TRAVELING FOR SUNY BUSINESS - shared governance

I have the honor of being "Faculty Senator" for Farmingdale State College, which means that I represent Farmingdale at the "University Faculty Senate" (UFS). UFS is the legal channel through which the faculty influences system-wide SUNY policy. It meets once per semester to vote on resolutions and get policy updates from administrators.

The UFS trips are always a joy for numerous reasons:

1. The colleagues that attend are fantastic people. They are like-minded in their desire to make SUNY as great as it can be in about all dimensions: accessibility, quality, diversity, etc.
2. The networking opportunity is fantastic, you will always meet someone new. This Plenary I met the Chancellor, the chair of the Board of Trustees, and a mission-oriented CDO from College at Brockport who I think has many tools to help some challenges facing our campus. 
3. The travel - Meetings are upstate more frequently than not. I am totally fine with this because I currently love  just about anything upstate New York. UFS travel, so far, has allowed me to visit Syracuse, Saratoga Springs, Cooperstown, and most recently Albany.

Pics below of the incredible SUNY System Administration building .

A more centered view from the front shows there are flags for each campus decorating the plaza.

So naturally, I had to find where our flag is. It turns out we are right near the entrance!

It's also exquisite at night:

What a building!