MIDDLETOWN- The SUNY Orange Board of Trustees’ Enrollment Task Force was celebrated Friday evening (November 3) in Saratoga, receiving an honorable mention citation in the Community College Innovation Award category during the New York Community College Trustees’ annual conference.
Board Vice Chair Tom Weddell, who also chairs the task force, and recently retired Vice President for Student Services Gerianne Brusati accepted the honorable mention award on behalf of the Board of Trustees. The Task Force was formed in the Fall of 2020 to address enrollment declines that the College had been experiencing for more than a decade but had been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Brusati served as the administration’s liaison to the task force from its inception until her retirement this past August.
Bringing together a cross-section of Trustees, College administrators and staff, the task force sought to understand what external factors were influencing enrollment, what processes the College might improve upon to enhance enrollment, and how expanding marketing and recruitment efforts could generate more applicants and student registrations.
SUNY Orange enjoyed a five percent year-over-year enrollment hike during the Spring 2023 semester, followed by an 18.7 percent surge during the Summer sessions. This Fall, the College saw enrollment spike by 8.3 percent, the largest year-over-year increase in 22 years.
“I commend the task force for its focused efforts to positively impact our enrollment,” said Ralph Martucci Jr., chairman of the SUNY Orange Board of Trustees, who was on hand in Saratoga along with fellow Trustees Flo Hannes, Nick Illobre and Fred Watson, who serves as Treasurer of NYCCT.
“Tom has always kept the fiduciary responsibility of the Board at the center of his Trustee work, and he recognizes the importance of enrollment on the College’s bottom line,” Martucci added. “With his leadership from the board side, and the great work of Dr. Kristine Young, Gerianne Brusati and the College community, we saw exciting increases in enrollment throughout 2023.”
Having evolved from its original configuration, the task force currently includes four Trustees; the College president; provost; vice president for workforce, strategy and innovation; associate vice president for enrollment management and financial services; director of admissions and recruitment; executive director of the SUNY Orange Foundation; president of Shared Governance; and the executive director for communications. When possible, the task force has included a student as well.
