College Initiatives and Related Links
President's 2009 Faculty/Staff Convocation Speech
Rochester Business Journal Profiles John Halstead
Matrix: An Integrated Approach to Planning and Accountability
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Office of the President
John R. Halstead
Resume
- Educational Background
- Employment History
- Early Career Experiences
- Community Service
- Association Leadership and Affiliations
- Family
- Personal Interests
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
| Post-Doctoral | Harvard University, 1990. Institute for Educational Management |
| Ph.D. | The Ohio State University, 1980. Major: Student Personnel Administration |
| M.A. | Michigan State University, 1972. Major: Student Personnel Administration |
| B.A. | Colgate University, 1970. Major: Sociology |
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
President, The College at Brockport, State University of New York.
As the current President of State University of New York College at Brockport, I serve as the chief executive officer of a vibrant comprehensive public university that is firmly committed to a dual mission of liberal arts and professional education, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, the superb quality of its faculty and students, and has the success of students as its highest priority. I have formed a cohesive, goal-oriented vision for our Cabinet including the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Administration and Finance, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, Vice President for Advancement/ President of the Brockport Foundation, Executive Assistant to the President and Assistant to the President. The College at Brockport is known for its highly effective strategic planning and transparent budget processes, five “super committees,” commitment to shared governance, and its long-standing leadership position among SUNY institutions in the area of international education and Study Abroad programs, partnering with some of the world’s most distinguished institutions from England’s Oxford and Cambridge to Australia’s Sandstone Universities and China’s Shandong University.
Founded in 1835, Brockport consists of a beautiful 464-acre main campus that serves the unique needs of the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York and beyond. We also proudly serve downtown Rochester through our MetroCenter, featuring collaborative academic programs with other Rochester colleges and the Rochester Educational Opportunity Center. A diverse student population of nearly 7,000 undergraduate and 1,880 graduate students is enrolled in more than 40 undergraduate degree programs and 27 graduate programs placing the College among the top echelon of SUNY’s comprehensive colleges. With an all-funds budget of $115 million and a workforce comprised of 1,300 employees, Brockport is a major employer in suburban Rochester and the institution with the highest number of alumni employed in the Greater Rochester area—almost 30,000. Of its nearly 260 full-time tenure or tenure-track faculty, 87 have received the prestigious Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Faculty Service, or Scholarship and Creative Activity complemented by numerous other faculty and staff whom have received additional Chancellor’s Awards for Professional Service and Librarianship. Twenty-seven faculty members have been awarded the title Distinguished Professor, Distinguished Teaching Professor or Distinguished Service Professor, and six librarians have received Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Professional Service or Librarianship in keeping with our three-fold mission.
As President, I am an enthusiastic spokesperson and work closely with our College Council, our Foundation and Alumni Board to broaden both private and public support. We are currently in the process of publicly launching the College’s first-ever comprehensive campaign to maintain and accelerate this high level of academic excellence.
The College at Brockport is one of 64 institutions that comprise the State University of New York—the nation’s largest system of comprehensive colleges and universities. (June 2005 - present)
President, Mansfield University.
For seven years, I served as the President of Mansfield University, a unique, highly personalized comprehensive public university that is proud of its student-centered mission, the superb quality of teaching, and its primary focus on learning. Overseeing a Cabinet including the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, Associate Provost, Assistant Provost, Vice President for Finance and Administration, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Vice President for Advancement/ Executive Director of the Mansfield University Foundation, this executive group worked collaboratively with all members of the University community to initiate a dynamic strategic plan. The University also instituted a performance plan with measurable outcomes aligned with the goals of the Board of Governors. Early on, I advocated for the development of an integrated marketing plan to complement a very successful enrollment management plan resulting in seven straight years of enrollment growth and record increases in minority enrollment. Working in the spirit of shared governance with the University Senate and faculty leadership, I also implemented a new General Education Program to renew the curriculum. Mansfield took pride in initiating an engaged student learning forum and a comprehensive assessment program to measure learning outcomes and student satisfaction. Town meetings and strategic planning were hallmarks of my administration.
Founded in 1857, Mansfield University is a residential campus that serves the unique needs of the Twin Tiers region. A diverse student population of over 3,500 students enrolled in over 75 degree programs, both undergraduate and graduate. The workforce entailed 450, including 200 faculty and 250 staff. Mansfield’s $50 million budget was guided by a University-wide budget plan. As President, I also worked closely with the Trustees, Foundation and Alumni Boards to broaden external support and federal funding. We implemented a campus master plan transforming the entire campus and entailing the renovation of academic and student life facilities totaling over $80 million. I assumed leadership for launching the institution’s first-ever comprehensive campaign following a successful “silent phase” and culminating in the institution’s sesquicentennial celebration.
Mansfield University is one of the fourteen institutions that comprise the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Within the State System, I served as elected Chair (2003-2005) of the Commission of Presidents and Commission for Universities, on the Chancellor’s Council of Presidents, and on the SyTEC Board as well as the Presidents’ representative on the Planning Commission, advocating for quality public education at an affordable cost and focusing on student success, learning, diversity, collaboration, economic development, and accountability. (July 1998 - August 2005)
Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Maine.
As the chief student affairs officer at the University of Maine System's flagship, land-grant university, I served as a member of the President's Cabinet and Executive Council. The Division of Student Affairs encompassed the following units: Center for Students and Community Life/Dean of Students; Multicultural Student Affairs; Non-Traditional/Commuter Students; Judicial Affairs; Volunteer Programs; Greek Life; Student Employment; Memorial Union/Bookstore; Maine Bound/Outdoor Education; Career Center; Student Orientation and Activities; Counseling Center; Health Services; Public Safety; Residential Life; Dining and Conference Services.
During this decade, I also was privileged to teach graduate seminars in higher education and serve on graduate committees in the College of Education. I mentored a number of students who have gone on to successful careers in higher education—the highest testimony to a university professor.
I was responsible for the overall administrative and conceptual leadership of 300 total staff, for a budget of $30 million, and for out-of-class educational opportunities supporting five academic colleges serving 12,000 students. The University of Maine, part of a seven-campus system of public higher education in the state of Maine, is the flagship, land-grant, research institution. (August 1987 - June 1998)
I was responsible for the overall administrative and conceptual leadership of 300 total staff, for a budget of $30 million, and for out-of-class educational opportunities supporting five academic colleges serving 12,000 students. The University of Maine, part of a seven-campus system of public higher education in the state of Maine, is the flagship, land-grant, research institution. (August 1987 - June 1998)
Vice President for Student Life, Gonzaga University.
As the chief policy-maker for the 40-person Division of Student Life, I was responsible for providing leadership for: Division I Athletics, Recreation, and Intramurals; Campus Ministry; Counseling Center; Dean of Students Office; Health Services; Residential Life; Orientation; Leadership Development; Placement and Career Services Center; Student Conduct; and Student Government and Activities. I was the primary advocate for student life at this Jesuit university.
Reporting to the President, I assumed additional responsibilities in the areas of: University-wide resource and budget management; public relations and development; liaison with Trustees, Regents, and public officials; student retention; policy development; accreditation; strategic planning; professional development and inservice training. My Cabinet-level experiences at this Jesuit university composed of 4,000 students and 200 faculty in seven schools and colleges, including a School of Law, enabled further insights into the governance of independent higher education. (August 1980 - July 1987)
Assistant to the Vice President for Student Services, The Ohio State University.
Within the central office of Student Services during the pursuit of my Ph.D., I supported the Vice President in the direction of ten departments, 160 professionals, 1,000 staff members, and a $35 million budget. As the Vice President’s “chief deputy”, I functioned as primary liaison to academic units and student affairs agencies, served on a number of task forces and university-wide committees on behalf of the VP, and assumed responsibilities such as consulting, proposal writing, staff training and development, and decision-making regarding division-wide concerns.
I also coordinated the judicial system for the central campus and four regional campuses encompassing 58,000 students, twenty-four judicial bodies, and 200 advisors, staff members, and justices. Under my purview, the Judicial Programs office handled 800 cases per year, published the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, advised students and faculty regarding grievances, compiled statistical data, advised the Council on Student Affairs, trained faculty-student judiciaries, advised faculty on matters of academic integrity, and redesigned the policies and organizational structure governing student behavior. (July 1977 - July 1980)
EARLY CAREER EXPERIENCES
Assistant Dean of Students, College of the Holy Cross.
The assistant deanship included complete direction of the Resident Assistant Program (selection, training, and evaluation of ninety staff members), supervision of five residence halls, house councils, student discipline, and publications, and other administrative and advisory assignments within student affairs at this first-rate Jesuit, liberal arts college of 2,500 full-time students. (August 1974 - June 1977)
Director of West Campus, Boston University.
As Director of the largest residential complex (1,650 students, three 13-story high rise halls, and ancillary facilities), my responsibilities ranged from adjudicating and counseling major developmental problems to encouraging positive environmental and attitudinal changes. In addition to supervising five full-time directors, thirty-five graduate and undergraduate advisors, and six faculty associates, I assumed active roles teaching a counseling course, recruiting and selecting staff, initiating environmental and organizational improvements, implementing living-learning modules, and improving the quality of undergraduate student life. In short, I functioned as a complex coordinator and primary liaison with all academic and nonacademic departments at this urban university. (July 1973 - July 1974)
Director of Student Activities/Assistant Director of Residential Life, Albion College.
My position at this liberal arts college of 1,700 students required simultaneous responsibilities in the areas of programming and residence life. First, I served as Director of Student Activities, advisor to the Union Board, Director of the Student Union building, and coordinator of the College calendar. Secondly, I served as Director of Twin Towers coeducational residence halls and staff training and development for the Department of Residential Life. (July 1972 - June 1973)
Graduate Resident Advisor, Michigan State University.
During the time that I pursued my M.A. degree, I assumed primary responsibility for the selection, training, and evaluation of the residence hall staffs in two residence halls. I was involved in academic advising and personal counseling and gave direction to educational programs, student government, summer programs, international student orientation, and helping skills workshops. Internships extended to the dean’s office, counseling, admissions, and student activities. (August 1970 - June 1972)
Pre-Professional Summer Employment Program, IBM Corporation.
During two successive summers, I was employed by IBM Corporation where I was trained in Lexington, Kentucky and Dallas, Texas as one of 50 college students nationally in their Pre-Professional Summer Employment Program. In addition, I worked as a paid intern out of the Syracuse, NY office and gained valuable corporate-relations and sales experience while still a student at Colgate University. (Summers, 1969 - 1970)
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Accreditation
Service on Visitation Teams for both the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.
Teaching
Cooperating Associate Professor, College of Education and the Graduate School, University of Maine, serving on graduate committees and teaching seminars each year on “Current Issues in Higher Education”; Lecturer, University Survey Course; Lecturer, “Legal Issues in Higher Education”; Instructor, Counseling and Human Relations Course; Facilitator, Seminar for Doctoral Students; Teaching Assistant, Graduate Course in Counseling. Frequent guest lecturer at Mansfield University.
Research
Dissertation research focused on the time allocations of, and organizational implications for, deans and vice presidents at Big Ten institutions; field research utilized moral, intellectual, and student development instrumentation; consulting research at Kenyon College and Denison University; served on the editorial board of the 50th anniversary issue of The Journal of Higher Education and the NASPA Journal; interests in leadership theory, workforce development, legal issues in higher education, ethics, marketing, organizational theory, and governance.
Service Current and Past
Board of Directors, College Center of the Finger Lakes; Board of Trustees, Guthrie Healthcare System; Workforce and Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania Policy Board; Board of Directors, Tioga County Development Corporation; Board of Directors, The Betterment Organization of Mansfield; Board Member, Center for Rural Pennsylvania; Team Pennsylvania Ambassador; Coordinator, State-wide SECA Campaign for the PA State System of Higher Education; Board Member and Marketing Chair, YMCA; Board Member and Program Chair, American Heart Association; Board Member, Maine Christian Association; Rotary Club; Big Brothers Program; outreach counselor, volunteer, and Board Member of the Neighborhood Improvement Corp.; trained crisis intervention center personnel in alcohol and substance abuse and suicide prevention; active leader in professional associations in higher education.
Conference Presentations
Writing for professional and scholarly journals; time management; paralegal services and student rights; moral development theory; learning in the academy; downsizing in higher education; career opportunities in higher education; student-centered institutions; and leadership development.
Institutes
Participated in a variety of post-doctoral management institutes including the Harvard Institute for Educational Management, the first Stanford University Colloquium, the ACE-NASPA Summer Institute, and the AASCU Presidents’ Academy. Designed, directed, facilitated and consulted for workshops ranging from academic advising and alcohol education to national conferences. Served as the first President-in-Residence for the NASPA-Stevens national institute.
Committees Current and Past
Past Chair, Commission of Presidents and Commission for Universities of the PA State System of Higher Education; Council of Presidents; Chancellor’s Leadership Team; Advancement, Academic and Student Affairs Committees on Systemic Change; Chair, Professional Development Committee of the Commission for the Universities; Planning Commission, State System of Higher Education; President’s Task Force on the Status of Women; Council on Women; University of Maine System’s Task Force on Educational Costs; Trustees’ Student Life; President’s Task Force on Downsizing and Reallocation; Academic Programs and Budget Review; Council of Colleges; Academic Deans; Career Development; Academic Integrity; Mental Health; Student Union; Planning and Priorities; Athletic Council; Chair, NCAA Certification Steering Committee; Residency Appeals Board; Judicial; Student Organizations and Community Life; Residence Life Advisory; Orientation Task Force; Chair, Task Force for the Portland Center; Chaired $5 million capital project for a multi-purpose recreation center completed in 1986; $6 million residential life and conference complex completed in 1991; committee to develop a strategic plan for a $10 million student center in 1996-97.
Honors
The Ohio State University’s Outstanding Alumnus Award for the College Student Personnel Program (2001); Selected by the Associated Students for the “Faculty Appreciation Award” my first year at Gonzaga University; among three national finalists for NASPA’s national “Dissertation of the Year Award”; Colgate’s Senior Honorary Society; New York State Regents’ Scholarship Recipient.
ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP AND AFFILIATIONS
I serve or have served as an active member of the following professional organizations: American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU); Chair, AASCU Policies and Purposes Committee; Chair, AASCU New Presidents’ Academy Advisory Team; AASCU Professional Development and Nominating Committees. American Council on Education’s (ACE) Commission on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness; National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC); NASULGC Task Force on the Future of College Health Services; NASULGC Executive Committee, Council on Student Affairs; Chair, of NASULGC Kellogg Commission Task Force of the Council on Student Affairs; Northwest College Personnel Association; Boston Association of Housing Administrators; President, Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators (1986-1987); IUC Consortium of Deans and Vice Presidents; and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Board of Directors and Vice President (1985-1987), Chair, National Conference Program (1985), Director, National Institute (1995), and Journal Editorial Board. I am also a current member of the American Council on Education (ACE), the American Association of Higher Education (AAHE), and the Association of Governing Boards (AGB).
FAMILY
I grew up in Cortland, New York, where my father, William E. Halstead, was instrumental in founding the SUNY Cortland College Foundation and was honored by former SUNY Chancellor Clifton R. Wharton, Jr. While at Mansfield University, my wife and I were frequent visitors to the Rochester region, recruiting students, fundraising, and attending alumni and musical events.
My wife, Kathy, daughter, Christine, and I have a summer cottage in the Finger Lakes. Kathy was active in the Mansfield community, where she served as school board chair, member of the Board of Directors of the Betterment Organization of Mansfield, on several planning initiatives, and on Mansfield's Student Learning Forum and American Democracy Project.
PERSONAL INTERESTS
Community service: reading; higher education literature; skiing; biking; travel; outdoor activities; boating and kayaking in the Finger Lakes; the historic Erie Canal; parenting; and golden retrievers.
