Displaying items by tag: Empire State College

Dr. Lisa Vollendorf Named President of SUNY Empire State College

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The SUNY Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Lisa Vollendorf, Interim Provost and Chief Academic Office at the University of Northern Colorado, President of SUNY Empire State College. 

Vollendorf, who was selected after an extensive national search, will be SUNY Empire’s sixth president since its founding in 1971. Her official start date will be announced soon. 

“I am both honored and excited to join SUNY Empire State College as its next president,” said Vollendorf, of her new appointment. “I believe deeply in SUNY Empire’s mission of meeting students where they are to help them achieve their educational needs. I thank the SUNY Board of Trustees, SUNY Empire, and the presidential search committee for putting their trust in me. I look forward to working with the SUNY Empire college community to advance the vital work already underway, find new and innovative ways to serve today’s diverse population, and support the faculty, staff, and alumni at the heart of this amazing institution.” 

Dr. Nathan Gonyea, who has served as Officer in Charge at SUNY Empire since December 2020, will remain in that role until Vollendorf arrives to ensure a smooth transition. 

“The announcement of Dr. Lisa Vollendorf’s appointment to President of SUNY Empire State College comes at a critical and opportune time for the college,” said Gonyea. “We are developing new programs and initiatives, and we are leading nontraditional higher education in new and exciting areas at a national level. We look forward to our next chapter with great hope and optimism. There is significant, yet exciting, work to be done. Dr. Vollendorf’s vast higher-education experience and her enthusiasm for SUNY Empire’s unique place within the SUNY system make her an excellent choice. On behalf of SUNY Empire State College, I extend a warm welcome to Dr. Vollendorf.” 

CCNE Grants Accreditation to SUNY Empire’s Master’s Program in Nursing

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) has granted 10-year accreditation to SUNY Empire State College’s master’s program in nursing, a recognition that reinforces the program’s quality and integrity. 

CCNE accreditation is a nongovernmental peer review process that helps ensure a nursing program meets nationally recognized standards of excellence. It signals that a nursing program optimally prepares its graduates for the workforce. 

SUNY Empire’s graduate nursing program offers two specialty tracks, Nursing Education and Nursing Administration. SUNY Empire’s BSN program, which received CCNE accreditation in 2015, is due for its next accreditation visit in 2025. 

This important accreditation comes amid a growing demand for nurses across the nation and in New York State. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 11 million additional nurses are needed to avoid further shortages in the healthcare industry. Employment opportunities for nurses are projected to grow at a rate of 15 percent – faster than all other occupations – through 2026. According to the American Journal of Medical Quality, there will be a shortage of more than 39,000 registered nurses in New York by 2030. 

The accreditation further enhances opportunities recently created by the State University of New York establishing a $3 million SUNY Nursing Emergency Training Fund, which will help SUNY campuses expand program capacity so more students can enroll. 

City Center Reports Banner Year 

SARATOGA SPRINGS –The Saratoga Springs City Center hosted a record 157 events, among several other highlights, in its 30th anniversary year. The City Center’s 2014 annual report, delivered to the Saratoga Springs City Council this past Tuesday, April 21 by City Center President Mark Baker, detailed several other pieces of good news, including: 

• -The 157 events represented a new record in building use days; the City Center was in use for 314.5 days in the last calendar year. This translates into overall occupancy of 86 percent. They hosted 68 conventions and conferences. 

“This is a testament to the investment the community made in our recent expansion,” Baker noted. The facility grew by over 12,000 square feet to a total of 32,000 feet of meeting and event space. “With our new facilities we are now able to host larger events, and two or three groups at a time; sometimes each with a different caterer.” He said. 

• -They welcomed 150, 931 guests to its facility in 2014. Of these, 19,947 were convention guests that would stay over one or more nights at area hotels. Each of these guests (and their associations) would spend an average of $910.16 locally during their stay, according to estimates provided by The Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau. This translated into a minimum of $18 million in sales. 

• -Day guests, a total of 130,984, spent an average of $88.94 per person. These guests added over $11.6 million in sales. The total sales impact of $29,804,678.48 does not include sales at non-City Center hosted businesses (such as motor coach tours and sporting events).

• -The City Center generated $576,000 in rental income, as well as $447,000 in sales tax revenue to both the City of Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County.

• -In 2014, the City Center and the Saratoga Springs area demonstrated its enduring appeal, as 76 percent of the events it hosted were returning for the second time or more. The annual report listed 19 groups that had the City Center host their event for 20 or more years.  

A key reason frequently cited for these groups’ ongoing loyalty has been the remarkable tenure of the City Center’s staff. Of their 13 full-time employees, eight have been with the City Center for 10 or more years, four of those for over 25! This employee consistency allows the staff to become and remain familiar with the unique nuances and needs of each event and group. 

• -The City Center also hosted 37 events for the first time. Overall, 20 events were hosted as a public service to the community, including not-for-profit and civic organizations, as well as the City Center’s Family Day last September.

Perhaps the best news that Mark Baker delivered to the city council is that the 2014 numbers were by no means a high-water mark for the Saratoga Springs City Center. He noted that for the first quarter of 2015, data for both events and guests were trending ahead of 2014’s record figures.

“The days of a ‘slow’ or ‘shoulder’ season are a thing of the past in Saratoga Springs.” Baker said. 

The complete 2014 annual report can be read online. Visit SaratogaCityCenter.com.  Click on ‘governance’, then 2014 annual report.