Message From the President
 Welcome to SUNY Cortland. As the longest-serving president in the 64-campus State University of New York system, I am honored to represent one of New York's most respected medium-sized public universities -- a campus recognized for excellence in teacher education, health and wellness, the arts and sciences, and many professional disciplines.
In particular, I am proud that teaching remains the central focus of SUNY Cortland and that excellence in this area continues to be one of our institutional hallmarks.
Our faculty members excel as teacher-scholars who recognize how their scholarship, service, and teaching can inform the learning process. Furthermore, as a SUNY institution, Cortland shares our public university system's commitment to providing an education of the highest quality, with the broadest possible access, fully representative of all segments of the population.
Throughout the years, SUNY Cortland has helped educate students of all abilities and backgrounds, providing them with the opportunity and tools to fulfill their educational, career, and life objectives. Many of our alumni are first-generation college graduates who go on to make a difference in education, business, government, fitness, medicine, and countless other disciplines.
Our students and graduates possess a strong social conscience and play an active role in service to their larger communities. They also build lifelong relationships with their mentors -- those faculty and staff members who motivate them to achieve more than they thought possible.
Many higher education institutions produce capable graduates who have mastered fundamental skills and knowledge. At SUNY Cortland, we strive for more: to educate leaders who can make a difference in an ever-changing world. As you review this catalog, please take note of the qualities emphasized in programs -- problem-solving and critical thinking, use of technology, and interpersonal communication among them.
We seek to develop these qualities within the context of challenges facing our world, such as the preservation of our environment, the appreciation of culture and diversity, and an understanding of the history and power of science and inquiry. In this way, we strive to prepare our students to apply what they know for the common good.
I wish you great success and a fulfilling experience at SUNY Cortland.
Erik J. Bitterbaum
President
Mission, Campus Priorities, Strategic Plan
SUNY Cortland Strategic Plan: 2018-2023
Commitment to Community
Endorsed by the President's Cabinet and approved by the SUNY Cortland president on March 5, 2018.
A new strategic plan is now being created.
Our Mission
SUNY Cortland is an academic community dedicated to diverse learning experiences. Students grow as engaged citizens with a strong social conscience fostered by outstanding teaching, scholarship and service.
Campus Priorities
Strategic Plan
Inclusive Excellence at SUNY Cortland
Respect for diversity is a vital component of inclusive excellence and academic distinction, preparing SUNY Cortland graduates to be active, thoughtful citizens in a diverse and interconnected global community. SUNY Cortland aspires to a shared vision of our unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice as foundational elements of academic and institutional excellence.
SUNY Cortland is dedicated to the belief that every individual holds inherent worth and brings unique contributions to the vitality and quality of our institution. We define diversity broadly to encompass the full range of human differences and lived experiences. The university is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion, equity, and access, and to cultivating a campus climate that challenges assumptions and is respectful, equitable, and free from discrimination for all students, faculty, and staff.
We believe that diversity in the learning environment is essential to fostering inclusive excellence. It enriches the educational experience and strengthens our ability to inspire students to learn, lead, and serve in an evolving and complex world. We are committed to advancing a socially just and inclusive campus through the intentional recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty, staff, and student body.
As a community, we uphold the importance of democratic engagement, freedom of expression, and rigorous intellectual inquiry. We are equally committed to maintaining a safe learning environment, where people are encouraged to explore differences, challenge injustice, and celebrate the richness of our pluralistic society.
All-College Student Learning Goal
All major programs of study at SUNY Cortland establish specific learning objectives for their students. On April 30, 1996, SUNY Cortland's Faculty Senate endorsed the All-College Student Learning Goal, a statement of desired learning outcomes for all who graduate from the university. This goal is stated as follows: A major expectation for all SUNY Cortland students at the point of graduation is that they possess the skills necessary to gather relevant information, evaluate it critically, and communicate it effectively to an audience in written and oral forms.
Assessment Philosophy
SUNY Cortland is committed to an ongoing assessment of its programs and services. Outcomes assessment offers a means of ascertaining the nature of our students' experiences as learners and as part of the university community. At the same time, students become more aware of the stages in the learning process through the reflection that assessment encourages. SUNY Cortland's assessment program helps students see their college experience in a larger context and take greater responsibility for their own education.
Assessment is closely tied to program enhancement, planning, and faculty and staff development. As faculty and staff members articulate their goals and reflect on the effects of their work, they discover new possibilities for meeting their own expectations and their students' needs.
SUNY Cortland views assessment as a shared responsibility. Faculty, students and staff are expected to participate in a variety of assessment activities, both in and out of class. The university's administration actively supports assessment by providing resources and recognizing faculty and staff efforts as significant service to SUNY Cortland. Our collective effort allows us to monitor ourselves in order to benefit students and to produce a satisfying college experience of high quality.
In an effort to obtain the fullest possible picture of their strengths and weaknesses, programs and units use multiple methods of evaluation, many of which are embedded in coursework and program activities. Educational outcomes measures, portfolios, alumni and student opinion surveys, exit interviews, discipline-specific content tests, and course-teacher evaluations are among the most commonly used approaches.
We see assessment as a dynamic process that provides all areas of the university with valuable information about how well we are accomplishing our objectives as an educational institution. Through outcomes assessment activities and what we learn from them, SUNY Cortland continually seeks to improve the quality of its offerings.
About SUNY Cortland
State University of New York at Cortland traces its beginnings to 1868 and offers programs leading to the award of the bachelor of fine arts, bachelor's and master's degrees in the arts and sciences, education and in professional studies, as well as certificates of advanced study.
SUNY Cortland is a moderate-sized institution with approximately 6,000 undergraduate students and roughly 700 graduate students. As a public institution, Cortland is a charter member of the State University of New York. In its 155-year history, SUNY Cortland has graduated more than 88,000 students, and alumni live in all 50 states and nearly 60 countries.
The campus is located in Cortland, a small city in the geographic center of New York state, adjacent to the Finger Lakes and within an hour's drive of Syracuse, Ithaca and Binghamton.
The campus covers 191 acres located within walking distance of the city of Cortland's business district.
The main campus is divided into three distinct areas. Most of the classroom buildings, the Memorial Library, the Miller Building, Brockway Hall and Cheney and DeGroat residence halls are found on the north campus. The remaining residence halls, Education Building, Neubig Hall and Corey Union are at the center of the campus. The Professional Studies Building, Park Center, Lusk Field House, the Student Life Center, the Stadium Complex, athletic fields and tracks are located on the south campus. Off-campus locations in Cortland include the Parks Alumni House, the McDonald Building and West Campus Apartments.
A shuttle bus service operates to all campus locations as well as off-campus for shopping and to downtown on the weekends when classes are in session.
The William H. Parks Family Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education manages SUNY Cortland's outdoor/environmental facilities: Brauer Field Station in Selkirk, N.Y.; Hoxie Gorge in Cortlandville, N.Y.; and W.H. Parks Family Outdoor Center, Raquette Lake, in the Adirondacks.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Office
Division of Academic Affairs and Provost's Office
Miller Building, Room 408
607-753-2207
Fax: 607-753-5993
Administrators
Ann McClellan, provost and vice president for academic affairs
Carol Van Der Karr, vice provost for academic affairs and institutional effectiveness
Mary Schlarb, assistant vice provost for student achievement
Eunice Miller, senior staff assistant to the provost
Role of the Provost and Vice President
The provost acts in the absence of the president and serves as the chief academic officer, with responsibility for maintaining academic standards within the university and also has oversight for academic support programs. The office is responsible for development and application of SUNY Cortland policies within the academic areas of the university, management of the academic affairs budget, review and approval of curriculum changes, review for recommendation to the president of all new academic positions, replacements, promotions, tenure decisions or continuing appointments, and assistance in the development of university responses to accreditation and other external mandates. The provost represents Cortland at various SUNY, regional and national meetings.
Role of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness
The vice provost is a member of the provost's senior executive staff, reporting directly to the provost and vice president for academic affairs. The position is responsible for the overall coordination and support of SUNY Cortland's implementation of curricular issues and programs, planning and assessment, accreditation, and student academic achievement.
Role of the Senior Staff Assistant to the Provost
The senior staff assistant has responsibilities in the areas of academic dishonesty, national searches, special event planning and budgeting, and serves as the provost's liaison to a variety of groups.
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