Area Higher Education Partnerships
Dear Colleagues,
What a milestone year it is for the Mohawk Valley and the region’s higher education institutions. Both Utica University and Mohawk Valley Community College are marking eighty years in 2026, while Herkimer County Community College and SUNY Poly celebrate their sixtieth anniversaries. These impressive milestones speak volumes about the region’s commitment to higher education and, in turn, higher education’s role in building the region.
Our region is home to a remarkably rich and diverse higher education ecosystem, one incorporating not only our colleges and universities but also our government, industry, and community partners. This interconnected partnership is what has driven innovation, economic development, and workforce investment in the region since our founding in 1946, with higher education making an enormous difference in fostering the growth of the communities and businesses of the Mohawk Valley.
Active participation in this cooperative relationship is important for our health and future growth. Over the past two weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting with MVCC President Randy VanWagoner and SUNY Poly President Wole Soboyejo and discussing new ways of working together to move the region forward. I have similarly met with Onondaga Community College President Warren Hilton, and I look forward to sitting down with Herkimer President Terri Grates Day later this month.
Utica University’s partnerships with neighboring community colleges are particularly important. Roughly 65 percent of our transfer students arrive from community colleges. It is in our common interest to find ways of making the experience even easier for students, both for the purpose of transferring between institutions and for creating improved student outcomes together. Through close, intentional collaboration and cooperation, we can improve student success through shared resources, create seamless regional career pathways, align academic offerings with regional workforce needs, and explore the joint development of specialized, industry-relevant curricula.
I am committed to renewing, strengthening, and where appropriate expanding these existing collaborative relationships to ensure they remain relevant, productive, and mutually beneficial. Utica University is a private institution, but one with a very public mission. We are nothing without our surrounding community, and we are fully committed to sustaining these partnerships and supporting our collective efforts. With amazing partners like these, there’s no limit to where the next eighty years can take us.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Nesbitt
President