SUNY ESF Hosts Student Affairs Leaders from Across New York for Systemwide Summer Meeting

06/30/2026

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — June 30, 2026 — The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) welcomed members of the SUNY Council of Senior Student Affairs Officers (CSSAO) for their annual summer meeting June 29.

The gathering brought together senior student affairs leaders from across the State University of New York system to collaborate on key priorities impacting student life, engagement, and success. The meeting provided an opportunity for participants to share best practices, discuss emerging trends in higher education, and strengthen system-wide partnerships.

CSSAO is a system-wide leadership group composed of the chief student affairs officers from SUNY’s state-operated campuses. The council serves as a collaborative body that connects campus leadership with SUNY System Administration, helping to advance student-focused initiatives, share best practices, and address system-wide priorities related to student life and success.

“ESF is honored to host our SUNY colleagues for this important convening of student affairs leadership,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “Opportunities like this allow us to learn from one another and strengthen our shared commitment to supporting student success across the SUNY system.”

“The SUNY Council of Senior Student Affairs Administrators was excited to hold our summer in-person meeting at SUNY ESF on June 29^th,” said SUNY CSSAO President and SUNY Potsdam Dean of Students Eric Duchscherer.  “The campus was ideally located for our meeting, and we were honored to have seen some of the things that make ESF special like the pollinator gardens and the award-winning sustainability program. Dean McNamara was a terrific host along with some of ESF faculty and staff who presented to our group. We had a wonderful visit and a productive meeting on the beautiful ESF campus.”

The agenda included discussions on student wellbeing, inclusive campus environments, and a featured session focused on increasing sustainability within student affairs operations and programming. This session highlighted strategies for embedding sustainability into student engagement efforts, campus events, and divisional practices — an area closely aligned with ESF’s mission and leadership.

Attendees also had the opportunity to engage with campus leadership and explore ESF’s programs and facilities.

CSSAO serves as a key leadership group representing senior student affairs professionals across SUNY’s state-operated campuses, working in partnership with System Administration to advance student-focused initiatives.

About SUNY ESF 

The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.