SUNY Plattsburgh and Clinton Community College announced today that both schools will be entering into a shared services agreement.  This comes on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the SUNY System announcing the goal of utilizing shared services reduce administrative costs and redirect funding to direct instruction and student support services.

“These critical first steps towards implementing common sense and cost effective shared services place SUNY Plattsburgh and Clinton Community College ahead of the curve,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “By identifying efficiencies and working together these campuses will maintain access and affordability while expanding services that directly benefit current and prospective students. Plattsburgh and Clinton are to be highly commended for embracing SUNY’s systemness and leveraging their capacity as partners within the system and their shared community.”

Over the next three years, all SUNY campuses have been directed to shift 5% of administrative spending to academics and student support services, with a reinvestment goal of $100M.  Some of the suggested areas of shared services to be implemented between Clinton CC and Plattsburgh were:

• Formation of a shared food service program for students
• Creation of a shared bookstore service for students
• Establishment of joint academic programs, in areas of mutual interest
• Development of a conditional acceptance program for domestic and international students that benefits both campuses
• Establishment of short- and long-term goals for shared services
• Establishment of joint conferences and seminars
• Development of close cooperation in the area of curricular development

Currently, there is neither a start date as to when the shared services projects at Clinton CC and Plattsburgh will begin nor definitive plans pertaining to specific services that will be shared.

SUNY Canton and SUNY Potsdam have appointed their first shared officer to serve both institutions. Patrick Massaro will be the new Veterans and Military Services Coordinator, a newly created position designed to be the primary contact for military families and to advise veterans’ organizations on university campuses.

Patrick Massaro

Massaro’s previous experience uniquely qualifies him to tackle the job, given his military background and the fact that he is an alumnus of both colleges. In 2003, he graduated from SUNY Canton and in 2005 from SUNY Potsdam. The Massena Central High School graduate then served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2006 to 2010, including one tour of duty in Iraq. He now holds the rank of Captain in the U.S. Marine Reserves. Most recently, Massaro completed his Master of Science degree in sports administration while working as the director of hockey operations at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y.

“This is a great opportunity for me to give back to both colleges and to those that have served and to the families of those that have served,” Massaro said.

This new position was created to enrich the student veterans’ university experience and is the first joint hire between the universities resulting from the  ongoing shared services discussions between SUNY Potsdam’s and SUNY Canton’s Campus Alliance Network.

“Filling this position was a significant step in the goal of greater shared services for our colleges. We learned a lot about the search process and what we need to do in the next years to more efficiently use our resources,” SUNY Canton President Dr. Joseph L. Kennedy said.

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Five SUNY community colleges have teamed up to form an online learning partnership that will facilitate progress in 34 associate degree and certificate programs that can be completed completely online.

The five partner institutions in the Online Western New York Learning Alliance (OWL) are Corning, Erie, Finger Lakes, Genesee, Jamestown and Monroe Community Colleges.

Marilyn Zagora, JCC’s Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs said of the new program, “As community colleges, we are committed to providing access to higher education.  By offering five associate degrees and two certificate options online, JCC has helped many students remove the barriers of time and place. The OWL Alliance provides even greater access by helping students identify even more pathways and facilitating the interchange of credit experiences via the web.”

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