To the SUNY Old Westbury Community:
I am writing to you today, my last day actively leading SUNY Old Westbury as president. As was previously announced, I am retiring from the day-to-day responsibilities as president and beginning a 10-month Presidential Study Leave.
As I step away, I am proud to say that our College is strong and its future is bright. After what will have been a month less than 21 years of my leadership, I believe the time is right for this transition. With a strong strategic plan in place and our newest academic offerings attracting more and more students, this seems like an excellent time for a new president to come in and build upon what is a very strong foundation.
I was called to serve as the president of SUNY Old Westbury in 1999 and am very proud of all that we have accomplished. I have enjoyed greatly the work we have done as a team of faculty, staff and administrators to create offerings that allow our students to grow and to prepare themselves for the lives and careers they want to lead. It is the great commitment of the men and women who teach and work for the students of Old Westbury that has driven, and will continue to drive, this College to its greatest heights.
Most gratifying is that our commitment to student success has been central in all that we do. Our efforts to increase or improve our advising, mentoring, tutoring, career development, the addition of our Honors College, all have combined to ensure our students have the best services and opportunities we can afford them as they pursue their goals. Our graduation rates have nearly doubled since my arrival. We continue to be among the leaders with our EOP program. The tagline, “Own Your Future,” adopted in 2015, defines well the efforts and objectives of our driven students, innovative faculty, and determined staff. We have earned national attention, such as the nine consecutive years the Community Action, Learning and Leadership program was honored on the U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and, most recently, our inclusion by Money Magazine among its “Best Values” in American higher education.
Our student body also has grown, but I am equally proud that it remains one of the most diverse in the United States. Overall enrollment last fall was 58 percent higher than it was in the fall of 1999. This growth is the product of many factors, including the tireless work of our admissions team over the years, the collective efforts of so many faculty and staff members to improve the retention of those students who choose to attend SUNY Old Westbury, and our improved image in the community. Even with that growth, we continue to be recognized by outlets like U.S.News & World Report, USA Today, and Insight Into Diversity magazine for serving a vibrant student body that reflects better than most institutions the truly diverse population of our nation.
I want to thank specifically our employees – faculty and staff alike. There are so many memories that come at a time like this, too many to recount. Whether affiliated with CSEA, UUP, PEF, APSU, NYSCOPBA, MC, the Research Foundation of SUNY or the Auxiliary Service Corporation, the men and women who work on this campus, who teach, who mentor, who conduct research, who clean, who mow, who plow snow, who protect and serve us, who administer all of our processes and more – you are the chief reason our College succeeds and I am proud to have been your President.
I must also thank the supporters of our college, our alumni and friends. In all of my efforts and all of my travels, I meet successful men and women who praise their alma mater. The successes of our alumni, whether in business, in the classroom, in healthcare settings or in their communities is the best evidence that the strong education SUNY Old Westbury provides can be a catalyst for success. I am also grateful to the members of the Board of Trustees of our Old Westbury College Foundation, Inc. and to the members of the College Council, as well as so many other community members who have bestowed upon us the generosity of their financial support, their time, and, in many cases, both.
Lastly, to the students of SUNY Old Westbury present and past, you have made this calling so rewarding. Our students come in so many forms: first year, transfer, first-in-family, working parents, returning former students, and every parameter in between. I have heard many of your life stories, the challenges you have faced, and your commitment to owning the future you want for yourselves and your families. I have been told that I have shaken the hands of more than 15,000 graduates in my time on campus. Those handshakes represent to me our College sending you off ready to transform your coursework into fulfilling careers, your knowledge into empowerment for yourselves and the communities in which you live.
As I step away as President, I am very pleased that Dr. Teresa Miller has been named as the College’s officer-in-charge and believe she was the best choice SUNY could make to help the College as it transitions to its next president. She brings to campus her experiences as a tenured professor and legal scholar at the University at Buffalo Law School, as a former Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence at the University of Buffalo and from her current role as SUNY’s Senior Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Chief Diversity Officer. I am confident she will excel and will provide skillfull leadership for the college as the fall semester moves forward.
Over the 50-odd years of my career, I have had many callings and engaged in and with many organizations in New York, across the nation, and around the world. My experience at SUNY Old Westbury stands among those as one of which I am most proud. For the students we serve, the mission we live, and the powerful education we provide, there is no college or university that is better.
Once again, my thanks to all who are now and have been a part of the SUNY Old Westbury community — faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni and supporters.
I will show my Panther Pride always.
Calvin O. Butts, III
President
