Top News
Be the Governor
As part of his ongoing effort to fully explain the magnitude of the budget situation challenging the state, Governor Paterson today unveiled a new website.
It’s Not Rocket Science
At this moment in time, Oxford University has compiled an absolutely, fairly unique list of the ten most irritating phrases in the English language. With all due respect, I personally think it’s a nightmare to limit the list to only ten. But, at the end of the day, Oxford provides a fair start to an effort that should continue 24/7 until all irritating phrases are eliminated.
My nominee for eleventh place on the list, “not for nothing.”
Democrats Dominate
In New York, as in much of the nation, November 4, 2008 was a very good night for the Democrat Party.
For the first time since 1965 Democrats are the majority party in the State Senate.
NYS Financial Meltdown - $47 billion over 4 years
If you are trying to get a handle on the magnitude of New York’s budget woes, this presentation (PDF) by Governor Paterson’s Budget Director is quite helpful. While it does include some projections that are not universally supported, it does a very good job of putting the current situation into context.
Margolis Named State Librarian
The Board of Regents today announced the appointment of Bernard A. Margolis as the New York State Librarian. He will assume his new responsibilities in January 2009.
Economic Development Commissioner Named
Governor David A. Paterson today announced that he has nominated Marisa Lago, who is Acting President and Chief Executive Officer of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), as Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development. Ms. Lago will have complete oversight of economic development issues throughout New York State.
Fiscal Watch Blogging
NYFiscalWatch.com, the Manhattan Institute’s seven-year-old website focusing on New York budget and finance issues, has been updated and expanded into a blog featuring daily commentary by two of the Institute’s leading analysts - E.J. McMahon and Nicole Gelinas. McMahon, the Institute’s senior fellow for tax and budgetary studies, is also director of the Empire Center for New York State Policy. Gelinas is a Manhattan Institute senior fellow and contributing editor of City Journal.
Hayden on SUNY Cuts
Carl Hayden, Chair of the SUNY Board of Trustees made the following remarks at a one-day conference held at the Rockefeller Institute in Albany, New York. The following paragraphs are lifted from an October 7, 2008 article in New York Newsday.
“Hayden faulted Gov. David Paterson’s directives to cut the SUNY budget along with other branches of state government, saying the strong focus on education and training energized economies in China and Ireland, for example, and there is now ‘a massive competition worldwide’ for intellectual capital that the United States no longer dominates. He said the state needs economic diversification and has come to rely too much on Wall Street.”
Governor Nice Guy?
New York magazine takes a long look at Governor David Paterson. Though I wonder how long the Governor will be able to keep his “good guy” image while the state budget continues its downward spiral.
State Librarian Search Update
State Librarian Search Update
Five finalists were recently invited to the Cultural Education Center, here in Albany for interviews and all accepted. The interviews have been concluded and on the afternoon of October 2nd the Search Committee met with the Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education, Jeffrey W. Cannell, to discuss the five finalists.
Deputy Commissioner Cannell is expected to make his recommendation to the Board of Regents shortly. Connell envisions introducing the successful candidate at the forthcoming 2008 New York Library Association Annual Conference scheduled for November 5 - 8, 2008, in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Rawlings on CHE Recommendations
Hunter Rawlings, former Chair of the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education, recently wrote about the status of his commission’s recommendations, which were delivered to the Governor in June of 2008.
Eng Joins NYSHEI Board
Sidney Eng, Chief Librarian at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, has joined the Governing Board of NYSHEI.
SUNY Inches Towards New Chancellor
The Albany Times Union reports that the search for the next State University of New York Chancellor has narrowed to three candidates.
Economic Impact of Stony Brook
Stony Brook University has released an economic impact study. It is worth the read.
On Campus: Manhattanville College
Rhonna Goodman of Manhattanville College, along with fellow NYSHEI Board Member Charling Fagan of Sarah Lawrence College, hosted a NYSHEI regional meeting with members of the Westchester Academic Library Directors Organization (WALDO).
The Best Cities?
Long referred to as the greatest city in the world, New York City does not fare particularly well in a new report from the Milken Institute.
On Campus: Niagara County Community College
On Friday, September 5 the latest NYSHEI regional meeting was hosted at Niagara County Community College. Attended by staff of the University of Buffalo and NCCC the meeting again proved a good forum for spreading the news of NYSHEI while gaining useful insights into what ARIA would mean to NYSHEI libraries.
State Librarian Search
The status of the search for the next State Librarian is summarized below.
High Tech in High School
The Albany Times Union reports on the emerging trend of bringing high-tech instruction to high school students. If nothing else, this draws additional attention to the need to provide wide access to high-end information resources, such as suggested by NYSHEI through the Academic Research Information Access (ARIA) Act.
Book the Author
David Pietrusza, author of the newly released 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon is available for appearances. If you are interested in hosting this award winning and best selling author, please contact directly.
On Campus: Alfred University
After a site visit at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NYSHEI Executive Director Jason Kramer headed to Alfred for the a NYSHEI regional meeting in the Herrick Library of Alfred University.
Transparency in State Government
Until now, the state government has been anything but transparent. Today, the Empire Center for New York State Policy (full disclosure - I used to work there) unveiled a new website that delivers an unprecedented level of information, and in one location.
Visit SeethroughNY and browse the information. Look for new data to be added on a regular basis.
On Campus: Adelphi University
On July 29, 2008 Adelphi University Library Director Charles Simpson hosted a regional NYSHEI meeting at the Swirbul library on the Garden City campus.
Marcoline Joins NYSHEI Board
Beverly Marcoline, Assistant Vice President for Library and Information Technology Services at Utica College, has joined the Governing Board of NYSHEI to represent the Small / Medium Category of private institutions and to fill the seat vacated by Gary Thompson.
Governor Receives Commission Report
Governor David Paterson issued the following release upon receipt of the final report by the Commission on Higher Education.
Final Commission Report
The Commission on Higher Education today quietly released it’s final report, which looks little different from the preliminary report released months earlier.
More Law Schools?
The Albany Times Union reports on a rising debate about three prospective law schools.
Bad News in South Carolina
The below article describes the challenges faced by PASCAL. Importantly, it is also a cautionary tale of what can happen when a issue is not continually heralded to state policy makers.
The Value of Academic and Research Libraries
Testimonials from campus-based researchers have been trickling in. More are needed. Please help in this effort by finding a friendly library user who is willing to avow their support for the importance of your library.
On Campus: Jefferson Community College
Inger Curth, Library Director at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, this week hosted a North Country regional meeting of NYSHEI. Recognizing the need to project the voices of the library beyond the stacks, Ms. Curth invited a wide array of guest to the meeting. The result was an exciting example of the collaborative partnerships NYSHEI has sought.
Vision of Higher Ed’s Future
A meeting of the Innovation & Workforce Development Committee of the Business Council of New York State offered a glimpse into emerging developments in higher education.
The exceedingly interesting meeting featured David King, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at SUNY Oswego and Diane Fodell, Program Director for Innovation and University Relations at IBM.
Join the NYSHEI Web Team
NYSHEI is looking for a few good geeks.
In recent months traffic at www.nyshei.org has grown considerably. Now, it needs your help to reach its full potential.
Follow the discussion of these and other news items at NYSHEI's News page.
Upcoming Events
NYSHEI Regional Meeting
November 24, 2008
CUNY Graduate Center
New York City, New York
State Asset Maximization Task Force Hearing
December 2, 2008
Westchester County Center
White Plains, New York
Executive Budget Presentation for FY 09-10
December 16, 2008
Albany, New York
Board Meeting
January 22, 2009
Stony Brook - Manhattan
New York City, New York
NYSHEI Annual Meeting
June 9, 2009
University at Albany
Albany, New York
Visit the Events page.