My college’s system, SUNY, has a tradition. Approximately a year after a president is appointed, the institution holds an inauguration, capped with a formal investiture. It’s a celebration. Ours was held on October 23, 2024. It was a very good day for the college and I’m extraordinarily grateful on many fronts.
My address follows (edited, slightly, for the blog). While it was written for my community college, I believe that the underlying themes could hold true for many others. It is essential that higher education have the trust and support of the public. Accordingly, we need to do what we can to make sure that we solicit the input and participation of the public, and remind our communities that we exist for them.
I am very grateful and truly honored to serve as president of this college. First and foremost, my message is one of gratitude.
I extend deep thanks to the Chancellor, his team, the entire system family, the Board of Trustees, the Foundation, local political leadership, community and the entire college family. You have welcomed me and my family. I so very much admire your commitment to our students and mission. And special thanks to my family and friends.
Did you know that gratitude is good for you? Proven by science. I hope that you can join with me in this feeling, for what we do together is truly joyful.
Now I’ve learned a bit in my first year about the system and inaugurations. The president is the catalyst, but the real reason we are here is the college and its mission. It’s a fine reason to hold a ceremony – higher education loves ceremonies – and a great way to bring people together. That’s what colleges do – we bring people together.
I can’t stress this enough – this is an us event. It is truly about us. There’s nothing – I repeat, nothing of value in higher education that happens alone. All the meaningful and important advances are collaborative. We are stronger, smarter and better together.
My first high school elective course, not far from here a long time ago, was a theater class. Acting made me uncomfortable, but I wanted to challenge myself. The teacher was really, really good. He helped us understand that managing discomfort was essential to learning.
He gave us an exercise that has remained with me to this day.
He told us to imagine that we were all on the top of a cold mountain. The wind was whipping up and it was getting colder and colder and colder. We were told to imagine the freezing weather and act out what would happen.
So we did. We all – very dramatically – got colder and colder until we died of hypothermia. I remember peeking – we all froze in ridiculous poses. Each of us “died” alone.
Afterwards, the teacher explained that when we got to know each other, when we learned how to trust each other, we’d huddle together, stay warm, and survive.
It is simple and profound. That message stuck. Pay attention to when people come together and why they come together. What builds trust? It truly matters, whether we’re on top of a mountain or in a theater.
My second message is about coming together. Colleges have tremendous power in bringing people together. We do much more than beat the cold. We teach, we learn from each other, we help each other. Working together anything is possible.
My third message is about colleges often under looked superpower – we are time machines. Colleges have a very special relationship with time.
This college’s history is rich with stories of student success, professional advancement, skilled teachers and generous donors. We regularly pay tribute to those that have helped the college and have generously given to the college.
We benefit from our graduates in many ways. Right now 29 graduates are employed by the college. According to HR’s records, 148 of the college’s employees have taken at least one of our courses at one point in time.
Let’s thank them!
The college can also predict the future. I mean that, quite literally. Want to know where we are headed? Come to the college, talk with our students and you’ll see our future. The college’s students are our future.
Can the students please stand up? Can we give them a round of applause?
Thank you so very much for being our future teachers, health care providers, bankers, firefighters, artists, entrepreneurs and neighbors. Whatever your goals may be, we are here to help them happen – the entire college family is here to support you.
Investing in the college is really an investment in these wonderful students and our collective future. I’m not a finance guy, but I can think of no better investment.
Throughout my career I have worked at different kinds of institutions. And it has been my very good fortune to find a home here, a public community college that puts our students and our community first.
We are not about status, or prestige, or burdening students with debt. We are about working together to see our students succeed. That isn’t just my mission – it is the mission of the entire college community.
And as you walk over to the student union to sample delicious food from local restaurants and our talented Culinary students, I want to ask you to consider joining us for a session on the college’s strategic plan. We have the basics of our current strategic plan in place. What it lacks – and where we need to go – is building an ambitious vision that sets our college apart.
We want your participation and ideas. We have to craft it together.
We know we want a financially sustainable future, with greater enrollment and ever greater student success. We want everyone in the county to feel welcome on our campus, to take pride in our college. And I am confident that will get there, working together.
Thank you so very, very much.
David Potash