President's Newsletter - Summer 2018

FROM THE DEAN’S DESK
-Dr. Jonathan Spiro
Chief Academic Officer
Most Fridays during the academic year, Dean Spiro sends a message to faculty and staff informing them of “what he
knows.” Below is a collection of those quick takes, quips, and highlights of the past quarter.
April 13, 2018
kudos to blodget
In case you missed it: The
VSCS Board of Trustees
unanimously bestowed the
VSCS Faculty Fellow award
on Music Professor Sherrill
Blodget. Our heartiest
congratulations on this
distinguished and welldeserved
honor.
onward and upward
Raphael Okutoro (Assistant
Director of Admissions) (and
regular finalist for the ”Bestdressed
person on campus”
award) has inked two new
articulation agreements, one
with SUNY Orange and another
with Landmark College. Under
the agreements, CU guarantees
admission to Orange and
Landmark grads with a GPA of
3.0 or higher. We also promise
to waive the application fee
and give them the Maple
Award (a scholarship that
lowers out-of-state tuition to
the in-state rate).
summer’s looking good
As of today, enrollment for
summer courses at CU is
already up 300% over last
year. Please continue to inform
students that we have lowered
summer tuition, so summer is
a great opportunity for them
to make up, catch up, or get
ahead.
April 20, 2018
mcnair referrals
Earlier this year, we were
awarded a McNair grant
worth $1.1 million over the
next five years. The purpose
of the McNair program is
to increase the attainment
of doctoral degrees by
low-income students and
students underrepresented in
graduate school. nder the able
leadership of Director Amanda
Richardson and Assistant
Director Reid Brechner, we
have already enrolled in the
program 23 of our quota of
25 students. If you know of a
student who you think could
succeed in grad school, please
reach out to Amanda or Reid.
kudos to ana
Our Study Abroad Program,
which is coordinated by
Spanish Professor Ana
Alexander, was awarded the
Seal of Excellence by the
Institute of International
Education. The award
recognizes CU, along with 32
other institutions, for meeting
our commitment to double
the number of students who
study abroad by the end of the
decade. Indeed, we not only
met, but greatly exceeded our
goal, as we had five students
studying abroad in 2016 and
we now have 23 such students.
April 30, 2018
the circle game
We held our annual Mentor
Celebration last week in
the Casella Theater. Over
the past thirteen years, CU
students participating in this
transformational program have
mentored over 1,000 Castleton
Elementary School students.
Jeff Weld points out this fun
fact: Some of the CU students
honored last week for serving
as mentors were themselves
mentees thirteen years ago
when they were students at
CES.
tough mudder
Nursing student Ferne Ryder,
has accomplished the amazing
feat of qualifying for the Tough
Mudder World Championship,
aka “The Toughest Mile on
the Planet.” The competition,
featuring ten absurdly
challenging obstacles and a top
prize of $25K, will take place
in June in Virginia and will be
televised later this summer
on CBS. Ferne accomplished
this while finishing nursing
school and meeting her military
obligations. I used to say
that my mom was one tough
mudder, but Ferne is the real
deal.
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