We are writing to express our deep concern with regard to SUNY Fredonia’s current administration and the future of the college. We have had held these concerns for quite some time now.

On Nov. 4, 2024, we sent a letter to the College Council expressing our concerns. Only one council member responded to our letter, and that person agreed to meet with us on Nov. 13, 2024.

We shared our information at this meeting, but nothing came of it. At the College Council meeting on Dec, 18, 2024, our letter was mentioned by President Kolison. He stated that Dan didn’t have all the details of what was going on at the college. College Council President Frank Pagano asked Dr. Kolison if he had met with Dan regarding this letter. The president said no, but that he would do that soon. He has yet to reach out, four months later.

Some of these same concerns were highlighted in JoAnn Niebel’s letter to the OBSERVER (“Excuses Add to Campus Complacency”) from around April 14, 2024. Niebel was a SUNY Fredonia graduate, adjunct faculty member, and a 26-year member of the College Council.

Drastic changes have been made in various departments across campus without faculty input or completely ignoring faculty input.

These changes were implemented far too quickly, and resulted in issues that indicated the complete absence of short or long term planning. The administration has claimed that these moves are strategic and cost saving measures, but in reality, they are not.

The numbers that have been publicized to the campus and community regarding enrollment are questionable, and the amount of the deficit has been reported to be amounts ranging from $4.1 million to $17 million, which makes it difficult to believe exactly what the true deficit might be. In SUNY comprehensive colleges across the state, compared to the same point in time one year ago, applications and deposits are up among all but two campuses, of which Fredonia is one. There is a definite lack of leadership, honesty, transparency, and civility coming from the SUNY Fredonia administrators.

We are concerned not only about the college, but also about the possible effects on our community. We live here, and we intend to live here for some time. But if the college is severely cut or closed, there will be a devastating effect on the surrounding area, as it is the largest employer in Chautauqua County.

According to the website, SUNY Fredonia employs over 900 people. That is 900 families who depend on the college for their livelihood, not to mention the local business owners who benefit from the college being here. It is questionable if this administration ever thinks about the well being of the people that work at the college, live in our community, or attend SUNY Fredonia as students. Should the deficit continue to spiral out of control, all of these people will be deeply affected.

Honest and capable leadership needs to happen now, before it is too late.

Daniel Ihasz is Professor Emeritus at SUNY Fredonia and Helen Ihasz is retired from Westfield Academy and Central School and an Adjunct at SUNY Fredonia.