The Presidential Installation of
ALISON BUCKLEY, Ed.D.
SEVENTH PRESIDENT OF SUNY ULSTER
SUNY ULSTER
CELEBRATING
SIXTY YEARS
1963 - 2O23
SEPTEMBER 28, 2O23
STONE RIDGE CAMPUS
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
I would like to extend my very best to you on your installation as SUNY Ulster’s Seventh President!
It was a very long time ago that I was provided the same honor as Ulster’s fourth President, and I can honestly say that I loved every day I served.
Today, the newspapers and television news are reporting the need to rethink the need to train and educate our workforce at community colleges. With your academic education and experience, you are ideally prepared to move Ulster forward for years to come. I congratulate the Board of Trustees for selecting you for this key position.
- Robert T. Brown, President Emeritus
Congratulations to Dr. Buckley! It is a great pleasure to welcome you to our SUNY Ulster community. Thank you for the incredible touch you have already placed here. I am sending you my best wishes for a great future, both personally and professionally, as the 7th President of SUNY Ulster.
- Dr. Alan Roberts, President Emeritus
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Edward T. Bonahue, Ph.D.
SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Karen Campbell, Ph.D.
RANDOLPH COLLEGE
Maria P. Conzatti, Ed.D.
NASSAU COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Kristie Crumley, D.M.
CARROLL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Carlee Drummer, Ph.D.
COLUMBIA-GREENE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Mary Beth Furst, Ed.D.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Rob Hunter
ALUMNUS, SUNY ULSTER
Lorena Kern, J.D.
RANDOLPH COLLEGE
Stephen H. Kolison, Jr., Ph.D.
SUNY FREDONIA
John Maduko, M.D.
CONNECTICUT STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Lesley Mara, J.D.
CONNECTICUT STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Samantheo Marcellus, Ed.D.
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
John Nader, Ph.D.
FARMINGDALE STATE COLLEGE
Sue Ott Rowlands
RANDOLPH COLLEGE
Milagros Peña, Ph.D.
PURCHASE COLLEGE
Abby Prowant
SUNY ULSTER
Havidán Rodríguez, Ph.D.
SUNY ALBANY
Timothy E. Sams, Ph.D.
SUNY OLD WESTBURY
Jeff Stoltzfus
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Kerri Vitek
SUNY ULSTER
Lisa Vollendorf, Ph.D.
EMPIRE STATE UNIVERSITY
Kevin C. Weinman, Ph.D.
MARIST COLLEGE
Heather Zimar
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGIATE REGISTRARS AND ADMISSIONS OFFICER
ACADEMIC PROCESSION Stephen Balantzian,
PRESIDING,
Department Chair, Arts & Associate Professor
Faculty, Staff, the Delegates, the Platform Party, the President
and Marshal, Kevin R. Stoner Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty
The Reverend Allison Moore, Ph.D.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, New Paltz
Members of the SUNY Ulster College Chorus
Board of Trustees Deborah Briggs, Chair
NYS Senator The Honorable Peter Oberacker
Ulster County Executive The Honorable Jen Metzger
Ulster County Legislature The Honorable Tracey A. Bartels
Students Kamlesh Baral
Student Government Organization President
College Community Matthew Goodell
Assistant Professor of Mathematics &
Academic Senate Chair, Kari Mack Director of Library Sevices
Foundation Laurel Sweeney
Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc., Chair
INTRODUCTION Dr. David Levinson
President Emeritus, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU)
INVESTITURE Dr. John B. King, Jr. SUNY Chancellor
INAUGURAL ADDRESS Alison Buckley, Ed.D. President
BENEDICTION The Reverend Allison Moore, Ph.D.
ACADEMIC RECESSION Stephen Balantzian,
Faculty, Staff, the Delegates, the Platform Party, the President
and Marshal, Kevin R. Stoner
Following the formal ceremony, the public is cordially invited to enjoy refreshments in the Vanderlyn Hall Student Life Center.
1816 SUNY POTSDAM
Suzanne R. Smith, Ph.D. President
1828 SUNY NEW PALTZ
Darrell P. Wheeler, Ph.D. President
1835 SUNY BROCKPORT Robert Wyant
Director of Undergraduate Admissions
1861 SUNY OSWEGO
Mary Toale, Ed.D., Deputy to the President
1876 JUNIATA COLLEGE
Elizabeth Homan, Vice President for Strategic Marketing & Communications
1891 RANDOLPH COLLEGE
Vanessa Mandel-Castro
1913 SUNY DELHI
Mary Bonderoff, Ed.D. Acting President
1929 MARIST COLLEGE
Kevin Weinman, Ph.D. President
1946 SUNY BROOME COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Tony Hawkins, Ph.D., President
1948 SUNY SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION
Ricardo Nazario y Colón, Ed.D.
SUNY Senior Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer
1948 ULSTER BOCES
Jonah Schenker, Ed.D., District Superintendent
1950 SUNY ORANGE
Kristine Young, Ed.D. President
1956 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Catherine Mund, University Registrar
1957 DUTCHESS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Peter Grant Jordan, Ed.D., President
1958 PRINCE GEORGE’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Geoffrey Colbert, Dean, Student Success and Engagement
1961 JEFFERSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Daniel Dupee, II, Ed.D., President
1961 ONONDAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE,
Warren Hilton, Ed.D., President
1965 NORTHWESTERN CT COMMUNITY COLLEGE, (now CT STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, NORTHWESTERN CAMPUS)
Michael Rooke, Ed.D., President
1967 TOMPKINS CORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Amy Kremenek, D.M., President
1970 LAUREL RIDGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Caroline Wood, Ed.D., Associate Vice President, Student Services & Academic Support
2023 CONNECTICUT STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Kerry Kelley, Vice President Finance & Administration - CFO
Deborah Briggs
Presidential Search Committee Chair,
SUNY Ulster Board of Trustees Vice Chair
Goretti Benca
Assistant Professor/English, Language & Philosophy
Jamie Capuano
Vice President for Administrative Services
Cameron Drake
Student Representative
Doug Furman
Professor/STEM
Vickie St. John Gilligan
SUNY Ulster Board of Trustees Secretary
Dr. Ivan Godfrey
Associate Professor/Criminal Justice & Human Services
Marla Gruner
Assistant Librarian
Mike Hein
Community Leader, Former Ulster County Executive
Christopher Kelly
Deputy Ulster County Executive
Michelle Keuning
Administrative Assistant/Typist, STEM
Dr. Mindy Kole
Associate Professor/Business & Professional Studies
Alan Lomita
SUNY Ulster Board of Trustees, Chair
The late Darlene Pfeiffer
Ulster Community College Foundation Board of Directors
The Honorable Kenneth J. Ronk, Jr.
Ulster County Legislator
SUNY Ulster Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee
Debra Silverman
Assistant Professor/Social Sciences, History & Education
Laurel Sweeney
Ulster Community College Foundation Board of Directors, Chair
Candice Van Dyke
Chief Diversity Officer & Associate Professor of English
Johanna Duncan-Poitier
Sr. Vice Chancellor, SUNY Office of Community Colleges & the Education
Pipeline – SUNY System Administration Liaison
Vanessa Shea
Secretary of Presidential Search Committee
Dr. Buckley’s dedicated her career to ensuring that all community college students have the resources needed to be successful. Prior to being named president of SUNY Ulster, Dr. Buckley served as the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs for Connecticut State Community Colleges, where she established and directed the strategic enrollment management division for the state’s community colleges. During her time in the Connecticut State Community College System, she served thirteen campuses with approximately 50,000 students. Some of her accomplishments include leading the state-wide Guided Pathways reforms, including the implementation of a holistic advising model; the establishment of the first community college strategic enrollment management plan; completing the organizational design of a single enrollment management and student affairs division in advance of the community college merger; successfully completing the New England Commission for Higher Education substantive change process to merge the colleges into a single institution and working closely with the United States Department of Education on the technical components of the merger. Dr. Buckley also served for seven years as the associate vice president of enrollment management at Howard Community College (HCC) in Columbia, Maryland. During her tenure, HCC was consistently recognized for best practices in the field of enrollment management and had the strongest enrollment among Maryland’s community colleges. Dr. Buckley is also experienced in the classroom; she has taught at the American College Dublin, the Community College of Philadelphia, Delaware County Community College, and Howard Community College.
Dr. Buckley has presented nationally on matters related to enrollment management and performance improvement. She currently serves on the Advisory Committee of Presidents for the Association of Community College Trustees, the National Junior College Athletic Association Presidents’ Commission, and has served on the American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Institutional Infrastructure and Transformation. In Maryland, she served on the Lieutenant Governor’s task force on two-generation poverty and the Governor’s task force for students with disabilities.
Dr. Buckley earned a doctorate in organizational leadership studies from Northeastern University, a master’s degree in history and a postgraduate certificate in museum studies from the University of Delaware, an M.Phil. in women’s studies from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, and an M.B.A from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. She holds a bachelor’s degree in classics and history from Randolph College, where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees.
Dr. Buckley lives in Gardiner, New York, with her husband, Mark Evans, and their dog Lupo.
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Dr. Merryl H. Tisch
CHAIR
New York City
Cesar Perales
VICE CHAIR
New York City
Joseph W. Belluck
New York City
Courtney Eagles Burke
Albany
Alexander Ruiz
President, SUNY Student Assembly (SUNYSA) Geneseo
Eric Corngold
New York City
Marcos Crespo
Bronx
Robert Duffy
Rochester
James Haddon
New York
Keith Landa
President Faculty Senate Purchase
Eunice A. Lewin
Buffalo
Stanley S. Litow
Armonk
Edward Spiro
New York City
Cary F. Staller
Old Field
Camille Joseph Varlack
Brooklyn
Christy Woods
President, FCCC Rochester
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK CHANCELLOR
Dr. John B. King, Jr.
Albany
ULSTER COUNTY
COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Deborah Briggs
CHAIR
aEllenville
Timothy J. Sweeney
VICE CHAIR
Stone Ridge
Victoria St. John-Gilligan
SECRETARY
Kingston
Anna M. Brett
Kingston
Rev. Gregory I. Simpson, Ph.D.
Hurley
Jade Meneses
STUDENT TRUSTEE
Saugerties
TRUSTEES EMERITI
Karen Clark Adin
Kingston
Peter L. Berger
Ellenville
Françoise C. Dunefsky
Port Ewen
John E. Finch
Kingston
Rod P. Futerfas
Kingston
Alan Lomita
Rosendale
Susan M. McConekey
Kingston
George Rusk, Jr.
Marlborough
David H. Rylance
Port Ewen
Gabriel F. Sottile
Hurley
William L. Spearman
Lake Katrine
John J. Wadlin
Highland
ULSTER COUNTY LEGISLATURE
Tracey A. Bartels
CHAIR
Gardiner
Peter Criswell
Vice CHAIR
Kingston
Jonathan R. Heppner
MAJORITY LEADER
Hurley & Woodstock
Kenneth J. Ronk, Jr.
MINORITY LEADER
Wallkill
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PLANNING, EDUCATION,
EMPLOYMENT, ARTS, AND AGRICULTURE
Brian Cahill
CHAIRMAN
Kingston & Ulster
Herbert Litts, III
DEPUTY CHAIRMAN
Lloyd & Plattekill
Thomas Corcoran, Jr
Marlborough
Peter Criswell
Kingston
Chris Hewitt
Rochester & Wawarsing
Joseph Maloney
Saugerties
Megan Sperry
Esopus & New Paltz
ULSTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE
Jen Metzger
Rosendale
ULSTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION, INC.
BoarD of Directors
Laurel Sweeney
Chair
John A. DeGasperis, Esq.
Vice Chair
Christopher Mikesh, Esq.
Secretary
Floyd Lattin
Treasurer
Alison Buckley, Ed.D.
President SUNY Ulster
John Bonavita-Goldman, M.D. Cheryl D. Bowers
Bill Calderara Barbara Connelly Cohen
Alicia Collins, CPA Scott Davis, P.E. Tamika Dunkley Nancy Huleatt Rachael Reyes Jackson
Robert R. Jacobsen, Esq.
Olana O’Connor Karen Osterhoudt Dale Robbins
Victoria St. John-Gilligan Robert Tonner
Kathleen Zell, CPA
Lorraine Salmon
Executive Director
Directors emeriti Richard A. Anthony Robert T. Brown Kathleen K. Cloonan
William H. Collier, III, Esq.
Richard C. Croce Daniel J. Devine
Beverly Finnegan Richard A. Mantey John M. Markes
Dr. Ann M. Marrott Dennis A. O’Brien
The late Darlene L. Pfeiffer Sara T. Rabbino Richard V. Roth David H. Rylance Lorraine Salmon
William L. Spearman Glenn B. Sutherland
The College seal symbolically represents the historic area in which Ulster County Community College is located and the academic aspirations of the College.
The date 1961 indicates the year in which the College came into being as a legal entity by virtue of a public referendum of the citizens of Ulster County.
The open book is symbolic of the importance the College places on education.
The ship represents Henry Hudson’s voyage on the Half Moon, which began the era of European settlement.
The sheaf of wheat emphasizes the importance of agriculture in Ulster County.
The Huguenot Cross recognizes the background of the early French settlers in Ulster County.
The eleven stars represent the first eleven states of the Union with the large star representing New York State, the eleventh state of the Union.
Truth from learning - Wisdom from truth is the College’s motto.
The College was founded by public referendum in 1961, held its first classes at its Kingston temporary campus in 1963, and broke ground at its Stone Ridge campus in 1965. Today, SUNY Ulster is a vital member of the State University of New York (SUNY), the largest public university system in the nation.
Through our credit and continuing education classes, we offer a full array of degree, diploma, and certificate programs to help residents upgrade skills, begin rewarding careers, or transfer to four-year colleges. More than 60 percent of SUNY Ulster graduates continue their studies at four- year public and private institutions.
The College continues to adapt to serve county residents. Beginning in 1995, we opened the Business Resource Center (BRC), providing a one- stop shop for economic development, training, and education. In Fall 2015, credit and continuing education classes opened at the new Kingston Center of SUNY Ulster (KCSU) on Mary’s Avenue, Kingston.
The Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc. was formed in 1976 and incorporated in 1996 to raise community awareness and funding to assist SUNY Ulster in areas of promise and opportunity for our students. The Foundation is the bridge between SUNY Ulster students, their education, and our community. The Foundation and our donors have significantly increased funding for scholarship awards and will provide over $1,000,000 annually in scholarships that include a broad spectrum of academic criteria and programs including College Scholars and The President’s Challenge Scholarship. The Foundation also provides funding for cultural events, funding for technology, and support for academic program enhancements. SUNY Ulster students and alumni are encouraged to visit our website and join our alumni community on Facebook.
By John f. Park
From Catskill’s lofty peaks and vales, from Hudson’s noble shores, In search of wisdom’s truth we come to her e’er open doors.
For each to be all that he can, a chance she will provide; For all her teachings shall become a strong and steadfast guide.
For truth from learning we shall seek, and wisdom from the truth.
To this, her motto, now we pledge the vigor of our youth.
Her colors, blue and white, we raise and hold her banner high.
Her motto for our future years a meaning shall supply.
For knowledge and for loyalty the sapphire blue shall stand, The white for purity of truth which wisdom must demand.
To alma mater, U tri C, our voices now we raise; In loyalty and love for truth we ever sing her praise!
The caps and gowns, which add color and dignity to the academic procession, originated in the Middle Ages. An intercollegiate code, which was established in the United States in 1895, is the basis for present academic dress.
HOODS
The hoods are lined with the official colors of the college or university conferring the degree. For example: Columbia, light blue and white; Harvard, crimson; New York University, violet; Princeton, orange and black; Rutgers, scarlet; University of Pennsylvania, red and blue; Yale, blue. The color of the edging of the hood is distinctive of the subject to which the degree pertains. For all academic purposes, the colors associated with the different subjects are as follows:
Maize – Agriculture
White – Arts, Letters, Humanities Drab – Commerce, Accountancy,
Business Lilac – Dentistry Copper – Economics
Light Blue – Education Orange – Engineering
Brown – Fine Arts, Architecture
CAPS
Russet – Forestry Crimson – Journalism Purple – Law
Lemon – Library Science Green – Medicine
Olive Green – Pharmacy Dark Blue – Philosophy
Sage Green – Physical Education Pink – Music
Apricot – Nursing
Silver Grey – Oratory (Speech) Salmon Pink – Public Health Golden Yellow – Science Citron – Social Work
Scarlet – Theology
Grey – Veterinary Science
Peacock Blue – Public Administration (including Foreign Service)
The tassel is black or the color appropriate to the subject, except that the doctor’s cap may have its tassel of gold thread.
GONFALONS, a flag that hangs from a crosspiece or frame, are incorporated in many colleges and universities as institutional insignias and formal ceremonial academic traditions. For the May 2023 Commencement exercises, for the first time in SUNY Ulster’s rich history, we proudly represented the degrees and certificates awarded and earned by students at our institution with our gonfalons. Today, they are on the stage to showcase our institutional pride.
INTERNATIONAL SASH OR PIN
Faculty are recognized for leadership in Academic Travel or COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning).
ASSOCIATE DEGREE AND DIPLOMA REGALIA
Graduates of two-year degree and one-year diploma programs at Ulster County Community College are robed in a grey gown and mortarboard cap with a tassel.
