraduate research fellowship recipients to the inspiring story of Alex Guerrero ’22, a former biology major who recently earned the first-ever all-inclusive Say Yes Scholarship to attend SUNY Upstate Medical University.
Faculty and staff members also earned the president’s praise.
He recognized the recent Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award earned by Alexandru Balas, a professor of international studies; an immersive history education workshop held at the university’s W.H. Parks Family Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education that has secured nearly $1.4 million in funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities; and SUNY-wide honors that included the Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence, distinguished faculty promotions and the system’s Shared Governance Award.
Student-focused areas such as the Disability Resources Office and Career Services also were noted for their far-reaching support and offerings that include a new internship and living stipend program.
“We are known as a school that will work with your (student) and help them succeed,” Bitterbaum said.
Additional highlights from the president’s campus updates included:
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Construction progress: Van Hoesen and Cornish halls continue to be renovated as part of a $27 million upgrade scheduled to wrap up in January 2026. Other recent changes to campus include the university’s Broadway intersection project, study rooms added to Memorial Library and a new Dunkin’ that recently opened in Corey Union.
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Summer events: SUNY Cortland hosted statewide events during the summer months that included the New York State Envirothon for high school students as well as the Empire State Senior Games for sport competitors. Bitterbaum also noted the success of Alumni Reunion as well as the Cortland County Community of Color’s Juneteenth celebration.
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New academic theme: Bitterbaum encouraged faculty and staff members to join events hosted by the university’s Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee throughout the academic year. “Air” will be the theme of SUNY Cortland’s interdisciplinary series of lectures, book discussions, film screenings and art exhibitions. Those events will explore how invisible forces impact life.
In addition to highlighting recent success on campus, Bitterbaum addressed several topics that continue to impact higher education, from artificial intelligence to national enrollment challenges. He discussed effective efforts at SUNY Cortland as well as opportunities for the future, including an initiative to increase merit-based scholarship incentives. The 2024 Cortland Challenge raised a record amount of $564,870 in a single day to support academic departments, athletics programs, scholarships and other institutional initiatives.
Bitterbaum also reiterated fall semester plans to encourage a campus climate that promotes productive civil discourse. He encouraged all attendees to engage others respectfully, report any incidents of harassment and join new employee education efforts aimed at protecting a safe, inclusive environment.
He concluded his remarks with a short story about SUNY Cortland President Emeritus James M. Clark, who served the university from 1979 to 1995 and often emphasized the importance of treating others with kindness and respect.
“We need to make sure that everyone at Cortland feels empowered and cared for in this community,” Bitterbaum said. “If we are successful in this endeavor, we will have much to celebrate in the years ahead.”