Chancellor Johnson and Geneseo leadership.
State University of New York Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson spent Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 14, on Geneseo’s campus as part of her tour of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Johnson joined SUNY as its chancellor in September 2017.
Johnson met with Geneseo’s President Denise A. Battles and members of her cabinet. Battles and her team provided the chancellor with an overview of the College, which included efforts on sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship, partnerships, and individualized education, the four themes of the chancellor’s vision for SUNY.
Also welcoming the chancellor to campus were College Senate members Duane McPherson, associate professor of biology and College Senate chair; James McLean, associate professor of physics and past presiding chair of the College Senate; and Amy Sheldon, associate professor of geological sciences and College Senate vice chair.
“I was delighted to welcome Chancellor Johnson to our beautiful campus and introduce her to some of our wonderful faculty and staff,” said Battles. “I was especially excited for her to have an opportunity to engage with our bright and talented students.”
The chancellor met with a group of student leaders, including Student Association President Corey Wilkinson ’19. Later in the afternoon, she visited several sites on campus including Sturges Hall and the eGarden, the experimental research facility where students presented their sustainability research projects.
Johnson, an optical engineer by training who served as Under Secretary of Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy before founding a hydroelectric company, appreciated the “unique” research and learning opportunities that the eGarden provides to students.
“Students design and run experiments, giving them direct access to hands-on learning with the potential for integrating their results into campus and SUNY systems,” Johnson remarked. “I am excited about what these students will design and invent that will help make our world more sustainable.”
“It was a pleasure for me to share with the chancellor a selection of the many innovative and impactful activities in which Geneseo is engaged,” Battles said. “I am confident that she departed campus with a strong sense of who we are and what makes us so special.”
Photo Above: SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson, Geneseo's President Denise A. Battles and leadership members. First row, L to R: Student Association President Corey Wilkinson ’19; Provost Stacey Robertson; Chancellor Kristina Johnson; President Denise Battles; Associate Professor Duane McPherson. Second row: Interim Senior Associate to the President Wendi Kinney; Vice President K. Johnson Bowles; Vice President Meaghan Arena; Chief Diversity Officer robbie routenberg; Associate Professor Amy Sheldon; Vice President Robert Bonfiglio; Chief Communications & Marketing Officer Gail Glover. Third row: Interim Vice President Richard Hurley; Associate Professor James McLean. (SUNY Geneseo/Keith Walters '11)