Dear Siena community,
During President John F. Kennedy’s first visit to NASA in 1962, he met a facilities worker who was carrying a broom to his next job site. As the story goes, President Kennedy asked him what he did for NASA, and he replied:
“I’m helping to put a man on the moon.”
I’m so impressed that the man with the broom understood that every single person at NASA was fully committed to one goal: sending an astronaut to the moon and returning them safely home. He swept floors, cleaned bathrooms and painted trim, and was just as much of a NASA team member as any scientist or engineer whose efforts eventually led to the crew of Armstrong-Aldrin-Collins landing in Tranquility Bay in 1969.
Our Mission and Vision, and the passion that drive them, should live in the heart of every member of our campus community every day. As I begin my term as the 13th president of Siena College, I recognize that my responsibility is to make sure you have what you need to be successful and that any success we may achieve is the result of campus-wide teamwork.
What is our vision here at Siena?
Become a high demand College delivering a nationally recognized and coveted student experience, rooted in our Catholic, Franciscan, and liberal arts traditions, that prepares our students to live meaningful and successful lives.
We all play a part. Faculty, administrators, staff and students: the category names shouldn’t matter because we are all Siena community members, whatever our role. Whether in front of the classroom or in the desks; whether in the library, MAC, SSU, dining halls or any location on our campus, Saints pull together to ensure that our graduates leave here prepared for purposeful careers and lives that are committed to making the world more just, peaceful and humane.
Guided by the tenets of our Strategic Plan, Leading the Way, we will continue to develop new academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate level that meet the ever-changing career interests of our student body and the society they will serve. We are preparing to launch new programs, certificates and tracks in health care, social work, digital marketing, strategic leadership, data analytics and more. All sought after by students who apply and learn here, and in turn graduate as sought after change agents in these growing fields.
Also supporting this vision are the student experiences we support beyond the classroom, including: dining, community living, wellness, ministry, clubs, athletics and countless other activities and opportunities. Our successes here are just as necessary as those in the classroom and laboratories because it all contributes to the development of each student’s mind, body and spirit.
Experiential learning, strong faculty-student interaction, community connections and our Franciscan-inspired commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion will help us survive the challenging headwinds in the higher education marketplace. All we do so well to set Siena apart will sustain us on our path forward to maintain financial stability, consistently improve our beautiful campus and welcome a new, robust class of Saints to Siena each year. It will not be an easy or straightforward path, but we will lead the way together.
President Chris Gibson positioned us squarely on that path, and we should all be grateful for his leadership and steadfastness through the challenges of the pandemic. I thank Chris for his extraordinary service to his alma mater and wish him and his family all the best.
I know that I am a better person today because 27 years ago I joined the Siena community, and the Siena community embraced me. My first role was as a visiting faculty member; today I take on the mantle of president. I have found the amount of encouragement and support I have received so far to be both meaningful and heartwarming. I know you will join me in realizing our shared vision and in living our Mission every day. I look forward to continuing to serve the Siena community alongside you.
Peace and all good,
Chuck