Campus Update

By Donna Yee (October 22, 2007)

Herbst Thanks UAlbany Faculty for Devotion to Education, Research and Diversity in Last Formal Speech

At the Oct. 11 Fall Faculty Meeting called to order by Reed Hoyt, chair of the University Senate, Officer in Charge and Provost Susan Herbst delivered a message of thanks, recognition of faculty achievements, and the need for continued support for UAlbany.

The Fall Faculty Meeting marked the last formal speech at UAlbany for Herbst. On Nov. 1, she will become Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer for the University System of Georgia. Herbst will also join the faculty of Georgia Tech as a professor of public policy.

The Fall Faculty Meeting provided Herbst an opportunity to thank the faculty at UAlbany for their hard work and devotion to education, research, and diversity on campus. Herbst also thanked the staff for their contributions outside of campus, in the community.

Herbst highlighted several features of UAlbany, such as the Honors College, which she praised as a "growing center for excellence." In addition, she noted that incoming students hold high SAT and ACT scores. "The students just bring us new energy when they enter the campus," said Herbst. The diversity of incoming students has also increased.

Attention was brought to the continuing improvements on the uptown and downtown campuses. Students living in Hamilton Hall on Colonial Quad enjoy their renovated rooms, while all the residents can dine in the newly remodeled dining hall. Husted Hall, on the downtown campus, also underwent renovations and now boasts 24 new classroom spaces, an amphitheater and air conditioning.

Herbst stressed the importance of continued support and improvement for UAlbany through funding for research, sports teams, new buildings and new faculty. She also noted current projects on campus such as the UAlbany Goes Green campaign and the SUNY NY Alert System.

The speech culminated with Herbst's presentation of two awards celebrating diversity and multiculturalism, the Diversity Leadership Award and the Diversity Unit Leadership Award. Eloise Briere, an associate professor in the French program of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, received the Diversity Leadership Award. Carolyn Malloch, a learning disability specialist in the Department of Student Involvement and Leadership, received the Diversity Unit Leadership Award.

Herbst's speech of many thanks ended amid vigorous applause. "I will cheer you on from Atlanta," she said.