Clinton Community College

Inauguration Address

Inauguration Address of John E. Jablonski
Seventh President of Clinton Community College
May 21, 2010

Thank you, Chancellor, for your kind remarks. And thank you for coming to Clinton Community College to celebrate this occasion with us. Although you and I took our respective posts on exactly the same date, I have been working feverishly ever since then to keep pace with you and to help you realize our shared vision for the Power of SUNY. More on that later.

Thank you, too, Trustee Coolidge. It has been a pleasure to work with you and the other trustees here at Clinton for the past year. I am grateful to you and the Board for allowing me to lead the College while you govern. Already, your wisdom and insights have served me and the College well on many occasions.

Thank you, Greg Truckenmiller, for your kind introduction. As a member of the Leadership Team at Fulton-Montgomery, you are accomplishing great things for students – students who, like me, found access to higher education there. And you are accomplishing important things for the community – the community that was home to me for so many years. I take no credit for your accomplishments as my successor – you have earned the credit – but I will say that you are living proof that introverts can be as effective in leadership positions as extroverts. Best wishes for continued success, and thank you for your friendship.

Congratulations to all my friends and colleagues at FM who continue to make me proud of my alma mater. I am honored that so many of you who knew me there have remained supportive over the years. To the large Fulton-Montgomery delegation that is here – including a few folks who have retired or gone on to bigger and better things -- thank you for your friendship and encouragement.

I am especially indebted to President Dustin Swanger for giving me the opportunity to serve as his Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Because of Dusty’s consideration and encouragement, I held the job that I loved until the stars aligned perfectly, and an opportunity arose here at Clinton that was just too good to pass up. Thank you, Dusty.

Even before I became part of the Fulton-Montgomery family, I was born into the Jablonski family. I grew up with three older brothers (Dave, Paul and Tom) and our younger sister (Mary) on a five-acre plot of land that was part of my maternal grandparents’ farm in Amsterdam, New York. Our father was a city kid from Reading, Pennsylvania. He came to Amsterdam one summer to work on a neighboring farm and escape the inner city. Not only did he fall in love with upstate New York that summer, he also fell in love with our mother. Dad made a modest living as an insurance agent, and Mom made our house a home. Mom died while Mary and I were still in college and Dad passed away four years ago. His sister Jean has traveled all the way from California to be here today. If there were a door prize for distance traveled, I assume that she would win by more than just a mile or two.

It is tempting to say that we were not a rich family, but if Dad were still alive, he would be quick to correct me: “We may not have a lot of money, Johnny, but we sure are rich.” Dave, Paul, Tom, Mary and Jean can attest to Dad’s propensity to say such things, and to the accuracy of the words themselves. I continue to be enriched by my brothers and my sister and the legacy of our parents.

They say that most young men are attracted to women who exhibit qualities possessed by their mothers. While it’s difficult for me to picture my mother as a young woman, I know from third-person accounts that she was intelligent, caring, beautiful and fun-loving. No wonder my father married her, and no wonder I married a woman with the same qualities. Kelly and I have been married for almost twenty-four years. If you are thinking that she must have been 10 years old when we were wed, neither she nor I will rush to correct your error. Kelly’s love, support and encouragement have everything to do with how I got to this podium. Therefore, it is only fitting that I acknowledge her today and ask you to join me in publicly recognizing her for making it possible for me to be in this position.

Kelly and I are very, very proud of our two daughters, Elise and Victoria, who are also here today. How gratifying it is for us to see that they have grown into such thoughtful and intelligent young women.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for indulging me during these moments of personal acknowledgment. However, I have repeatedly said that this inaugural ceremony should be about Clinton Community College and the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities that lie before us. With that in mind, I offer the following formal remarks about this great institution.

***

Congressman Owens, Assembly Members Duprey and Sayward… Chancellor Zimpher… Vice Chancellor Golladay… President Ettling of Plattsburgh State University (our closest SUNY sibling)… fellow presidents… delegates and distinguished guests… members of the Clinton County Legislature… Mayor Kasprzak… local government officials… trustees… students, faculty and staff… family… friends and colleagues...

***

Welcome to Clinton Community College and Bluff Point -- a site rich with history and culture.

Garry Douglas, President of the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce, often reminds us, “Where things move, is where prosperity occurs.” And things have moved through this region for centuries.

Long before Europeans sailed here, Native Americans had already developed in the area a mature society with a thriving economy.

In 1609, Samuel de Champlain discovered for himself – and the rest of the world -- just how magnificent this region is. This lake (Lake Champlain) drew European settlers whose entrepreneurial spirit created a burgeoning new economy built on trade.

Transportation was a central reason that the lake and the two islands closest to this bluff were so important in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812. Before you leave today, I hope that you will have a chance to spend a few moments behind the George Moore Academic and Administrative Building where you can read the wayside signs that explain the historic significance of these islands.

At the end of the nineteenth century, transportation was still driving this region’s economy. In 1890, the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company erected the Hotel Champlain on this very site. Five U.S. Presidents, three New York Governors, foreign leaders… and celebrities, including Babe Ruth, were guests here. President William McKinley made the Hotel Champlain his Summer Whitehouse in 1897 and in 1899.

The Hotel closed in 1951 and was promptly occupied by Bellarmine Jesuit College. Subsequently, the Clinton County Legislature secured this bluff as the location for Clinton Community College.

***

Today, we celebrate the history of Bluff Point and the lessons that we have learned from it. We also submit that Clinton Community College is making history of its own.

By way of example, let me highlight just eight initiatives already underway:

First, Clinton Community College has the first and only degree program in Wind Energy and Turbine Technology in New York State and in the Northeast.

Second, our Electrical Technology: Electronics program and our Industrial Technology program are preparing students to work on photovoltaic energy systems and lean manufacturing.

Third, this spring, we opened the door on a brand new Class-1000 clean room.

Fourth, Clinton’s 2009 Nursing Class posted a 94% pass rate on the national licensing exam – exceeding the state and national averages. For 30 years, Clinton Community College has been supplying a steady stream of registered nurses to Champlain Valley Physician’s Hospital – now one of the finest regional referral centers in the state.

Fifth, our Human Services program was accredited last year by the Council for Standards in Human Services Education, making it the only college in upstate New York with this credential.

Sixth, we have all but completed a 12-month software conversion project for the College that will vastly improve the information on which we base our important decisions.

Seventh, the development of our new Student Support Services Center is well underway.

Finally, this past year, President Guixiang Ping of Beijing University of Business Administration visited Clinton and signed a new international articulation agreement. Students from his university and from Sichuan International Studies University are due to arrive here in September.

***

As proud as I am of Clinton Community College, I know, too, that great challenges face us and our community.

I have spent my first year at Clinton becoming part of the community… listening, asking questions and soliciting input from practically every group of stakeholders.

· I have joined the Boards of Directors of The Development Corporation and the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce.

· I have engaged local school superintendents and principals on how we can work together to create a more seamless educational pipeline for the region.

· I have convened a Community Business Summit to ask what local business leaders need and expect from their community college.

· I have met twice with the editorial board of the Press Republican newspaper and conducted numerous interviews with reporters from our other fine media outlets.

· I have held fireside chats, town hall meetings and online discussions.

· And I have engaged students, faculty and staff in extended conversations about our Core Ideology (which must be preserved and protected) and our Envisioned Future (which requires us to change and grow).

One of those conversations has particularly piqued my interest. The Development Corporation and its Executive Director, Adore Flynn-Kurtz, recently established the Institute for Development and Economic Analysis and initiated a series of discussions on Vision 2040 -- the future of Clinton County. At a workshop this spring, some 70 community leaders discussed economic and demographic projections for the County. According to these projections, in less than 30 years, Clinton County will not have enough residents in the age bracket from 20-55 to sustain our economy and maintain our current quality of life. Let me reiterate: in less than 30 years, Clinton County will not have enough residents in the age bracket from 20-55 to sustain our economy and maintain our current quality of life. That is, of course, unless we act now to create a different future.

To that end, community leaders have been hard at work on strategies to attract and retain young professionals with a creative and entrepreneurial spirit – a spirit that will start us on an upward spiral that draws additional high-quality employers to the region. Our geographic resources -- Lake Champlain, the Adirondack Mountains, and our prime location on the Quebec-New York Corridor -- give us a leg up, but they alone will not ensure a thriving community here in 30 years. Our city and towns will need to develop in ways that are attractive to young people who would settle here to work and raise their families. Part of that development involves planning for an increasingly vibrant downtown and optimal utilization of our waterfront. Another part depends on us embracing cultural and intellectual diversity for the benefits they bring.

In her remarkable first year as Chancellor of the State University of New York, Nancy Zimpher has solicited input on a much larger scale from thousands of constituents across the state. In the Strategic Plan that emerged, the Chancellor has drawn focus on “The Power of SUNY” –

· the power of SUNY to be an economic engine that will put New York on the road to recovery,

· the power of SUNY to attract and retain bright young entrepreneurs to this state,

· and the power of SUNY to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

The Chancellor knows well that in order to accomplish these big ideas, we must be active participants in the global economy.

***

With that in mind, I ask you to consider the following:

· Clinton County has a unique position just an hour away from one of North America’s most cosmopolitan cities -- the second largest French-speaking city in the world…

· Plattsburgh is the closest American city to Montreal along the Quebec-New York Corridor…

· Plattsburgh International Airport is truly – truly – Montreal’s U.S. airport with some 65,000 Canadian enplanements per year…

· Clinton County is home to several multinational businesses, including Bombardier, Nova Bus and Schluter Systems…

and important American companies like Georgia Pacific and Akrimax Pharmaceuticals…

and innovative new ventures like Solar Novar and Alternative Wind Resources …

· Clinton Community College already attracts students from throughout the state and is working to establish educational partnerships with institutions in China and in Canada…

· and Clinton Community College is pursuing opportunities to be one of the first institutions in the nation to offer international wind energy credentials that are administered in Bremen, Germany.

We have a unique opportunity to make an historic contribution to the future of this region. In fact, some would say – and I would agree – that we have an obligation to make such a contribution.

***

So how shall we do that?

What will be the next chapter in our story?

What is our vision?

Imagine, if you will, that by the end of this decade we relocate our residence halls from their current off-campus location to this historic and magnificent bluff...

Imagine that we create these residence halls to be a true living/learning community on this campus – a community that is close to faculty, close to the library, close to learning resources and close to recreational facilities. Everything that we know about student engagement indicates that this would have a significant, positive impact on student learning, student retention and student success.

Imagine that an increasing number of students who stay on our campus come from other states and other countries to live among our 2300 local students, making this a sort of global village befitting a community situated on an international border along one of North America’s most vital trade routes.

Such a living/learning environment would celebrate our strong ties to Quebec and its French heritage.

· It would be a place where students from Canada, China and Germany could come together to study sustainable-energy production…

· a place where the study of language and the arts would thrive…

· a place where local students who have not yet been exposed to foreign cultures could learn first-hand about other customs and work in the global economy…

· a place where we hold educational workshops and conferences on Criminal Justice and Nursing, international business and economics.

· a place for regional workforce development training, where our Wind Energy facilities, our new clean room and our electronics laboratories would be within walking distance of our residence and dining facilities.

· a place where we could establish temporary quarters for visiting professors to stay for a few weeks or a few months.

· a place where people from the community at large would gather to hear guest lectures on important topics of the day…

· a place for corporate training, leadership development and a confidence course overlooking nature's magnificence…

· a place where summers on the Lake would include youth camps and elder hostel.

· a place that would help us to become more self-reliant and less dependent on scarce public resources as we increase revenues from contract training programs, conferences and differential out-of-state tuition…

And most importantly -- according to Rick Leibowitz (Director of this region’s Small Business Development Center and Paul Grasso, Executive Director of the Workforce Investment Board) – most importantly,

· our contribution to the community would make this a more vibrant and attractive place for young professional to live…

· and our contributions to the workforce would make this a more productive and attractive place for business and industry to set-up shop.

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