Welcome to the new NYSACAC Newsletter! Please feel free to send any feedback or suggestions to [email protected]. We hope you enjoy the Newsletter!

                                                                                              - NYSACAC Newsletter Committee

A special shout out to Chris Doyle (Immediate Past President), Dave Follick (President-Elect), and Kathleen McArthur (Executive Director) who provided support, advice, and camaraderie during my term as President. Thank you to all! As with any organization, there have been successes and challenges this year. Here are some of the highlights:

NYSACAC Executive Board Structure 

Due to an imbalance in responsibilities among the four Vice-Presidents, existing committees were reallocated. Governance Structure

Geographic Diversity

This year’s committee co-chairs were purposefully selected to increase geographic representation across NYS, with an eye toward the forthcoming regional representative model.

NYSACAC Committee Chairs

With six of eighteen committees having both co-chairs rotating off together, we made a one-time adjustment to committee leadership to ensure the health of the organization.  

Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

Three new Special Interest Groups were created this year: Independent Educational Consultants (IEC), Jewish Schools & Jewish Students, and AAPI. Additionally, we developed guidelines to define the purpose of SIGs, how to form a new SIG, the role of members and facilitators, and the basic requirements and activities to maintain a SIG.

Committee Procedures

Each committee created an online document to capture its purpose, responsibilities, timelines, communications calendar, membership, and other important information that would provide
continuity within the organization despite rotating committee leadership.  

DEI Statement

We revised and updated the Statement of Inclusion and Diversity in the fall of 2023 to reflect the association’s values with regard to inclusion, access, and success.

Ad-Hocs

An Ad-Hoc, created in 2022-23, finished their work and provided a proposal for a Guiding the Way
to Inclusion (GWI) type event to supplement the Coming Together Conference by providing an opportunity for additional DEI professional development, with the first event taking place in 2024-25.

Regional Representatives elected

With the dissolution of NACAC’s Assembly and delegate structure, we established a regional model with 6 regions in NYS. A high school/CBO and college representative were elected in each of the six designated regions, except where existing representatives had not yet completed their terms. 

Summer Institute

A decision was made to offer member colleges/universities to host Summer Institute, following 35 years almost exclusively at Skidmore College. A call for proposals is collecting bids from interested campuses to relocate the program in the summer of 2025. Initial leadership discussions suggest
that a campus would ideally agree to host for three years. This would prevent the Association from having to look for a new site every year, and it would give the co-chairs and the on-site coordinator some consistency in the planning process.

Camp College

After 5 years without an overnight camp, SUNY Geneseo and NYSACAC signed a new contract
with a revocable permit, renewable up to three years, to provide an overnight camp for up to 100 students. Geneseo has made a $50K commitment to NYSACAC, $12,500 per year, to host Camp College from 2024-2027.

Return to in-person programming

For the first time since COVID, several NYSACAC signature programs returned to in-person events, including:

• Regional forums at Fordham University and the University of Rochester,

• Winter Institute at Syracuse University and St. Francis College (the latter was moved to a virtual event due to an impending winter storm), and

• Student Leadership in Admissions (SLA) is planned for September 2024 at St. John’s University.

Challenges

The 2023-24 year had challenges for the association that need to continue to be considered in
moving the organization forward.

1. The costs associated with running events have skyrocketed post-COVID. These expenses include food at events, facility use, transportation costs for bus rentals, etc.

2. In some cases, the insurance requirements have been raised to require umbrella policies with higher levels of coverage that increase the cost to the association.

3. Contracts need to be reviewed with great care. Some of our event sites are requesting full liability from NYSACAC. This is unreasonable as one significant injury/accident/catastrophe could jeopardize the association’s future. The association must continue to be judicious when reviewing contracts, and seek counsel when necessary.

Congratulations to David Follick (Nassau Community College) who will be moving into the
President’s role, and to Lauren Sangimino (Stony Brook University) who was elected
President-Elect. The association’s future is bright!

Best wishes for a relaxing and enjoyable summer with family and friends.

 - Heidi Green, NYSACAC President

What a great week we had in early June at Molloy University for the 2024 Coming Together and Annual Conference. We had over 80 educational sessions, two amazing keynote sessions, lots of networking opportunities and some time to relax with new and old friends. 

We started the week off with the Coming Together Conference with an amazing keynote chat that included Vern Granger, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Connecticut, Dr. John Hollemon, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for NACAC, and NYSACAC’s own Shameek Robinson, College Access & Success Grio and Founder of S.T.R.I.V.E. They discussed many issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion, but also made sure to touch upon making sure higher education professionals take their own personal time to reduce burnout within our profession. Special thanks to the Coming Together Co-Chairs Lauren Quigley and Emmanuel “Manny” Moses and their awesome Coming Together Planning Committee.

As the Coming Together Conference closed, we opened the Annual Conference with over 570 attendees. Below are the registrations at a glance:

· Over 250 attended an awesome Coming Together Conference

· 550 attended the Annual Conference and of those, 184 were first-time attendees.

· Over 250 were High School Counselors from public and private schools, independent counselors or Community Based Organization professionals.

· 275 were from colleges and universities.

· And we had 5 retired professionals (I am jealous of their status).

During the three-day event we engaged in dialogue with our peers, visited with some of our favorite vendors, and participated in the College and CBO fairs. This year’s keynote was a fireside chat with Dr. James Lentini, President of Molloy University, Dr. Donna Linderman, Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Success, SUNY and Dr. Reine Sarmiento, Vice Chancellor Enrollment Management, CUNY. They discussed issues relating to the changing landscape of enrollment within higher education. The session was fast moving and the attendees were able to hear from three different university leaders throughout the state.

In addition to all the educational sessions at this year’s conference, we had some fun social activities as well! Some participated in the paint and sip, while others enjoyed the annual bocce and corn hole setup (though mother nature thought better and provided a quick rain shower). We also hosted what we hope will be an annual event of WINGO (wings and bingo!). Molloy University’s Admissions Counselor, Liam Burden was our MC and did an amazing job. Other social activities throughout the conference included the opportunity to laugh in Madison Theater with comedian Regina DeCicco, while some attendees even had the opportunity to roller skate. Thursday’s entertainment involved a NYSACAC Casino Night along with an evening with Dueling Pianos where attendees were able to request their favorite songs for over three hours! We closed out the conference with a Friday morning “Mega-Session” hosted by Salesforce’s own Dr. Tom Green who discussed the Digital Transformation in Counseling and Admissions. After Dr. Green’s session, Molloy University passed the NYSACAC Planning Torch to next year’s conference host, Dr. Bryan Gross, Vice President of Enrollment at Hartwick College.

I would like to give a special thank you to our 2024 NYSACAC Steering Committee, I could not have planned this event without all of your hard work and dedication. Another special thanks goes out to the Molloy University staff who worked all year to help plan this awesome conference. I can’t believe all the food they served us! My last “thank you” goes out to my friends at Molloy, Marguerite Lane, Associate Vice President of Enrollment and Dr. Steve Ostendorff, Dean of Admissions, who worked with me weekly for the past year to plan this great event. They did an awesome job! It was a great week!!!!

I can’t believe it’s over, but I am already looking forward to the 2025 conference at Hartwick College!

-Dave Follick, NYSACAC President-Elect

For the first time, our members have dedicated elected representatives who live or work in their respective regions. This will enable better communication, collaboration, and insight concerning decision-making, events, professional development, planning, and opportunities for members. It’s an exciting time to belong to NYSACAC and I’m honored to have played a small role in bringing this new regional representative model to fruition.

I want to acknowledge the efforts of Past President Marissa Guijarro who envisioned this regional model and began the conversation during her time in the President’s cycle. I also want to recognize Past President Marie Nocella who helped pass the bylaws to bring us one step closer to that vision. Many others were involved, but Marissa and Marie played important roles in this process. Thank you both!

Along with the Regional Representatives, a new President-Elect, Vice President for Professional Development, and Vice President for Finance-Elect were elected to the Executive Board. The Regional Representatives and leadership positions culminated in the biggest slate of nominees our Association has had, and the largest group of elected members in a single election. Thank you to those who ran, who voted, and to the members who recently assumed their terms of service. The Association is in good hands and well-positioned for the future.

This year’s awards were distributed during the annual conference at Molloy University. Before the conference, the Nominating Committee unanimously selected each recipient based on their contributions to our profession and their impact within their organization and/or community. This group represents members who work for colleges, high schools, community-based organizations throughout New York State, and NYSACAC.

The full list of newly elected Executive Board members and award recipients is detailed below. If you haven’t already, please congratulate this group. On behalf of all members, I thank them for serving on the board and for being recognized for their outstanding contributions to our field.

Election Results

Leadership Positions:

• President-Elect: Lauren Sangimino, Stony Brook University

• VP Finance-Elect: Rob Olivia, St. Francis University

• VP Professional Development: Rob Robinson, College Bound Initiative/Student LeadershipNetwork

Regional Representatives (High School):

• Ricky Papandrea, Baldwin High School, Region 1

• Haniya Mee, Oakwood Friends School, Region 3

• Tyler Anderson, Bethlehem High School, Region 4

• Mark Mason, Nottingham High School, Region 5

• Courtney Stern, Brighton High School, Region 6

Regional Representatives (College):

• Nicole Radassao, Marist College, Region 3

• Sarah Ireland, Skidmore College, Region 4

• Brian Gleitsmann, Utica University, Region 5

• Molly Place, St. John Fisher University, Region 6

 Award Recipients

• President’s Award: Kathleen McArthur, NYSACAC

• Rising Star Award: Caitlin Domagal, Syracuse University

• Inclusion, Access, and Success Award: Alex El Helou, SUNY Maritime

• Distinguished Service Award CBO: Rob Robinson, College Bound Initiative/Student Leadership Network

• Distinguished Service Award High School: Haniya Mee, Oakwood Friends School

• Distinguished Service Award College: Gerard Turbide, Wells College

It’s been an honor serving in the NYSACAC Presidential cycle. Like anything worthwhile, it was challenging and rewarding, with periods of doubt, regret, and jubilation – sometimes all on the same day! In hindsight, I would absolutely do it again, and encourage all members to get more involved whether at the committee level or running for an elected position. You’ll meet amazing people, develop a deep professional network, and learn much about the Association, our profession, and yourself.

- Chris Doyle, Immediate Past President

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Silent Auction during the conference! Thanks to our generous donors and incredible member participation, we are thrilled to share that we raised over $2,000 for the association this year!

If you're interested in getting involved in next year's Silent Auction committee, or have interest in donating anything for the auction, please reach out to us at [email protected] to learn more. 

While reviewing your resume, we suggest some of the following tips to enhance this important document:

1. View your resume as a narrative of your success. Record markers that display more than your responsibilities and lean into what you have accomplished and how you have reached your goals.

2. Ensure that your reporting line is specified, your place on the leadership team is noted, and your role in hiring and managing others is reflected.

3. When you can quantify data to show results, do so. Additionally, when you have expertise with systems and/or vendor partners, include that information in your narrative. 

4. Think about ways that you richly collaborate with others. If those partnerships are external to campus, cite them. If they are internal collaborations, indicate who are your partners and add notes about your successful accomplishments as a team in a way that your contribution is clear.

5. Be sure and include strategic initiatives that you have taken on.

6. Use your resume (and accomplishments) this year to spur on further professional growth in the future. By looking at ads for positions to which you aspire, you can compare your body of work to what institutions have defined as ideal. Extend yourself by working with a new population of students, adding partnerships on campus, or reaching for more budget management.

By taking time to chronicle your journey and success, you actually provide yourself with an important road map to next steps.

-Mary Worland Napier, the Principal/Founder of NES (Napier Executive Search) 

We’ve all heard of work-life balance – sharing our time, energy and strengths responsibly between our work and our personal lives. As a higher education enthusiast and admissions professional, I’ve dedicated the last thirteen years encouraging prospective applicants to recognize that amidst highly demanding high school academics and schedules, time is something they need to make and most importantly, to fill it with quality and passion.

As Michael Altshuler has said, “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” Coincidentally, my elementary school yearbook notes that I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up.

As we advise our students how to manage their time, create goals steadily and intentionally, focus on adding value to their classrooms and conversations, try not get caught up in success but rather purpose, and focus on continuously building their own confidence rather than get caught up in the competition, let’s remember to echo these lessons onto ourselves. The first decade of my career, balance was never as important as being beneficial in my work environment. I was always focused on the doing part, and looking back (and forward). I’m committed to enjoying the doing process a little more than the “it’s done” portion. I’ve learned that sometimes what’s urgent isn’t the same as what’s important, and I urge all of us to continually reflect on what’s important. For me, prospective students and families remain the anchor of my daily admissions and communication work, buoyed by the impact I know all of this will have on my own two young children seeing an education advocate working hard to connect with as many people as I can throughout my work.

As we look ahead to another recruitment season and year, let’s remind ourselves that there’s a time to start and a time to finish. Let’s focus less on stretching ourselves and our time, and more on investing our time wisely. I’m dedicating this next year to work and family, to chores and college admissions, to rest and reading applications, to [recruitment] travel and time off, and simultaneously championing my work and my wellbeing. As a self-proclaimed workaholic, I never thought I’d write and talk about balance. I’m still struggling to find a harmonious equilibrium on how I fill my Monday’s versus my Sunday’s, but I’m taking it one calendar day at a time. I can confidently say that I have my ten-month-old and almost five-year-old to thank for encouraging me to push the reset button on my priorities and my ever-busy predisposition. As I slowly begin to push that reset button, I know I won’t be doing less, but rather trying to accomplish even more while leaning into rare moments of calm with an abundance of aplomb.

I’m wishing all my admission colleagues a successful and healthy year ahead as we begin to recruit and shape the class of 2025!

-Iva Bory ‘11, Assistant Director, Student Relationship Management, Syracuse University

Coming Together:

The 27th Annual Coming Together Conference took place on June 4th and 5th at Molloy University! Over 260 attendees were able to take part in 4 educational sessions offering 31 different workshops with topics related to our theme Centering Us: Our Work, Our Community, Ourselves. 

The Coming Together Conference was also thrilled to welcome Vern Granger, Director of Undergraduate Admissions; University of Connecticut, John Hollemon, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; NACAC and Shameek Robinson M.S.Ed - College Access & Success Grio and Founder: Success Through Radically Informed Values and Education (S.T.R.I.V.E.) LLC to the keynote stage to engage in an honest conversation into issues surrounding diversity, access and inclusion within higher education and what the future looks like for these communities while also discussing the needs and possible ways to sustain ourselves in this work. 

A huge thanks to our planning committee for helping us to create another successful for our Coming Together Conference Community!

Are you interested in joining the Coming Together Conference Committee for 2025? If so, please take a minute to fill out our interest form:  https://forms.gle/ncmvToqMYFLoA6JR8

Professional Development: 

Calling all college/university colleagues, student ambassadors, and tour guides! Save the date for the in-person Student Leadership in Admissions Conference on Saturday, 9/7/24 at St. John’s University! Conference registration will be available soon.

We encourage professional and student staff to submit workshop proposals by 7/15. We are seeking a wide range of session topics including (but not limited to) student ambassador recruitment/training/retention, DEIA training, leadership development, and more!

The Professional Development Committee is also seeking volunteers to assist with the planning and execution of SLA. Please complete our brief form or contact [email protected] if interested!

Summer Institute:

Summer Institute 2024 will take place from August 6th-9th, 2024. It is an intensive mentor-based experience that brings together emerging professionals from all sides of the desk and energetic, seasoned mentors to grapple with a wide range of admission counseling issues. Participants will learn best practices, share expertise, develop creative approaches to new and not-so-new problems, establish networks, and review ethical standards for our profession. Please stay tuned for more information!  If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected]

Women in Counseling & Admission:

Our goal for 2024 is to host a virtual “happy hour” every month.  We will plan to meet in person at Molloy University during the annual conference!

Below are some events that we hosted this year:

January: Forget Resolutions! Affirmations on Who We Are and What We’ve Done

February: Taking a Leap?

April: Celebrating Women and the Women of NYSACAC

Want your content featured in our next newsletter? Send your updates and content to us at [email protected]

Contact Info:

New York State Association for College Admission Counseling

P.O. Box 28

Red Hook, NY 12571

[email protected]