Volume 2, Number 1

January 2010 BerkeleyDear Colleagues:

Happy New Year! 2010 will be another exciting year with goals to accomplish and challenges to face.The Strategic Plan is our roadmap; one that has guided us during the first few months of the plan andwill continue to do so during the coming year.

Looking back, 2009 was the year that we launched our strategic plan, Vision for the Future: 2010-2015.Since that time, the plan’s implementation has progressed rapidly. Timelines have been met on specificgoals and our committees continue to work on their assigned tasks.

Significant 2009 accomplishments addressing Academic Excellence included: the establishing ofSchools led by Deans; the signing of an Articulation agreement with the Newark Police; the planningof a Graduate School; and the launching of a Center for Excellence in Learning & Teaching.

In addition, the Offices of Institutional Advancement and External Affairs; Military and VeteranAffairs; Communications; and Compliance were created to strengthen the College’s organizationalstructure. Also, Berkeley College Online was relocated to a dedicated facility to meet its growth and expansion.

Surpassing last year’s ranking, Berkeley was recognized as a leading specialized institution in the USA for international education in the Open Doors 2009 Report.

Greater detail regarding these highlights and others can be found in this newsletter.

Once again, I am grateful for the hard work and commitment of everyone involved as we movethrough the implementation phase of the strategic plan. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Dario A. Cortes, PhDPresident

StrategicPresidentialPriorities

The President’s strategicpriorities listed below are thefoundation for the strategicplan for 2010-2015 and arereflected throughout thisnewsletter.

• Academic Excellence • Athletics• College Security

and Safety • Compliance• Diversity • Enhancing Financial

Capacity

• Globalization • Green Initiatives• Master Plan • Military and

Veteran’s Affairs • Organizational

Structures• Outreach/Marketing

and Communications • Relationships with the

Corporate Sector • Retention of Associates • Student Success• Technology

Vision for the Future: 2010-2015

The newly created School of ContinuingEducation (SCE), with offices on the secondfloor of our 43rd street location, waslaunched in July 2009. The SCE extendsthe resources of Berkeley College into theNew York and New Jersey communities byproviding lifelong learning opportunities forpeople of all ages to enrich their lives andenhance their professional qualifications.

The School plans to offer a ParalegalStudies Program in Winter 2010 and aFinancial Planners Certificate Program inSpring 2010. In addition, it developed anESL pilot program in NY. The School is also exploring offering an AcademicRefresher course for returning adult students, and certificate programs in humanresources, residential design and CAD.

The School of Continuing Education celebrated the official opening of its School on November 2, 2009 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the NYC Midtown Campus. Pictured left to right are Berkeley College alumnaBrigitte Cunning; Provost Glen Zeitzer, PhD; Associate Provost, Faculty Affairs,Marianne Vakalis, EdD; Dean Ricardo Ortegón; President Dario A. Cortes, PhD;and Campus Operating Officer, New York City, Kristin Rowe.

ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS

Vision for the Future:2010 – 2015

Editor In Chief/PublisherLaura JewellArt & DesignVIA Agency

Chief StrategistLinda Luciano

School of Continuing Education Launched

Berkeley College: 2010-2015 2

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ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS

Schools are Established with Deans at the Helm

In July, the academic organization was realigned to strengthen its core. The Provost created and promoted two individuals to fill the new AssociateProvost positions; thereby assisting himto meet the needs of Berkeley’s students.He, with the approval of the Presidentand Board of Trustees, created a structure which features Schools ofBusiness; Liberal Arts; ProfessionalStudies; and Continuing Education.

Each School is managed by a Dean withsystem-wide responsibility. These Deans,along with the Dean, Online, reports to theAssociate Provost, Faculty Affairs and aresupported by the Chairs of the AcademicDepartments in New York and New Jersey.

The Associate Provost, Academic Supportand Administration, assisted by the VicePresident Advisement; Director, LibraryServices; Directors, ASC; and the newly

created position of College Registrar, manage and coordinate student-centeredsupport services.

In addition, the position of Vice President,Student Development and Campus Life(SDCL) was created to merge the New Yorkand New Jersey student services. TheDeans for SDCL in New York and NewJersey report to this Vice President.

Center For Excellence in Learning and Teaching

As part of Berkeley’s goal of encouraginglifelong learning, the Center for Excellencein Learning and Teaching (CELT) was launched in November with theappointment of Shelly Nice, the CELTDirector. Ms. Nice, who is based on the

Newark campus, supports the AssociateProvost on matters related to facultydevelopment and faculty retention through-out the system. She is assisted by a FacultyProfessional Development Committee. CELTwill focus on integrating assessment results

into faculty development, new faculty orientation, and working with faculty onprofessional development grants and scholarship opportunities and introducingnew technology to support the faculty.

Berkeley College signs Articulation Agreement with the Newark Police Academy

Berkeley College President Dario A. Cortes, PhD (seated left), and Newark Police Director Gary McCarthy (seated center)sign an articulation agreement between the two entities. Joining them are (standing left to right) Berkeley CollegeCampus Operating Officer, Newark Campus, Stan Holland; Dean of the School of Professional Studies Marisol Abuin,JD; Deputy Police Chief Anthony Perillo; Newark Police Academy Director Capt. Richard Cuccolo; Police Lt. David Letts;Police Sgt. Brian O’Hara; and (seated right) Berkeley College Assistant Provost Orsete Dias, EdD.

Berkeley College and the Newark PoliceAcademy, through the City of Newark,signed an agreement on October 15,2009, to facilitate the transfer of NewarkPolice Academy “graduates” and currentpolice officers to Berkeley College for the purpose of pursuing Associate andBaccalaureate degree programs in JusticeStudies. The programs shall be offeredOnline and at all campuses.

This is a collaborative effort of both theSchool of Continuing Education (SCE)and the School of Professional Studies.Students will matriculate into degree programs, but the SCE will provide thestudent support and the SCE may also provide other programs and/or workshops as requested by the department. The SCE is developing a writing workshop for police officers.

Graduate School

Berkeley College: 2010-2015 3

An MBA Development committee was created to develop the curriculum for an MBA program with an anticipated launch date of January 2011. The MBA timeline is listed below. The President’s Taskforce for Graduate School Planning and Administrationmeets regularly to discuss topics including facilities, technology and organizational structure for Berkeley’s Graduate School.

• Business faculty to complete program reviews with assessment plans.• Appoint Faculty Committee and Administrative committee.• Appoint Consultant.

April 2009July 2009

August 2009

Dates Description of tasks Status

• IR completes needs assessment report.• Update timetable for a graduate program.• Recommend degree and discipline/program areas.

September 2009

• Presentation to the Academic Affairs Committee.• Meet with NYSED.October 2009

• Assessment of library resources and submit a budget.• Recommend calendar, administrative structure, support services, and faculty workloads.

• Launch search for Graduate Dean.

January 2010

• Complete curriculum development. Review of faculty credentials and submit budget.

March 2010

April 2010• Complete Self-Study.• Select external review team.• Schedule external review team visit.

May 2010• External review team’s campus visit.• Completion of external review team report.• College response to external review team report.

June 2010• NYSED canvas of all institutions.• Regents’ approval.• Amend certificate of incorporation.• Submit Middle States Substantive Change application.

July 2010 • Submit Self-study, team report, college response, and Master Plan Amendment application to NYSED.

• Middle States Substantive Change Approval.• Program roll-out.September 2010

• NYSED staff review.• NYSED team visit. (staff and peer reviewers)• NYSED Team’s report.• College’s response to the report.

December 2010

• Enroll first master’s degree students.January 2011

MBA PROGRAMPROPOSED TIMELINE

Realignments and Reorganizations in Administration

Office of Institutional Advancement and External AffairsAs part of the reorganization of thecollege, the Office of InstitutionalAdvancement and External Affairs was established to strategically unitefunctional areas that are responsiblefor various aspects of alumni relationsand external, corporate and govern-mental relations for Berkeley College.

Communications Office

A Communications Office was createdand a Director of Communications hired,to build a strong image for the Office ofthe President by developing a strategiccommunications plan to address internaland external audiences. This plan includes strengthening and building relationships with collegiate colleagues;developing an Office of the President web page, and strategic initiatives.

Also, Directors of Budgeting and BusinessServices and an Assistant Vice President,Operations were hired to contribute to theoverall strategic direction and specifically the budget and business operations of the College.

Realignments and Reorganizations in Administration

(Continued on page 4)

Berkeley College: 2010-2015 4

Realignments and Reorganizations in Administration (Continued from page 3)

Compliance Office

Berkeley is keenly aware of itsresponsibilities to provide for the safety of its students, faculty and associates; toprotect their private information; and tomeet the increasing demands of federaland state regulations. In response to

The Open Doors 2009 report publishedby the Institute of International Educationranked Berkeley College as one of theleading specialized institutions in the USAfor international enrollment. Berkeley hasmoved up to the number 6 position fromlast year when it was number 8. The datais based upon the fall quarter of 2008and includes enrollment for White Plainsand New York City campuses.

those challenges, the college strengthened its compliance capabilities in October by creatinga Compliance Office and employing a newVice President and Chief Compliance Officer.Since then, it has launched a comprehensivereview of its internal policies and procedures,

enhanced its privacy program, launcheda major security initiative and expandedassociate training. These efforts demonstrate the seriousness ofBerkeley’s commitment to a strong,effective compliance program.

Military and Veterans Affairs Receives High Honors

Globalization Milestone for Berkeley College

The Office of Military and Veteran Affairs atBerkeley College was launched to help enlistedservice men and women and military veteransfurther their education and fulfill their lifelonggoals. It also assists them with challenges theymay experience upon returning to civilian life.

Berkeley has been selected as one of 130 colleges out of over 5,000 in the Nation to beselected for inclusion in the Military AdvancedEducation’s 2009 Guide to Military-FriendlyColleges and Universities. In addition, BerkeleyCollege and President Dario A. Cortes, PhDare being spotlighted in the “University Corner”centerpiece article in the 2009 Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities edition.

Veteran’s Day was observed on November 11, 2009 at Berkeley College honoring the veterans of wars past and present. From left to right: Berkeley College Richard Robitaille, EdD,Assistant Vice President, Office of Military and Veteran Affairs; Sgt. Major Thomas Clark;Lt. Colonel Mark Pierterski; and Berkeley College President Dario A. Cortes, PhD.

Berkeley College: 2010-2015 5

Green Initiative Spotlight with Janelle Roth, Chair, Project GreenPathAs the chair of the Project GreenPathCommittee, what do you see as the greatest accomplishments of thetaskforce so far?

When the Project GreenPath programlaunched a few years ago, our firstaction was to institute a college-widerecycling program, which affirmedBerkeley’s commitment to sustainabilityand ensured consistency across all of the campuses. Prior to this initiative, each campus had been handling recycling differently.

Also because of Project GreenPath, theNew York City Mayor’s office invitedBerkeley College to join the NYCMayoral Challenge. This program hasprovided us with the opportunity to learn from environmental experts andrepresentatives from other colleges sothat we can reduce our New York CityCampus greenhouse gas emissions by30% by the year 2018. Berkeley alsojoined the New Jersey MeadowlandsChallenge, which encourages area businesses to improve their energy efficiency and recycling efforts.

The Project GreenPath Committee hasalso worked hard to raise the level ofsustainability awareness across theBerkeley community. Berkeley’sadministration, faculty, staff, and students have all begun to embrace sustainability, as evidenced by

• campus Earth Day celebrations and student development activities

• the recent virtual Climate Action Forum

What are the challenges that you seeahead for Berkeley College?

Dr. Cortes has signed the AmericanCollege and University Presidents Climate Commitment (http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/),which commits the College to developinga comprehensive plan to achieve climateneutrality. The Project GreenPathCommittee is working right now ondeveloping plans to address this significant challenge. Berkeley will be initiating two action steps (which will beannounced soon) to reduce our carbon

footprint while we begin the work of conducting a comprehensive inventory ofgreenhouse gas emissions from all of ourcampuses. This inventory includes measuring and reporting on direct emissions, such as those from leakage from refrigeration and air conditioningequipment, as well as indirect emissions,such as transportation emissions from daily commuting by staff and students.

Another challenge is balancing the needfor fiscal responsibility with the cost of“greening” as many systems as possible.Energy-efficient and clean systems usuallyincur higher costs initially, but providegreater savings over time. I think collegeseverywhere are struggling with this issue,and it requires the kind of long-term perspective that our Strategic Plan provides. For example, Berkeley has committed, through the Strategic Plan, tocomply with LEED guidelines on all newconstruction when feasible. We recognizethat as an institution of higher education,we want to lead by example, even whentough financial decisions have to be made.

Has this made you more “green” awarein your own life?

My being involved in Project GreenPathhas helped me to make an even strongercommitment to doing what I can to protectthe environment and has helped me recognize how much more can be done.

What do you look forward to in the“green” future for Berkeley College?

The Strategic Plan calls for the creation ofan Office of Sustainability and the hiring ofa Director of Sustainability by December2010. All of the Project GreenPathCommittee members, who have generouslycontributed a significant amount of time andeffort to this work, are looking forward tohaving staff leadership and support forBerkeley’s sustainability initiatives.

I’m also excited about opportunities forBerkeley to take leadership as a corporatecitizen in the area of sustainability. As acommittee, we’ve been focusing on address-ing areas within Berkeley. But as we moveforward and accomplish our goals for theCollege, I’m hoping we can be a force forchange in the larger community as well.

President Cortes participated in a Sustainability Panel at RamapoCollege in October discussing Berkeley College green initiatives.

Participating on the panel from left to right: President G. Jeremiah Ryan, EdD, Bergen Community College; PresidentDario A. Cortes, PhD, Berkeley College; and President Rosemary Jefferies, RSM, PhD, Georgian Court University.

Berkeley College: 2010-2015 6

Berkeley College OnlineTM Holds Ribbon CuttingCeremony at New Headquarters

November 19, 2009 – Clifton, New Jersey

Celebrating the grand opening of the new Berkeley College Online (BCO) headquarters in Clifton, NJ, are (left to right): BCO Director of Career Services RosemarieBerman; Passaic County Freeholder Bruce James; Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin, 34th District; Clifton Councilman Peter Eagler; Constituent Representative forCongressman Bill Pascrell, Carmen DePadua; Berkeley College President Dario A. Cortes, PhD; Berkeley College Chairman Kevin L. Luing; BCO Dean Carol Smith;BCO Campus Operating Officer Sharon Goldstein; and BCO Admissions Counselor Ashley Maikranz.

Master PlanCommittees and task forces working on the Master Plan arefocused on aligning the institution’s physical environment tosupport the growth of the College and the changes in themarket place.

To ensure facilities and operations support the current needsand anticipated growth, the College recognized the need forseveral relocations. Institutional Advancement and ExternalRelations moved its multiple offices to Garret Mountain; theOnline campus relocated from Garret Mountain to Clifton toexpand the Online distance learning operations; and the ITdepartment consolidated its offices at Garret Mountain to the newly renovated space previously occupied by a ChildCare center.

Supporting Newark’s Revitalization

On December 1, 2009, President Cortes presented Berkeley College’s support of the revitalizationof the City of Newark at the Newark Insiders Forum sponsored by the Newark Regional BusinessPartnership. He was one of four Presidents, who were invited to speak.

Berkeley College: 2010-2015 7

Associates Catch a Ride with ONBOARDING Retaining associates is another top priority for the College. An AssociateOnboarding program and a “New Hire Mentor Program” will be implementedby Human Resources in January 2010. The program will ensure that new associates feel welcomed, valued, and prepared for what lies ahead duringtheir employment with Berkeley College. Associates will spend less time completing their paperwork and more time learning their role within the organization.

The B.O.B. program consists of:

• A full day mandatory orientation • New Associate Mentoring program• New Associate Breakfast Club

This program will ensure that the new associate’s first experience at Berkeley is a positive one.

Presidential Forums Forums provide an opportunity for associates to meet outsideof their normal business day, to think strategically and todevelop plans that build on what is positive and currentlyworks and to share success stories.

Presidential forums on associate retention, master plans and technology, were convened. The most recent one onTechnology Integration at Berkeley College was facilitated by Warren Arbogast, Founder, Boulder Management Group,LLC. He led 65 associates through “speed sharing” exerciseswhich captured suggestions and ideas that were subsequentlyforwarded to the appropriate Berkeley College committees.The committees are reviewing the suggestions and will implement if appropriate. The next Presidential Forum on Student Retention is planned for February 2010.

Athletics at Berkeley College is Headline News Athletics at Berkeley College continues to grow and enjoy success on both sides of the river. The New York men's basketball program won the Hudson Valley Men's AthleticConference preseason tournament for the fourth consecutiveyear and the New Jersey men's basketball program beganthe season with two wins in their first three games with winsover Sussex County Community College and City College of New York.

The New York men's soccer program finished in second place in the Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference and theNew Jersey men's soccer program defeated Lehman Collegefor Berkeley's first win ever against an NCAA opponent.

In addition, a women's basketball program was started in NewYork and the team competed in its first game in December.

Berkeley College: 2010-2015 8

Diversity Outreach President Cortes was interviewed in Spanish by the hostRicardo Espinoza of the 1280 AM WADO radio stationreaching out to the Hispanic NY and NJ community throughradio interviews building awareness and offering assistance.

Government Relations

From left to right:President Dario A. Cortes, PhD;Assemblyman Joseph Cryan; and Chairman Kevin L. Luing

From left to right:President Dario A. Cortes, PhD;Senator Thomas H. Kean, Jr.;and Chairman Kevin L. Luing

Berkeley College was visited by several Government officials who were given a tour of the Garret Mountain Campus and met with the leadership team to learn more about Berkeley inits role in New Jersey’s higher education.

Berkeley College: 2010-2015 9

College Security and SafetySecurity and safety are keystones to Berkeley’s philosophy.To assist in the on-going security planning, Berkeleyretained well-known specialists in campus security, whoperformed a thorough review and assessment of safetyand security at our campuses and made appropriate recommendations. After visiting the campuses and conducting extensive interviews with associates and

students, the consultants concluded that “Berkeley College has a strong foundation upon which to evolve its campus safety, security, and emergency management program.”Nevertheless, the firm’s detailed final report includes recom-mendations for improving physical security and emergencypreparedness within the Berkeley community. Work is nowunderway to implement many of those recommendations.

How Are We Doing? Can You Help?The Strategic Planning Newsletter is intended to provide Berkeley associates with current and updated information regarding the ongoing strategic planning process. Your ideas and suggestions can help us serve you better. We would appreciate if you would answer any or all of these questions.

• Have the newsletters on the Strategic Planning Process been informative?• Is there anything else you would like to know that was not included?• What is your overall impression of the Newsletter?

Please email your answers to: lmj@BerkeleyCollege.edu

Strategic Planning Process Timeline 2010-2015

DATE DESCRIPTION DONE 2008

July – August 2008 President’s meetings on each campus and with various stakeholders

September 5 First SPC meeting – Charges presented

September 19 All Associates Day – Berkeley in 2015 and Beyond

October 31 SPC meeting

November 21 SPC meeting

December 12 SPC meeting

2009

January 23, 2009 SPC meeting

February 2 Draft Plan completed for Internal review

February 9 Draft Plan available for comment

February 18 Comment period closes

February 27 SPC meeting to consider and adopt changes or revisions to the Strategic Plan. SPC continues or concludes development of the Implementation Plan.

February 28 – May 1

Additional Subcommittee meetings to complete the implementation plan

March 1 Draft Strategic Plan completed

March 19 Strategic Plan is presented to the Long Range Planning Committee of BOT. A general update on the process and the major issues that have emerged from the planning process so far.

April 7 Cabinet meeting to prioritize strategic directions and strategic goals.

April 17 2010-2015 Strategic plan including strategic directions is presented to the Board of Trustees for approval.

May 8 SPC finalizes Implementation plan.

June 5 Launch of Strategic Plan

November 20 First Periodic Update

July 2009 – 2015 Periodic Updates

2010

May 7, 2010 Strategic Planning Committee Update

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