Our Progress
See the Fall 2021 Progress Report
See the Spring 2023 Progress Report
Fall 2023 Progress and Accomplishments
Collaborating, Serving, and Innovating for a Brighter and Better World
FOCUS AREA 1: SERVICE AND THE COMMUNITY MATTER
Goal 1: Become a leader in community service-focused higher education.
In effort to infuse community service throughout the curriculum, the General Education Committee updated English 1020: Forms of Literature to include the General Education learning outcome “Students will demonstrate a commitment to values by practicing civic engagement, community service, and service learning.” With this change, Forms of Literature will foster engaged citizenship and community connections for these students, and integrate experiential learning opportunities into the General Education curriculum. These high impact practices reflect the mission and values of Mount Saint Mary College. We are currently looking at additional areas to infuse community service into the curriculum at the Mount.
FOCUS AREA 2: STUDENTS MATTER
Goal 1: Develop a collaborative and innovative approach to ensure completion of student academic and service requirements.
This semester marked the launch of the Knight Insight Student Feedback Program. This program collects feedback from students about their interactions with over 30 student-facing offices in order to better understand their experience. Using widely available QR codes, students are invited to complete a brief seven-question survey whenever they interact with an office on campus. Survey results are routinely compiled, summarized, and shared with department leaders to identify what is working well and what improvements will be made.
The college reinforced its mission-centric commitment to prepare students for career entry with the hiring of a new Director of Career Services, John Mahon. John will work to refine the infrastructure to help ensure the completion of experiential degree requirements for students such as internships, as well as to expand career preparation opportunities available for students through improved support and guidance.
FOCUS AREA 3: DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION MATTER
Goal 1: Create a thriving culture of diversity, equity and inclusivity among all members of the MSMC community.
The Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (ODEI) participated in First Year Student/Family Orientation, and with the participation of several campus offices, delivered welcome baskets/bags to each room of a residential first year student and each non-residential first year student who participated in Knights Summer Connections. The ODEI led sessions with orientation leaders, peer mentors for the Knights Summer Connections program, and first year students via First Year Experience Connections to expand the knowledge and capacity of aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion for students.
In addition, the Office of DEI and the Office of Planning & Institutional Research led the August Faculty Development Day for academic divisions and schools to review their self-assessment on DEI integration and establish goals for curriculum, pedagogy and practices. To continue to support faculty in matters related to diversity, equity and inclusion a list of resources (by discipline and topic) was created and made available through eClass.
The AVP for DEI participated in the Well-Knights podcast and the ODEI contributed to important campus initiatives such as Stacks n Snacks (Kaplan Family Library) and the academic care closet (Office of Student Success).
ODEI continued to support efforts that addressed increased inclusivity and belonging by co-sponsoring events such as the Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant “Delicious Diversity” and the National First Generation Student Day Celebration. In addition, the AVP participated in two community events - the Healthy Community event sponsored by the Desmond Center for Community Engagement and Wellness in October and the Orange County Human Rights Conference on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion held at SUNY Orange in December.
FOCUS AREA 4: COMMUNICATION MATTERS
Goal 1: Build a strong culture of campus synergy with highly effective community and collaboration across campus.
In December 2023, the college’s Internal Communications Plan was distributed to staff and faculty via an email announcement. The PDF was also posted to the Marketing & Communications Office page on the portal. Among other things, it includes information on the college email distribution lists. The plan will continue to evolve over time as technology and needs change.
We also developed and published an office guide that details office locations, services offered, and contact information with a goal of demystifying offices and fostering communication. The guide is presented in digital form on the portal and public website, and printed so that it’s available in hard copy format as well.
FOCUS AREA 5: INNOVATION AND QUALITY MATTER
Goal 1: Maintain and develop competitive academic programs.
The MSMC Knight Program continues to increase partnerships with area high schools, adding new partners including Wallkill High School and Beacon High School. In Fall 2023, over 650 High School students from 7 locations (districts, etc.) participated in this dual-enrollment program to earn college credit from Mount Saint Mary College.
Academic program reviews for Biology, Chemistry, English, and Psychology are continuing this year, and we anticipate visits by external consultants occurring during the early part of the upcoming fall semester.Information Technology has begun a review as well.Cybersecurity continues to seek recognition as a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense (CD) from the National Security Agency (NSA), which began with the establishment of a required “MSMC Center for Cybersecurity.”
New program offerings include a Bachelor of Arts in Theology & Religious Studies, Master of Science and Advanced Certificate in Nursing Education, Bachelor of Science in Game Programming.The following programs are currently under consideration by the college:Master of Science and Advanced Certificate for Nurse Practitioner Adult Geriatric Acute Care, which prepares graduates to take the Acute Care Certification exam offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to become Board Certified as Adult Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (AGACNP-BC); and a 350-hour Educational Certificate Program housed in our Human Services and Psychology programs that prepares students to become Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselors (CASAC) based on the criteria established by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS).
Goal 2: Optimize financial sustainability across campus.
This year, the admissions office partnered with Niche to implement a direct admissions program. Direct admission is providing the campus with increased exposure in the marketplace. MSMC has received interest from students in over 36 different states through this program. The admissions office is using this expanded market as an opportunity to reach out to new high schools and to this expanded guidance counselor community. The partnership with this direct admission program has already yielded several pre-enrollment deposits. In addition, the staff has expanded its outreach in CT and NJ.
The College Advancement Office has raised $1,264,000 in giving so far for the current fiscal year. Special events and initiatives contributing to these gifts include: Annual Gala, Go Blue for campus initiatives, dedication of the Dominican Sisters of Hope Campus Ministry office, and Sr. Ann Sakac Endowed Scholarship.
The College continued its commitment to maintain a quality workforce through an additional 3% salary increase for all employees starting on January 1, 2024.This adjustment builds on the 7% salary increase made in 2022 which now aligns with external benchmarking targets.
Stay tuned for similar updates from the college’s Strategic Planning and Budgeting Committee.