CSI Commencement Address
 President Tomás D. Morales

May 29, 2008

Thank you Vice Chairman Berry and Chancellor Goldstein, for this extraordinary opportunity.  Thank you for your faith in me and in the College of Staten Island.

And now, as my first official act as the newly invested president of the College of Staten Island, I say to you the graduating class of 2008:  Congratulations!  You are the Greatest!

And today, as I look out across this sea of smiling faces, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.   Give yourself a great round of applause!

It’s my great pleasure to welcome our esteemed guests:  our outstanding honorees, our world-class faculty, and most of all, our graduates.

To our graduates, I say congratulations again.  Not only because you deserve this day, after years of hard work, but also because a CSI  degree has never been more valuable. 

Each year, a CSI degree grows in stature.  It’s backed by the great academic tradition of the City University of New York.  But in the fullness of time, a degree from CSI has taken on a life all its own.  It’s become self-validating.  That validation arises from the accomplishments of our students, the brilliance of our faculty, and the achievements of our alumni.

Thirty-two years ago, our college began with a great experiment in public higher education:  the merger of two schools.

The new College of Staten Island was dedicated to the promise and reality of broad access to all Staten Islanders who sought higher education, and to a standard of academic excellence and faculty scholarship.  CSI was the product of many people.  But three always deserve recognition:  the school’s first president, the late Dr. Edmond L. Volpe; CSI’s second president, Dr. Marlene Springer; and third, the borough’s greatest political leader, Senator John Marchi. 

But make no mistake about it, CSI also grew because of exceptional faculty scholarship and pedagogy, as typified by Dr. Michael Shugrue.  And it grew because of a dedication to higher education within our community, as embodied by great leaders, such as Harry Doherty.

But as wise as these men and women were, something far beyond the brick and mortar of our campus has come to pass here on Staten Island.  And from where I stand on this lovely May morning, it’s abundantly clear:  the pride we all have in the soaring accomplishment of our graduates. This is your day. 

Each of you has a separate story how you came here.  There was no set itinerary.  Each of you made your own way.  And in doing so, you’ve left a mark on CSI.  You’ve taken, and you’ve given to our school.  You’re part of our history.  You are here at precisely the right moment.  That moment can be summed up in one simple sentence:  This is a great time to be a CSI graduate. 

CSI has arrived.  Under the transformational leadership of the Board of Trustees, and Chancellor Mathew Goldstein, the City University of New York has recaptured its historic status as the premier urban pubic institution in American higher education.

The national and international recognition of the faculty and students of the City University of New York, and the College of Staten Island, contribute to its greatness.   CSI has come of age.  Leading the way is our faculty of extraordinary scholars and teachers who are redefining excellence in higher education.

Their scholarship abounds.  Among our faculty are Fulbright and Guggenheim fellows; a Whiting Writer Awardee; and fellows from the National Endowment for the Humanities.  We boast an award winning poet, and a critically acclaimed novelist and playwright.  Another of our faculty directs a major archeological dig in the Near East that is rewriting history in that region. 

CSI is home to a Distinguished CUNY Professor, who has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars in research funding to our College, and strengthened our reputation through a collaboration with the Weitzman Institute in Israel.

The College of Staten Island is a leader in international education.  Through our Center for International Service, CSI students and faculty are engaged at partner institutions in Denmark, Ecuador, England, Greece, South Africa, Spain, France and China.  Around the world, CSI is known for its Modern China Studies Program. The program is supported by CSI faculty from a wide range of disciplines, including:   film studies and history, economics, political science and education.

CSI faculty are on the frontiers of research, in nano-technology and computer systems, in chemistry and biology, in gender studies and literature, in psychology and engineering. 

These outstanding faculty members have imparted information, knowledge, and, most importantly, wisdom to our students.  The results have been astounding. 

Our baccalaureate degree graduates are admitted to the most prestigious graduate and professional schools, and are recruited by leading international corporations.
 
CSI numbers 55,000 alumni, many of whom live on Staten Island.  They contribute to the life of this community, and when they have left this borough, they have strengthened the communities where they have moved.  CSI Alumni are prominently represented in the judiciary and other areas of the legal profession. 

Among our graduates is a vice president for research and development at a major biotech company; and a treasurer of a multinational bank.

We boast outstanding physicians, nurses and other health professionals, as well as school principals and hundreds of teachers.  Others of our alumni include a president of a professional sports team; the general manager of the Epcot Center, and leaders of non-profit organizations, national corporate foundations, and prestigious accounting firms.

You will find CSI alumni on the faculty of private and public institutions of higher education, including medical and other professional schools.  We are particularly proud of the CSI alumna who deferred her admission to medical school for a year, in order to do cancer research at the National Institutes of Health. 

And here on campus, CSI graduates are represented on our faculty, staff and senior administration.  By virtue of this graduation, you, our graduates, are now members of this outstanding group:  men and women with a CSI degree.

Thirty-two years ago, only a few visionaries saw what we would become. But that vision has endured and grown.  And today, we look to the future. I know I have assumed the presidency of an outstanding institution of higher education.

As I speak with members of our CSI family, I am struck by your extraordinary devotion and passion for our College.  Your aspirations for CSI are indeed inspirational. There’s a belief that shared governance and responsibility strengthen interdependence, while creating interactive synergies among all members of the College community.  

Collaborative-centered leadership creates a comfort level and enthusiastic acceptance of diversity.  This embrace of our differences, and our desire to further develop our professorial ranks, requires CSI to recruit and retain the most qualified faculty.  These scholars create exciting teaching and learning environments in each of our undergraduate and graduate programs.

Our faculty and professional staff attract accomplished students, who are searching for the mentoring and research opportunities that a CSI education provides.

Our world-class faculty is committed to their academic disciplines and equally dedicated to their professorial duties that advance the College’s academic enterprise through learning, teaching, research and scholarship. 

The educators on the professional staff are passionate in developing exciting programs and services in support of the academic mission of our college.  They partner with faculty to enhance learning in and outside the classroom.

Faculty, senior administrators, staff and students are dedicated to examining how we deliver undergraduate instruction, so that we may challenge all of our students, and improve their persistence, graduation rates and overall success.  I have assumed the leadership of an institution that believes in the centrality of learning, and in the importance of measuring learning outcomes.  Our faculty and staff believe in our ability to increase our accountability to external stakeholders, such as legislators, regional and disciplinary accrediting agencies, and most of all, to our students and their families.

We believe in the importance of meeting the public need and serving the public good.  Our campus community values civic engagement, and recognizes that all campus constituents are responsible for student learning.  Among our goals is leadership in academic technology and developing a high performance computational center that will be among the most powerful in the nation.  We embrace the development of residential learning communities; through the construction of new residence halls scheduled to open in 24 months.   And we will provide reliable and affordable transportation, such as our non-stop shuttle service from the ferry, that will reduce our carbon footprint and make CSI one of the greenest campuses in America.   These initiatives are transforming CSI into a major academic destination in the 21st Century.

All members of our college community, seek to create a culture of high expectation; to enhance our sense of “belonging”; and to create a sense of “purpose and place” for our students.  We are committed to providing a “scaffolding infrastructure” of academic support and service to meet the high standards that must be attained to earn a degree at CSI and to contribute to the global society.

Our energy is terrific.  Our hopes are high.  Our vision is 20/20.  And looking at our graduates, faculty and staff, I am confident.  Through your work, through your devotion, you have made a CSI degree a goal to be desired and an achievement to be respected.  I can’t wait for tomorrow to continue the great work we have undertaken together to move the College of Staten Island forward.

Now, in closing, on behalf of my wife Evy and myself, I offer our heartfelt gratitude to our students and their families, to our faculty and staff.

To you all:  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.