MSCHE Self Study April 2021

Standard VI – Planning, Resources and Institutional Improvement: The College’s commitment to strategic planning and institutional improvement is linked strongly to the management and allocation of resources. The College has been well managed and is among the most financially strong within the State University System. Institutional fund ‐ balances ($19.04M beginning FY20) have been growing each year and in excess of the level expected by SUNY System Administration, allowing for the strategic investment in program development. With the onset of the pandemic, revenues dropped precipitously. The College has not received its full allocation of State taxpayer dollars from FY2020 and the depth of reduction in those funds for FY2021 have not been determined. The College has also experienced a decline in patient care revenues and in facilities use fees. Research revenue increased slightly. The College has modeled three scenarios and is currently is alignment with a middle or baseline projection. In each, the College is able to cover deficits out of its fund balances, but the decrease will be substantial. Spending has been strictly limited and a hiring freeze has been imposed to help counter the loss of revenue. At this time, overall impact of the pandemic and the size of the cut in State funding on the College’s resources is still unknown, but we believe we are in a good position to compensate for the deficit. We expect to have more concrete information prior to the MSCHE’s site visit in April. Navigating the financial environment during and after the pandemic is clearly one of the most immediate challenges to the College and its programs. Standard VII – Governance: The College of Optometry operates as an autonomous campus of the State University of New York, one of the nation’s largest university systems. Overall university direction is provided by the Board of Trustees, which appoints a chancellor to provide administrative leadership of the University. The College’s president reports to the chancellor, who is responsible for reviewing the incumbent’s performance. There is a stable and well ‐ defined administrative structure with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. The administration actively seeks input from the College’s various constituencies, including students, faculty, staff and alumni. Framework for the Future Prior to the pandemic, the president initiated an important College ‐ wide conversation about its long ‐ term (20 years) future. Dubbed “Framework for the Future”, the project sought to answer the question: What is the best long ‐ term (20+ years) strategy for the SUNY College of Optometry to ensure both sustainability and an optimal educational and research environment from which to prepare future doctors of optometry? A great deal of work examining the College’s current programming, facility and external trends was completed and summarized in a report Framework for the Future: Phase 1 Draft , 20 February 2020. With the ensuing impact of the COVID ‐ 19 pandemic, work on the project has been suspended until the resumption more normal operations. While this report may have little

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