Summary of Table Responses
Strategic Planning Town Hall Conversation #6
Friday, February 19, 2010
SUNY Plattsburgh


Table of Contents

Questions for the Small Group Exercise	3
Table #2	4
Table #5	6
Table #6	7
Table #7	8
Table #8	9
Table #9	10
Table #10	11
Table #11	12
Table #12	13
Table #14	14
Table #15	15
Table #16	16
Table #17	17
White Board Notes	18


Questions for the Small Group Exercise

In his presentation today, Ira Harkavy described some of the things that most contribute to 
creating Quality of Place and the partnerships necessary to enable these.

Expanding on Dr. Harkavy's comments, your own thinking and personal reaction to the "four 
provocative ideas" presented from among the homework submissions, please respond to the 
following questions:

1.	In your opinion, what three to five elements, qualities or goals are most critical to building a 
quality place within SUNY's many communities?

2.	Working off the four submissions presented, or your own ideas, give us a great concept for 
creating a quality place on one of the campuses represented at your table - or possibly, an 
imagined campus.

3.	What can SUNY do to help enable the implementation of these suggestions or others to 
improve Quality of Place in your campus and community?
 
 


Table #2

Question #1

1.	Sparking ideas and creativity; think big picture.
2.	What the community needs!
3.	Need to listen.
4.	Sense of community needs to begin in college.  College needs to see this as a priority.
5.	Develop community service opportunities that are strongly encouraged; after faculty get 
tenure there is little incentive to continue with service.
6.	It is important for colleges to support local businesses (e.g. local farms and local 
contractors.)
7.	Important to maintain and improve campus structures to strengthen Quality of Place.
8.	Create more opportunities for students and faculty to engage and learn from one another 
(e.g. around technology.)
9.	Provide wifi to members of the local community.

Question #2

1.	Service learning courses/projects for students
2.	Community service requirements/opportunity for all students.
3.	Link service learning directly to needs of community.
4.	Create collaborative service learning opportunities that are linked to curriculum.
5.	Create opportunities for cross-school/cross-discipline collaboration; eliminate silos.  Foster 
opportunities to get people physically together (e.g. strategically placing food service 
facilities can bring together faculty, students and community members.)
6.	Add green spaces, park-like settings and places to congregate.
7.	Invite faculty and students to choose colors of classrooms and perhaps even paint.
8.	Engage arts faculty in helping to beautify campuses.
9.	Entrepreneurial spirit should be encouraged.

Question #3

1.	Think about how we can create more flexibility around existing rules and policies to inspire 
innovation.
2.	SUNY Central should give campuses autonomy to take action in these areas.
3.	Create a clearinghouse of what is happening to allow for information sharing.
4.	Create more unity among SUNY campuses.
5.	Public Empowerment and Innovation Act could create new opportunities for public/private 
partnerships to improve Quality of Place.


Table #4

Question #1
1.	Trust is a key component.  If it is not there, it doesn't work.  It needs to operate like a 
democracy.
2.	Openness and truthfulness leads to effective two-way communication.
3.	Town hall meetings to encourage involvement in decision-making at the campus (Cobleskill 
Strategic Planning.)
4.	Collaborative partnerships need to be developed.
5.	Fundamental part of the campus mission.  President involved in the community; it's a 
leadership priority.
6.	Design for integration with the community rather than isolation.  Create a sense of 
hospitality.
7.	Community starts on the campus.  The campus has to act as a community internally before 
it can engage successfully with the surrounding community.
8.	Identify the problems and challenges in the community.

Question #2
Finger Lakes - College Honors House to promote a sense of belonging.  Multi-use:  Art, 
performance space, quiet space, seminar space, faculty space.
Can't always get everyone together but can have "hubs" where people can gather.  On a human 
scale - interdisciplinary and integrated learning experience.

Morrisville - Small food processing plant, 400 products, which creates a sense of place and 
entrepreneurial opportunity by providing opportunities for related activities.  Also starting 
businesses in the community.  The campus finds the faculty and covers the start up cost and turns 
it over to graduates.

Finger Lakes - Kitchen at Honors House which becomes a hub; people come get a cup of coffee (in 
a ceramic mug - not a Styrofoam cup).  Creates a sense of openness, boundaries, sense of 
hospitality.

Question #3
1.	Creating a sense of hospitality.  Recognition that the community's problems are the 
campuses (our) problems.
2.	Place a heavy emphasis on the "local".  Bring in local artists, writers, etc.
3.	Engage students in the community's problems.  Not "writing papers", but having students 
work in the community on specific problems.
4.	System-sponsored seminars/forums to share successes and challenges.  Facilitate cross-
campus dialog.
5.	Chancellor's Quality of Place grants to a few campuses to start-up/operate programs with 
potential to make changes.
6.	Reward/Penalize.



Table #5

Question #1 

1.	Commitment to maintain Quality of Place.
2.	Inviting/Integrating to community.  Remove barriers.  Open campus to the community.  
Make people feel welcome (parking tickets).  Mission and place need to be integrated.  To 
"be a part of instead of apart from" the community.
3.	Embrace diverse communities.  Crossroads between communities.

Question #2

1.	Concept of creating a Quality Place.  Build it so environment brings communities together.  
2.	Signage.
3.	Position ourselves as a hub for cultural, community, etc.
4.	Strategic partnerships.

Question #3

1.	Incentives for faculty/staff: promotion, tenure.
2.	Incentives for students:  credit.
3.	Seed money for campuses to set up eventually self-sustaining.
4.	Seed money to "open up" campuses.






Table #6

Question #1

1.	Accessibility - Be inviting and comfortable for community members not intimidating.
2.	Building community engagement programmatically.  
Alfred:  Clubs and organizations get prime space in new Student Union based on plans for 
building student leadership through community engagement.  Must assess success and lose 
spot if don't meet goals.  Will provide leadership training.  Building Green Home in 
Community. 
Farmingdale:  Building Demonstration House on Campus.
3.	Campus as English Muffin with nooks and crannies.  Some campuses may be too sterile to 
be conducive to spontaneously gather or one student to ponder.  Create pods or crannies.
4.	Working toward a goal of a SUNY-wide smoke free system.
5.	Parks, playgrounds and trails on and around campuses and cooperation with the 
communities.
6.	When designing academic curriculum, keep in mind the economic development needs of 
the area.  Global Supply Chain Management School at Plattsburgh is a good example.  

Question #2

Educating students about the community.

Question #3

1.	Physical space is important.  Take advantage of the size and resources of the university.
2.	Quality of Place should be part of the Master Planning process for facilities.
3.	Community College could emulate the planning process.
4.	Beatification of campuses can encourage student and the community to spend more time 
on campus.  Involve students as appropriate.
5.	Utilize the human capital and expertise of faculty and students.  For building projects, 
beautification; curriculum development.



Table #7

Question #1 

1.	Open dialog between college and university and community leaders.  College is absolute 
engine to economic development, especially in smaller areas.  Share campus culture 
openly with community.  Know your community.
2.	Tone at the top at USNY BOT level; they need to put the right people in place to support 
this collaboration between community and institution.
3.	Real connectivity between campus and community using students, graduates, alumni to 
address root cause of community issues and solutions, e.g. improve the community poverty 
factors vs. just serving in soup kitchens.
4.	Quality of people is critical factor before we can achieve Quality of Place:  Dr. Harkavy test 
- treat people as the end themselves, not just the means to the end. Help outlier groups 
gain leadership; Listen to them. 
5.	We are no longer just higher ed; we are the education pipeline.  K-12 - campus
6.	Enable flexibility throughout the system.

Question #2

1.	HCCC/SUNYIT just agreed to bring in Chinese students for two years to HCCC; then transfer 
to SUNYIT.  Train up students to solve world/community problems.
2.	BHAG:  A casino on every campus to fund it all!
3.	Know what community needs and build campus places that bring them together and to the 
campus, e.g., community run coffee shop to bring all together, skate park to bring young 
people, day care center to address community/staff needs, etc.

Question #3 

1.	Push the SUNY/CUNY Empowerment Act through!  Land-lease piece would allow campuses 
to be especially creative to address these Quality of Place issues and save money!
2.	Keep this Strategic Planning open process going!  Gather ideas broadly and incorporate 
into overall vision; support individual campuses using similar process at their locations.


Table #8

Question #1 

1.	Issue of residency (getting college staff into the community); either cost, what it offers, etc.  
As major employers, many faculty are not members of the community.  
2.	How do we get faculty/researchers to come to the areas and do local research (rather than 
far off places.)
3.	Community needs to also embrace student population (and faculty and staff) as part of 
them - not temporary visitors.  "Outer Mongolia" - Still had a sense of career that 
extended to elsewhere.  How do you get one to study something in the locale?
4.	Facilitator to the community; town.
5.	"For the community" vs. "with the community" perception.  "The college" vs. "our 
college".
6.	Welcoming physical environment so people not affiliated with campus feel welcomed 
(parking, signage, etc.)  Need to be physically accessible.
7.	Social mobility:  Short time and long time.  Keeping students there on weekends and 
graduates after graduation - ties to the community." SUNY alumni exiting.
8.	Establish a tripod of outreach - Government, business, education - to build trust and to 
break down barriers.  These models are successful.

Question #2

Location map indicator.  Every entrance has welcoming atmosphere and excellent signage. Button 
and map to tell exactly where you were and how to get to where you want.
How to integrate without separating an extension of community.
How do we integrate without losing our idea?
Really plan out location, not just base on land.

Question #3

1.	Build on each others' aspirations, strengths and abilities.
2.	How do you solve the problem together?  Hire people who value and demonstrate success.



Table #9

Question #1
Orange CC New Branch Campus:  Involved community in following items:  What to build; What 
residents want for design aspects; Connect local community non-profits; Electronically - college is 
partner in effect.

Potential BHAG:  Local jurisdictions agree to set up elementary/high schools on campus and bring 
parents on campus, involve them in a more interactive way.

Herkimer CC:  Local community asked college for help surveying residents.  College established a 
satellite center for providing access to education.  Set up program for professors to teach class in 
high schools.

Need center for non-traditional students on campuses.

Connecting with community:  That institution serves communicating and partnering.  Recognition 
of aging community and offering services.  Effort to keep more graduates to stay in community.  
What do grads want in community; jobs, culture?  "Brain Drain" - Loss of foreign national grads.  
Certain characteristics - arts, industry lead to create  upward spiral of industries.

Question #2
1.	Strategy to bring many businesses around certain themes.
2.	Remote places partner with tourism business; development attracts people.
3.	Cost of living.
4.	Is it good that in many communities for higher education institutions are highest 
employers?  Some institutions will have developing industry.  Student then able to stay.
5.	HCCC Exploring Education - Virtual Place.
6.	Education Pipeline - Force collaboration by placing one elementary school on each 
campus.  Expose students in high school.
7.	Programs/Course - involve learn by serving.  Definitions of community service in economic 
impact statements.

Question #3
1.	Every campus five year strategic plan - target focus on service learning in community.
2.	Professional Development Opportunities for faculty on how to incorporate service learning.
3.	Get involved in local governments - collaborating and advocating to the local and state 
governments.

Recap:  Connection with Community.
Retention of Graduates.
"Community" is not necessarily face-to-face.
BHAG:  Every campus integrate a major need in the community as a major project that is built into 
each stage of strategic plan and includes partnerships with various groups within community.


Table #10

Question #1

1.	Physical infrastructure - greater involvement of the SUNY community.
2.	Faculty - Build community outreach into the course work.  Great for senior faculty.  But 
NEED to create a safe risk environment for young/non-tenured faculty.
3.	If the "community" is within the campus area proper, how does SUNY extend outreach to 
those communities no adjacent to the campus?
4.	Continue the "conversations" to keep campus and communities engaged in proactive 
thinking and best practices.
5.	How to stay connected within the 64 campuses.
6.	Town/Gown - Campus and community trust issues.  But we may "change" money for the 
community to use the pool.
7.	Local campus service projects
8.	Senior volunteers associated with campus that go out into the community - use of student 
mentors in the community.
9.	SUNY Retiree Corps - faculty ambassadors to the community.

Question #2

1.	How students congregate - they will go where they want to go.
2.	How do we get the community more involved with the campus and participate more fully 
in campus community?
3.	Use of community forums.  But not imposing traditional middle class values on a 
community.
4.	Rehab and existing building in a community as opposed to building a new building.
5.	Incentives to faculty and staff to "move" into the city - downtown community if campus is 
suburban.
6.	Campus dedication to community engagement.
7.	Decrease campus isolation - increase campus engagement.
8.	We have place, we need to build the connections.

Question #3

1.	Greater networking of state agencies and SUNY to maximize existing programs and 
resources that engage communities.  Local governments and private schools.
2.	Faculty policy.
3.	Student service learning.
4.	Greater use of system to share best practice with campus.
5.	Encourage life-long learning as a community service nexus.
6.	Student-centered decision making.
7.	Mutual development of community goals.


Table #11

Question #1

1.	Student engagement:  Service learning; Civic engagement; engagement of commuter 
students; engagement of on-line students.
2.	Physical environment/aesthetics.
3.	Strategic plan that drives the design of the college community and student-centeredness.
4.	Attention to the development of faculty and staff.  Respect for teaching and scholarship for 
renewal.

Question #2

Development of comprehensive family centers which focus on college-readiness of 
underrepresented populations and engagement of families (Something that is currently being 
done at Rockland Community College.)

Question #3

Create a network to share ideas to allow faculty/staff/administration to share ideas and resources.



Table #12

Question #1

1.	Sense of interactivity - Bringing the campus into the community onto the campus.
2.	Trust between community and campus (including students) to help build town/gown 
relations.
3.	Sense of pride and want to share that on and off campus.
4.	Facilitation the conversation between the campus and community to help build the bridge 
between the two entities.

Question #2

1.	Allowing members of the community to audit classes to help bridge the gap through 
education (i.e. Campus wants to go green.  Invite community residents to audit class on 
going green.)
2.	Have students be guest teachers on campus/in community and student reaching out to 
community also.
3.	Having a GED class on a university campus to help further higher education and also stop 
the fear of the unknown and spurring continuing education.  Listen to community.
4.	Identify community needs and invite community on campus to learn. 
5.	Giving campus tours to all residents (not just potential students) to education community 
about university.

Question #3

1.	Tenure is defined as:  Teaching, Scholarship, and Service.  Service is to the department, the 
school and campus.  SUNY should add "community service" to the service definition to 
show further support for faculty to work out in the community.

2.	Have community service be required for graduation/college credit for students.

3.	Foster more service learning - Faculty development to help teach faculty on how to do 
service learning.  Help spur trust in community because students are working in the 
community producing tangible results and the students are learning "real world" 
applications.




Table #14

Question #1

1.	Collaboration with community and government.  Campus should be socially responsible but 
community should also look to engage the campuses in an effort to achieve a common 
goal.
2.	Favorable relationship with sponsors - in the case of community colleges.
3.	Make campuses a place where people want to be and where they are allowed to be.  Aging 
infrastructure:  heating and cooling; comfortable chairs; quality of on-going maintenance.
4.	Dedicated person or office to reach out to each community; office of community relations.
5.	Welcoming the community; faculty, staff, administration; holding community forums.  Two-
way conversation between the campus and the community.
6.	The community service element of a campus is important and helping the community feel 
comfortable with the role of the university.

Question #2 

1.	Improve aging physical infrastructure and make people feel comfortable on campus.
2.	The character of physical space is important; vistas, comfort.
3.	Certain facilities need to be open more regularly (24/7).  Access to facilities for students 
and community. Library and computer labs. Gym/Pool. Other resources so the community 
is aware that resources are available to them.
4.	Promote being connected, interaction between the community and the campus.
5.	Connectedness on campus driven by the physical infrastructure.
6.	Promote open spaces and creatively using these open spaces.
7.	Comfort with the outdoors:  walking trails, outdoor classes/seminars, green spaces/water.  
Going Green.
8.	Display are and architecture on campus.  Develop awareness in the community. 

Question #3

1.	Connect our buildings to the communities.
2.	Integrate SUNY to the community.
3.	Drive the campus as a "cultural hub".
4.	Provide community tours and promote a community day.
5.	Open campus spaces for community events.
6.	Hold political/regional/economic/cultural events on campus.
7.	Halloween festival or other annual event.   Helps both campus community and surrounding 
community.
8.	Sponsor community events.
9.	Build on current programs.
10.	Campuses and even Central Administration is physically/geographically removed from the 
community.  Programs are the "way in the door."


Table #15

Question #1

1.	Establishing a clear, authentic purpose:  meaningful to campuses (spaces with particular 
purposes) and the broader communities with buy-in from all concerned.
2.	Focusing on things central to everyday life!  Basics like safety and comfort, personal 
transformation and development (diversity and knowledge) and community integration.
3.	Commitment to social justice:  key feature of campuses themselves as well as relationship 
between campus and other groups.  For example:  training future educators.  Teacher 
education.
4.	Designing landscape that facilitates and represents these principles:  example "learning 
commons" design (tutoring/library/computing), accessible administration.  Green space 
and buildings.
5.	Concrete, focuses partnerships - Focused on problem solving, begins with solving 
community problems.  Identify and solve community challenge.

Question #2

An ideal campus:
1.	Proximity of administration and students (president's office in student union?) Accessible.
2.	At least one good, inspiring vista, accessible to all.
3.	Community-friendly spaces for arts festivals, farmers markets, performances, etc.
4.	Unobtrusive security (not dehumanized.)
5.	Community Week - Open house and services.
6.	Day care and pre-school - integrated.
7.	Non-degree adult learning - continuing education.  Elder hostile.
8.	University design, platinum-level LEED certified, alt-energy produces more than they use.

Question #3

1.	Share best practices and other resources, applied projects to improve energy use, 
landscapes.
2.	Promote campuses; jointly sponsor events and speakers, etc.
3.	Share themes.
4.	Take SUNY Global.
5.	Collect measurable outcomes.
6.	BHAG:  Exemplify Quality Place by being safe, secure, connected, community that 
demonstrates by example and promotes:  diversity and social justice, wellness and healthy 
living, green living and conservation of resources, global connectivity, for the purpose of 
growth, maturation, learning and community service.


Table #16

Question #1

1.	Look at your community and assess where their need is and what Is the need?  Alignments, 
partnerships.
2.	Organizational structure can impact space, quality of space, human networks, interactions, 
sense of belonging.
3.	Make a commitment that "the community counts".
4.	There is a price attached to Quality of Place.
5.	Connect service learning to Quality of Place initiatives.

Question #2

Is the student the customer or the product?  Answer to that question is important.

ESF:  An excellent example of a campus that knows how to make sense of space.

Provide/arrange for housing opportunities/subsidies for faculty to live near 
college/university/campus to strengthen/stabilize surrounding neighborhood and connect 
university to the community.


Question #3

1.	Empowerment Act would provide much needed flexibility.
2.	Resources are needed for Quality of Place.
3.	SUNY-wide initiative to mobilize SUNY alumni would help Quality of Place.


Table #17

Question #1

1.	Knowledge of local problem and unique opportunities.
2.	Faculty, student and staff involvement
3.	Define what is "The Place."
4.	Strategic Zones:  regional or subject based.
5.	Quality of Place linked to Arts and Culture.

Question #2

1.	Student faculty go into community bring local experts into the classroom.
2.	Students perform community service locally.
3.	Incorporate community involvement into faculty and staff evaluation.
4.	How does it get started?  Push from the Top?
5.	Use facilities to offer community access to Arts and Culture, athletics.
6.	Community college students building trades work on local rehabs of homes in low income 
areas.

Question #3

1.	Develop grant programming at SUNY.
2.	Where does Quality of Life fall in SUNY goals and priorities?



White Board Notes

Table #17

1.	Knowledge of local problems.
2.	Active engagement.
3.	Clear definition of "place".
4.	Approach issue strategically.  Region and theme are important.
5.	How?  Utilizing faculty work in classroom, in community, among the students.  Community 
service built into organization/campus/curriculum mission.  "Community watchers".  Use 
of current resources to affect community facilities, theatre, museum.   
 
SUNY help 1) clearly stating importance of Quality of Place in strategic plan and 2) SUNY as 
center of private sector grant development.  Understand needs and strengths of campuses.

Table #9

1.	Connection to community.
2.	Way to retain graduates.
3.	Sense of place and identity in "virtual community".
 
BHAG:  Every campus goal to engage collaboratively in community program.  Five-year 
plan to improve this element in their community.

Table #8

1.	Residency of faculty and staff in the local community.
2.	Research in local community.
3.	Embrace staff and students on campus by community, not just temporary.
4.	Wording - "This is what the school has done with their community".
5.	Pass "necessary evil."
6.	More welcoming environment on campus; signage, parking, walking to campus.
7.	Tripod of out-reach.
8.	Social mobility and students leaving (on weekend or after graduating.)

Isolated or integrated in region.  Freedom and identity.  Hiring priority - demonstrate 
value and success of working with community.


Table #6

Question #1
1.	Accessible, inviting and comfortable environment. 
2.	Campus as "English Muffin."  Spontaneous gathering of small/large group.
3.	Goal of SUNY-wide smoke-free system.
4.	Parks, playgrounds, trails in and around campus.
5.	Design of academic curriculum - global supply chain.
6.	Educating students about local communities.

Question #2

New student union - incentive club/organization to build civic leadership and engagement 
for "prime real estate".  Lease, demonstrate meeting goals to continue lease.

Question #3

Take advantage of size and resources of each campus.
Human capital and expertise.
Quality of Place part of master planning for facilities.
Beautification of campus and encourage community on campus with artwork.


After you have reviewed the Summary of Table Responses, please submit your feedback.   



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