Sign up for your portrait session today!

Dear Colleagues,

This summer, the College will update the look, feel, and function of all faculty/staff listings on the www.newpaltz.edu website. This enhanced design will feature professionally taken portraits of all faculty and staff. In keeping with industry standards, the new design will better highlight the great work and expertise of our faculty and staff. See an example of the new system here.

Strategic Benefit

Goal

The Office of Communication & Marketing has long recognized the need for a more comprehensive faculty directory (faculty directories are frequently the most-viewed pages on departmental websites). We have been working with the President, Provost and Computer Services to create a system that will best serve our constituents, while being easy to update as to not burden our faculty and staff.

Each category has been strategically chosen to focus attention on our faculty’s academic interests, teaching, research, and relevant career history, while keeping each installment digestible and accessible for all potential audiences.

Why we’re using a professional photographer:

Our public website has far more reach than any other communication tool we use. With an average of 133,000 unique visitors each month, it is critical that the image it reflects is representative of all the things that make New Paltz such a special place.

A key component to this image is you, the people who through impassioned teaching and student engagement make this institution unique. By attaching a consistently professional face to each name on your department’s website, we will help translate that critical component to all visitors, be they prospective students or your future colleagues.

New Content Types

The online directory will update from four sources:

• NEW Photo Directory: President Christian and Provost Mauceri, in alignment with the draft strategic plan’s focus on external marketing, have requested that all current employees at New Paltz have a professional portrait taken for the website.

  If you are full-time faculty, full-time professional staff or an administrator (MC), please sign up online for your photo shoot today, as time slots will fill up fast. Note: Adjunct faculty, part-time staff, and Administrative Classified Support Staff will be asked to sign up some time in the Fall 2013 semester.

  If you decide not to participate for privacy reasons, the College will post the following image in place of a photo.

• NEW Content Management System in my.newpaltz.edu: This newly developed system includes the following additional (optional) items, which will be on a new page dedicated to each individual: Website, Education, Office Hours, Career History, Teaching Interests, Research/Creative Activity, Awards, Honors and Recognition, Publications, and a link to a CV. See timeline below for launch details.
• Telecommunications Directory: The Telecommunications Dept. will continue to update Name, Title, Department and Email in the directory’s database. Departments will still need to provide this information to Telecom directly.
• Adjunct/Emeriti Directory: Department secretaries will continue to have exclusive access to their department’s listing of adjuncts and emeriti faculty.

Important message to current full-time faculty: As many of you have biographical information already in place on your department websites, we have made an attempt to import any existing content into the new system. However, not all existing content fits into the new categories, and some of your current information may be lost during conversion.

To avoid losing your current content please log into my.newpaltz.edu after May 1, in the “Directory” section under My.Staff Tools. You will be able to access this from anywhere with an internet connection, and we urge you to log in before all content is pushed to the live servers on July 15.

Timeline

Shooting Locations and Availability

We recognize that everyone is very busy, and that the end of the semester is especially busy for many of you. We assure you that your shoot will take a maximum of 10 minutes, and in an effort to make getting to your shoot as convenient as possible, we’ve set up two locations (SUB and OMB). Please recognize that the college does not have a staff photographer and therefore we have had to arrange for an outside vendor to take these images. We want to make the best use of the vendor’s time while they are here.

Dates and Times

Please visit this website for the dates, times and signup form .

Training Documentation Available May 1

Training documentation will be made available May 1 in conjunction with the new content management system launch.

Looking Ahead

We will attempt to have all full-time faculty, staff, and administrators photographed by May 7. Our long-term plan is to include adjuncts, Administrative Classified Support Staff and part-time professionals during the Fall 2013 semester.

We will also have a photo shoot at the beginning of each academic year in order to include new faculty and staff in the directory.

We are excited about this project, which we view as a major improvement to our website content. We thank you in advance for helping us to reach this important goal.

-Office of Communication & Marketing

In a situation where there is inclement weather, but classes are in session and offices are open, individuals (commuting students and faculty/staff) must use their best judgment as to whether or not they feel comfortable traveling on the roadways. In these circumstances, it is up to the individual to decide whether or not to travel to class and most professors are understanding of absences due to weather. The College asks that students and staff make an effort to notify professors/supervisors of their planned absence and, for employees, their intention to use their leave credits as appropriate.

Refer to the Emergency/Cancellations and Delay Policy for further information.

Food Services On Campus: Hasbrouck Dining Hall will open at 10:30 a.m. today.

Please read the following information regarding Hurricane Sandy…

Planning and preparation have been taking place and will continue throughout the course of this weather event. For the duration of the storm, the campus will have  residence life, facilities  and emergency personnel on site to respond to your needs.

Your safety and well-being are foremost in our planning and response. Within each residence hall, your RA and RD are your primary point of contact.

Non-perishable food items have been delivered to all Residence Halls in the event on-campus food service is inoperable or weather conditions prevent students from traveling outside of the Residence Hall.

A landline (non-cordless) phone has been put in place within the RA office of each Residence Hall. Should cellular service be interrupted, students will be permitted to make brief phone-calls to contact family members. This phone will be the primary source of contact during an outage, so students will be restricted to a one-two minute conversation.
Expect heavy rains and high winds for the remainder of Monday and Tuesday. For that reason, it is important to make sure your windows are closed and secured Monday evening into Wednesday afternoon.

For the most part, using good common sense is the best approach. In the event of high winds and heavy rain, stay indoors. Blowing debris and unsure footing can be quite dangerous. Should the window in your room shatter as a result of high winds or blowing debris, move to an interior hallway in your residence hall, close your door behind you and contact an RA.

We are discouraging students and visitors from traveling to or from the New Paltz campus on Monday through Wednesday. Possible evacuations or changing storm paths may make travel difficult, if not unsafe.

As necessary, we will be updating the campus via

• College web home page alerts : www.newpaltz.edu
• INFOLINE: a message will be recorded on the 257-INFO (4636) hot line
• All Faculty and Staff and All Student (all-fs/all-stu) announcements sent from ERT or Campus Update via e-mail
• Posting to official college social media sites: Facebook and Twitter

NP Alert is an emergency alert system used by campus administration and University Police to send text and voice messages to all students and faculty during inclement weather or other on-campus emergencies.  Learn more about NP Alert…

If you have recently changed your phone number, you must update your NP Alert account at my.newpaltz.edu if you want to continue receiving alerts.

A loss of power may affect our ability to use these means. Therefore, your Resident Director will be kept up to date with any necessary information regarding emergency procedures.

Stay safe.

Your Residence Life Staff

Because nonessential personnel may choose to stay home, some offices on campus may be understaffed. The list of closed offices can be found here. This list is updated periodically as information is made available.

As Hurricane Sandy is presently forecast to affect our area Monday, Oct. 29, into Tuesday, Oct. 30, we strongly recommend you read every part of this message carefully.

The message contains important information pertaining to safety procedures and emergency communications in the event of inclement weather.

Be Prepared
As this storm may cause power outages, it is recommended students make sure their laptops and phones are fully charged in advance of Sandy’s arrival.

Protect Your Electronic Devices and Important Files
Keep computers and electrical equipment (including cellphones) dry and in a safe area. Back up any important data on a portable storage device such as a flash drive.
All windows in residence halls should be closed.

Familiarize yourself with the Inclement Weather Policy (create link here)

NP Alert
NP Alert is an emergency alert system used by campus administration and University Police to send text and voice messages to all students and faculty in the event of a delay or cancellation due to inclement weather (weather alert) or other on-campus emergency. Learn more about NP Alert…

If you have recently changed your phone number, you must update your NP Alert account at my.newpaltz.edu if you want to continue receiving alerts.

The system is an integral communication tool in the college’s emergency response plan.

Why is NP Alert important?
Beyond the obvious benefits the service provides in the event of an on-campus emergency, you’ll be alerted as soon as the decision has been made to cancel classes or close campus buildings in an inclement weather event. As evidenced during last year’s hurricanes Irene and Lee, the NP Alert system is crucial in communicating important messages in the event of a weather emergency.

OTHER OFFICIAL FORMS OF CAMPUS COMMUNICATION DURING AN EMERGENCY
Together with NP Alert the campus also uses the following forms of communication to provide critical and necessary updates:

• College web home page alerts : www.newpaltz.edu
• INFOLINE: a message will be recorded on the 257-INFO (4636) hot line
• All Faculty and Staff and All Student (all-fs/all-stu) announcements sent from ERT or Campus Update via e-mail
• Posting to official college social media sites: Facebook and Twitter

Our Campus is Preparing for Hurricane Sandy
The Emergency Response Team (ERT) met with the President’s Cabinet Friday morning to plan for the storm. Our campus is taking all measures to ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and community. The ERT is prepared to respond to conditions on campus and will continue to monitor, assess and respond to changing conditions throughout the course of this storm. Storm preparations include:

• Fuel tanks are full
• Continuous cleaning of drains for removal of leaves and debris
• Securing construction sites and fencing
• Water sensing alert systems are in place in critical lower levels subject to flooding that serve to insure the continuity of business and critical systems
• Food and water have been stockpiled for on-campus residents. On Sunday, some supplies will be delivered to the residence halls in case the storm conditions make it hazardous for students to walk to the dining facilities.
• Since Hurricane Irene and Lee last year, the college has completed a drainage project that we anticipate will help reduce the likelihood of a repeat flooding in Haggerty. However, offices are taking necessary precautions to protect vital equipment and systems.
• We have activated our back-up web site to be able to continue to provide information in case our main site is unavailable due to power outages or other conditions. This site is simply used to provide information and does not have all the services of our regular site.

Please use good judgment and keep safety in mind when planning to travel anywhere, whether across campus or anywhere else. Debris and natural elements (such as tree branches, dirt and rocks) can become airborne, avoid pooled water or quickly running water, watch for mud and wet leaves. Rain and fog create slippery conditions and poor visibility. Remember objects can become loose and cause damage to people and property. Please take precautions to protect yourself and your property.

Remember 845 -257-2222 for any emergency

September 6, 2012

Welcome to our returning students, staff and faculty, and welcome especially to the Class of 2016!

There’s a whiff of changing seasons in the air.  And although the Sojourner Truth Library is changing too, it’s not in the ways we anticipated this past spring.  The major renovation, scheduled to being in August, has been temporarily suspended.  The State University Construction Fund (SUCF), in consultation with the College administration, terminated, for convenience, its contract with the original general contractor for the project.  “For convenience” is a legal term that allows the SUCF to end the contract, without reason, when it believes it is in theirs and the campus’s best interest to do so.

What this means for us
Most importantly, the Library renovation will go forward.  Our Facilities Management office is working with all parties to resume project construction as soon as possible.

Just as important: library service will continue with as little disruption as possible.  In fact it has expanded!  Library Help is now available outside the library, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at the Career Resources Center.   You can also Text a Librarian @ 845-262-2011 or Tweet us: @stl_updates

More than 40 new PCs are on order to replace the public machines retired this spring.  These will start to deploy in the next 2-3 weeks.  We plan to have 49 new public computers in use by early October.

Our service desks are open for business as usual, with our student and professional staff ready and eager to help you.  Much of the furniture that was moved off the Main floor will soon return.   So will many of the books and journals that were moved to the lower levels.  The popular Late-Night study room will re-open temporarily in the Terrace, starting September 9, featuring laptops, wifi and wireless printing.

See our “Renovation @ theLibrary” handout, available at our Information and Circulation desks and online, for more information about the renovation timeline and where to find old familiar resources in their new temporary locations.

In other news
iPads on Loan: Following on the wildly successful laptop lending program, STL now has iPads available for checkout with a valid NP ID at the Checkout Desk.  The loan period is 3 hours.  Each iPad comes with the native iOS apps and word processing apps such as Apple Pages, but users can add their own as well. All personal data will be completely erased from every iPad once returned.

Wireless Printing is now available on all lending laptops.  Plus, librarians can help you set up your own laptop to print wirelessly in the Library.  Ask at the Information Desk for more help.

Oh, and one more thing…
Yes, as some of you may have noticed, the Library also has a new Dean! That’s me, Mark Colvson.  I’m hoping to carry on the successful leadership of retired former Dean Chui-Chun Lee, and Interim Dean William Connors, in placing the Library at the heart of the academic conversation here at New Paltz.  I look forward to getting to know you better in the months to come.  Watch this space for a coming announcement of an informal “Meet the Dean” opportunity.

Meanwhile, please join me at “Seeing Satire in the Peepshow,” the 6th Annual Dennis O’Keefe Memorial Lecture, next Thursday, September 13, 5pm, Lecture Center 104. For more information on this fascinating lecture by Professor of Art History Reva Wolf please read the Latest @ the LibraryNewsletter.  Hope to see you there!

W. Mark Colvson
Dean of the Sojourner Truth Library

August 28, 2012

To the New Paltz Community;

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to SUNY Paltz! To our first year students, thanks for joining us and I wish you the best during your time here.

I wanted to take a moment to tell you about some important updates that we have phased in over the summer, all intended to make your stay with us a safe one.

• In July of 2012, University Police launched a new anonymous telephone tip line that anyone can use to let us know about; concerns, crime tips, suggestions, complaints, etc. This is a recorded line, all you will need to do is dial the number and leave your message. The number is 845.257.2230. Or you can just dial 2230 from any campus phone.
• In August of 2012, University Police launched a FaceBook page. Feel free to check it out at; http://www.facebook.com/newpaltzuniversitypolice and don’t forget to click the “like” button! You’ll find updated UPD information on the page, crime prevention tips and information regarding upcoming RAD and other training sessions offered by UPD. The page is also open for your comments. We’re excited to enter the “social media” age and welcome your feedback!
• Remember, if you need University Police, you can always reach us by dialing extension 2222 from any campus phone or 845.257.2222 from all other phones. In the event of an emergency, simply dial 911 from ANY phone. Our email address is upd@newpaltz.edu.
• Finally you can contact us through our “Silent Witness” program through our website at http://www.newpaltz.edu/police/silentwitnessform.html

David Dugatkin
Chief of Police