~Message from Lisa Thompson~

SUNYCAP Membership Drive 2007-2008

Greetings to all: As we are two months into the new membership year I encourage SUNYCAP members to renew their membership. I also invite non-members to join an organization which provides a number of professional development opportunities! As the 38th Annual SUNYCAP Conference approaches, members are also eligible to apply for SUNYCAP grants and scholarships. SUNYCAP is a professional organization devoted to the issues and concerns facing today’s admissions professionals, as well as the promotion and success of the State University of New York. What does a SUNYCAP membership provide?

A SUNYCAP membership provides:

• A wide range of professional development activities including grant and scholarship opportunities to help members attend the annual SUNYCAP conference, as well as other state and national conferences.
• The opportunity to work with your SUNY colleagues on committees and special event programs.
• Promotion of SUNY through service to the high school counseling community.
• A clearinghouse and forum for ideas and issues facing public higher education in New York State.
• Subscription to the Endeavors newsletter and SUNYCAP listserv.
• Institutional discounts for attending Operation Inform and New Professionals Orientation.

For your convenience, the membership form can be found on the SUNYCAP website. Please visit http://www.sunycap.com. (under “Membership”, click on “SUNYCAP Application Form”), print the form and mail your membership to:

Ms. Lisa Thompson
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
The College at Brockport
350 New Campus Drive
Brockport, NY 14420

The cost for a Single Membership is $30.00 per person, per year. We also offer an Institutional Membership which covers membership for five admission professionals for a total cost of $140.00 per year. Either way, joining SUNYCAP is a sound investment!On behalf of the entire SUNYCAP Executive Board, I extend thanks to those of you who have already renewed your membership. To those of you who are joining us for the first time, we look forward to you becoming involved in this worthwhile organization!

Sincerely
Lisa Thompson
SUNYCAP Secretary
Fax: 585.395.5452

Do you have any ideas???

The 2008 SUNYCAP Conference Committee is looking for a tag line for the conference and if someone puts out the winning tag line – they will get a special gift basket in their hotel room at the conference.

The theme is to be revolved around Education and the Community...so, what do you think? If you have any ideas, feel free to post them to this message or send them to Jeff Gates at jtgates@binghamton.edu.

Thanks and good luck!

~Save the Date~

Greetings! The 11th annual New York State Legislative Forum will take place
on Tuesday, March 4, 2008.

Take this opportunity to join New York State education professionals to make our voice heard in Albany. The forum will provide a chance to impact the future of education and higher education in New York.

Forum highlights:
• "Effective Advocacy (Lobby 101)" session at the Crowne Plaza Hotel
• Meet with your representatives
o Voice your support for Higher Education and K-12
o Different tracks based on level of experience
o Special track for students
• Buses pick up from, and return to, New York City
• Distinguished keynote speaker

This is an extremely significant year for education and policy. Gov. Spitzer has announced his intention to adopt many of the recommendations of his Commission on Higher Education, which is the state’s most expansive higher education initiative in decades.

There promises to be important opportunities and challenges in the education field with the state budget deadline on April 1. We can advocate for implementation of the Commission’s recommendations as well as more state funding for K-12.

More details and registration information will follow.

Contact Matt Peppe or Brian Fessler now to register at (518) 472-1515,
mpeppe@collegeboard.org or bfessler@collegeboard.org.

SAVE THE DATE

~Message from Conference Committee~

The time has come to begin thinking about workshop ideas for the 2008 SUNYCAP Conference to be held June 11-13 at the Downtown Hyatt Regency in Rochester, NY. The Conference Committee is committed to developing workshops and presentations that will offer practical tools and explore dynamic topics relevant to our profession today.

Workshop sessions are approximately one hour and fifteen minutes in length and can follow any format that best suits your topic. Sessions that incorporate dynamic informational or instructional presentations are preferred over panel discussions.

Are you interested in presenting but lack topic ideas? The following is a list of topics that were suggested by fellow SUNYCAP members:

Communication Flow
Supervising Student Workers
Implementing New Computer Systems
Using Technology in 2008 and Beyond
Developing Your Staff
Alumni Admissions Volunteers
The Effective Campus Visit

If you have a topic that you'd like to present, please complete the attached form and return it by email, mail or fax to Kelli Hickey no later than February 22, 2008. All proposals will be reviewed in late February and you will receive notification of the status of your proposal soon thereafter.

The Conference Committee looks forward to your attendance and involvement at the conference!

Sincerely,
Kelli Hickey

Rich Bodenschatz sent the following message to the Director's List Serve upon hearing the news of the passing of two of our founding members.

With his permission, I am re-releasing his words to the rest of our membership so that we all can benefit from learning about those who made what we have today possible.

Tom Nesbitt
SUNYCAP President
SUNY Potsdam

Colleagues:
For those of us who have served in SUNY for more years than we'd like to count, today is indeed a sad day. Two of our founding members have passed on and with them an important link to the growth and maturation of both SUNY and SUNYCAP.

Dave Truax, admissions counselor, then director at Plattsburgh, then the first Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment at SUNY System, was a true SUNY pioneer. A graduate of Cortland, he was SUNY to the core.

While his focus at Plattsburgh was Plattsburgh, he also understood the bigger picture of SUNY and what SUNY could and should be. As president of SUNYCAP and later on at SUNY System, he worked tirelessly for the expansion of the SUNY message to all publics in and out of state. A true gentleman, he was a keen observer of talent, as evidenced by the success of Rich Higgins and Mike Walsh at Plattsburgh, and a mentor to dozens of other young admission professionals who now hold positions of significant responsibility.

Larry Appel. All you need to is say his name and people's faces light up and a "Larry" story comes to mind. For over 30 years Larry was Sullivan County Community College. His favorite recruitment statement to the thousands of guidance counselors he met with over his career was, "I'll gladly take the top 100% of your graduating class!" And he meant it with all his heart. Larry also was the poster child for the community college movement. He believed deeply in the mission and the opportunity that our community colleges offered to all New Yorkers. In the early days, his voice was sometimes the only, unapologetic voice, that spoke for the community colleges. Those of you who serve your regions as members of community colleges owe a huge debt to Larry for his tireless efforts. And that was just one side of Larry. SUNY was also Larry's life and his involvement in a variety of SUNYCAP ventures testifies to this. For decades, it seemed, Larry's presentation at New Professional Orientation, helped to lead many of us to successfully navigate that first, confusing, year in admissions.

For those of us who had the privilege to know, to work with, break bread with and laugh with Dave and Larry, this is a bittersweet time for sure. Yet remember there can be no doubt amongst us that we are better professionals and better people for having shared the experience.

God bless.
Rich Bodenschatz
SUNY New Paltz

Thank-You Note Enters College Admission Game

Interesting article published in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/education/09thanks.html?ref=us

***SAVE THE DATE***

SAVE THE DATE: NYS LEGISLATIVE FORUM FEBRUARY 4 -5, 2008 ALBANY NY

Greetings. Please plan on attending the 2008 Legislative Forum in Albany. The 2008 legislative session will likely be an exciting time, with many new initiatives being proposed and debated. The upcoming session will be shaped by such factors as the recommendations from the Governor's Commission on the Future of Higher Education (which will include k12 proposals), the looming budget gap, round 2 of "Contracts for Excellence", the Presidential primary, all 212 Members of the Legislature up for election (with the Senate holding on to a slim 2 seat majority).

Our steering committee of the Legislative Consortium has moved forward with '08 planning that includes a refocusing on school counselor advocacy, access to higher education and advocacy training. Participants in the Legislative Forum recognize and appreciate the training that is conducted at the annual conferences. After 10 years of successes, all ten member associations have many trained advocates to further the noble cause of high quality K 12 and higher education in New York State.

I look forward to communicating further with you during the weeks ahead.

See you in Albany in February if not before!