CONOR SHEA
Executive Editor
The Chronicle: How have you been liking Saint Rose so far?
President Stefanco: I’m loving it. It’s been a whirlwind, and every day is different. I’m met so many people; students, staff faculty, alumni, and members of the community… it’s been really wonderful.
The Chronicle: In terms of the work you’re doing how are you managing the stress and challenges of it all?
PS: I wouldn’t say it’s been stressful. I mean every job has its problems. I thought that our number one task would be making sure we marshal our resources to be able to make advances in assessments. Since I’ve arrived other responsibilities have risen to the top. I think it’s largely become about the challenges of higher education as a whole.
The Chronicle: You had previously said that you wanted to expand the recruiting of international students, is this still a priority?
PS: Definitely. The wondrous part of being a president is that you work with people to set priorities that are true to the mission of the institution, with a few exceptions, there are a number of tasks where there isn’t specific work that I need to take on. There are so many other people at this intuition that are working on that, so my job is to really have clarity about what we’re trying to accomplish.
The Chronicle: Can you give the “elevator pitch” of your responsibilities?
PS: The president is the chief executive officer of the institution, and I report to the board of trustees, and that’s probably all I could say by the time we get to the third floor of the building… beyond that, I’m charged with following the bylaws of this institution and making sure that the institution is being true to its mission and reaching its objectives. That includes having a balanced budget, and being proactive in terms of coming up with plans to anticipate shifts in higher education.
The Chronicle: Was the distance between your previous home and Albany a large factor in the decision to take this position?
PS: It was a very strong factor. I’ve really had an amazing opportunity to live in many different parts of the country. The fact that I went to college in Colorado, and spent a good part of my career in California, and I’ve gotten to live ion two other countries; it’s just been amazing. But I’m from this part of the country, and as I approach the last 10 to 15 years of my career, I really wanted to come back here.
The Chronicle: Have you seen the “Advice for President Stefanco” board in the Neil Hellman Library?
PS: I have, I saw it a couple of weeks ago when I was over there to meet with the library staff and administrators, and I haven’t seen it since. They said they were going to take photos of it and send it to me. There we’re just a few things when I saw it… like “talk to Father Chris,” and I’ve been able to talk with him quite a bit.
The Chronicle: What would you consider your greatest strength, and how do you intend to use that for the benefit of Saint Rose?
PS: I would probably have different answers at different times of my career, and my life. At the moment I think I would say trying to be a good communicator, and a good listener, and those are both part of the same skillset. I’m trying to solve that, and figure out different ways people, and divisions, and units, can cross lines and share information that needs to be shared.
The Chronicle: What is the biggest challenge Saint Rose faces going forward?
PS: I think the greatest challenge is to be true to who we are, and at the same time figure out how we can become more distinctive. When people hear only the latter part, I think they get nervous about if we’re going to change too much, or change in a way that doesn’t seem like The College of Saint Rose- but that’s not at all my intention.
