New SUNY Brockport president sets his own course

From the vantage point the seventh floor of the Allen Administration Building on the SUNY Brockport Campus offers, Dr. John Halstead can look out over the buildings which make up the Brockport college. About his new environs he said, "It is a very warm, welcoming academic community that goes beyond the boundaries of the college." Photograph for Westside News Inc. by Walter Horylev.

New SUNY Brockport president sets his own course

As he sits in his office overlooking one end of the college campus, SUNY Brockport's new president may be resting his feet. John R. Halstead, Brockport's sixth president, has been busy retracing the steps of the college's previous leaders and is getting ready to blaze his own path.

"I come in with my own set of shoes and will make my own footprints," Halstead said.

By now, he would probably prefer to trade his dress shoes in for a good pair of sneakers. Halstead, who most recently served as president at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, has earned a reputation as an extremely visible president.

Halstead has hit the ground running at SUNY Brockport making the rounds during the recent Homecoming Weekend, eating in the dining halls and popping in and out of classrooms all over campus. Halstead said he doesn't believe in the term "sitting president' and while he attends his fair share of meetings, he plans to be seen all over campus and in the surrounding community.

Where the president goes, the college will also follow.

"People can expect more visibility for Brockport in the village and in the City of Rochester," he said. "I think I'm ambitious for the college." During a recent week, Halstead had plans to meet with local Kiwanis, members of the International Business Alliance and local legislators. Halstead is also scheduled to talk with the leadership of SUNY Buffalo and the University of Buffalo to discuss joint interests.

Halstead said he believes college presidents should set the tone and provide goals for the rest of the college. He didn't waste any time in charting the college's immediate direction. Within his first few weeks he released the following goals:

1. Build on our academic excellence including not only our rising reputation as a SUNY Tier 2 institution, but also to encompass recognition of our faculty for scholarly endeavors, research dollars and our prestigious graduate programs.

2. Continue to underscore our core values of student success and shared governance.

3. Make an institution-wide commitment to embracing diversity in its fullest sense by setting goals and linking these goals with Middle States' expectations and our own expectations for achieving a more inclusive community.

4. Implement Strategic Plan II and allocate resources for designated priorities.

5. Address the physical plant - both new facilities and upgrading the existing facilities and technology - to enhance the living and learning environment for all.

6. Engage the entire campus in the Mission Review II process this fall - to the extent possible - prior to our final sign-off to SUNY.

7. Publicly launch SUNY Brockport's first-ever comprehensive campaign in concert with the Foundation Board, College Council and Alumni Board.

8. Strengthen Brockport's presence and visibility within the colleges in the Greater Rochester Area using the MetroCenter as a focal point for collaboration and enhanced visibility through greater utilization and marketing.

9. Celebrate the successes of our students, faculty, staff and alumni as a point of pride for the college.

Halstead said he appreciates the direction both Paul Yu and Interim President John Clark provided for the college. His focus will be to provide more momentum behind SUNY Brockport's progress. He also is taking the opportunity to take the pulse of the college. Halstead sent a questionnaire to every employee on campus.

"I think one of the worst mistakes a president can do is to come with a pre-determined course of action," he said. Halstead said he looks forward to rallying individuals from all areas of the campus to help keep moving the college forward. He said others will recognize his leadership style as inclusive and promoting collaboration.

"My past track record is what I call 'we accomplishments,' " Halstead said. A big part of the 'we' is Halstead's wife, Kathy, who works tirelessly behind the scenes. She just finished a busy weekend of attending almost every homecoming event. For the Halsteads, and their daughter, Christine, college life is a family affair.

"We really look at a college presidency as a family affair," Halstead said. Serving a college also runs in the family. Halstead grew up in Cortland, NY where his father, William E. Halstead, was instrumental in founding the SUNY Cortland College Foundation.