“CP Steve” takes on larger role

It took a while for Associate Professor of History Stephen Ortiz to settle into his new office in the Nelson A. Rockefeller Building. After working from home the past year, and also having a faculty office in the library tower and a collegiate professor office in College-in-the-Woods (CIW), he wanted his new digs to be a place of order.

Known by students as “CP Steve,” Ortiz clearly understands what it takes to be a collegiate professor at Binghamton University, after having served as one for CIW since 2016. Now, he remains acting in that role until January, but has added a new role as assistant vice provost for academic enrichment and executive director of the Binghamton Scholars Program.

His new position has him overseeing the collegiate professors — including the hiring of two — as well as the First-year Research Immersion (FRI) program, the Office of External Scholarships and Undergraduate Research Center, including the Source Program, and the Scholars program.

Thankfully, he said, the programs have great directors and staffs. “What has made it fairly easy for me is that good people are in place already, and the programs are doing well,” Ortiz said. “What this new position offers, however, is an opportunity to think of these programs in related ways, coordinate overlaps and be a point person and advocate for all of them from admissions all the way to alumni affairs.

“From this position, I can talk about the ways these programs impact recruiting and the trajectory of students once they get to campus,” he added. “They are significant and unique ways that the University markets itself to prospective students; they demonstrate how the University takes great incoming students and gives them the opportunities to do greater things right away, and connects them all the way through their undergraduate careers.”

Ortiz has recently completed interviews to put a full-time collegiate professor in Hinman College following the retirement of Al Vos, and to also fill his open position in CIW. “I’m in the unusual position of hiring the person who will replace me,” he said.

It’s best to take time making the decisions for collegiate professors to ensure a good fit, he said.

“It takes a certain kind of temperament and personality, but there is a baseline that they are people willing to go out of their way to help undergraduate students,” Ortiz added.

A hurdle to finding the right fit, Ortiz said, is that people who make good collegiate professors are often the kind of people seen as really helpful by the University and their school or college. “They take on other assignments and obligations that they don’t want to walk away from. However, many may find themselves at a point in their personal and professional lives where it makes sense, yet it needs to coincide with a window of opportunity for a residential community,” he said. “That’s why the matching of the person with the moment can be a challenge.”

One of the goals Ortiz has set concerning collegiate professors is to rotate them more frequently, with perhaps six- or eight-year periods as a maximum, after an initial three-year term. “I assure some of those who are interested and have a conversation with me about what collegiate professors do, that if they miss a window now, they shouldn’t scratch it off their to-do list — both to benefit students who will have access to different kinds of faculty and different personalities, but also to allow as many interested in this type of work to have access to the positions. Different voices, faces and personalities.”

Ortiz sees his task in supervising collegiate professors as providing a strong pipeline of new candidates and making sure that the current ones understand the need for sunsetting. “It’s something we’ve talked about for a while, but a rotational model is only as good as the pipeline feeding it,” he said. “One benefit of long-standing collegiate professors is that they become symbols of the residential communities for alumni and others, but we hope we will continue to have fresh voices, new personalities and be ready to connect with undergraduates in new ways.”

In terms of the rest of his to-do list, Ortiz said working closely with admissions is important, as is a focus on diversity.

“Admissions challenges are based on the new landscape of testing-optional admissions and regional demographics; those are significant challenges and these programs can help,” he said. “I am also someone who believes very deeply in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and that office and its mandate. I feel it’s important these programs do all they can to have that woven into their fabric.

“I want to bring DEI into the forefront of these programs with how they approach their student populations and the faculty,” he said. ”I know we’re committed and want to make sure that commitment extends even higher. FRI, for example, coordinates with the EOP program. It’s not something I’ve done, but it’s that kind of explicit, deep-rooted commitment to diversity that we are seeking to make all these programs stronger.”

Other challenges Ortiz sees include advocating for external grants and fundraising, to seek additional ways to finance and support the programs.

“That’s why I’m going to the foundation and alumni, to have our alumni who may or may not have participated in these programs see how much they impact students and the University’s reputation — to see their appeal and that many are virtually unique.”

Looking five years down the road, Ortiz hopes for continued growth in all of the programs so more undergraduates have research experiences in their first years and so the Undergraduate Research Center can help leverage even more opportunities for continuing students.

“The more we can do, the more we can attract students and advance them into successful professional and graduate careers,” he said.

“Also, to have these programs as well known around the University as they are known in admissions and by first-year students is a goal. Because they are not under the purview of any college, there isn’t necessarily as strong a recognition of the ways they feed and foster undergraduates within those colleges,” he added. “To have faculty more aware of what these programs do, how they can contribute and what the opportunities they offer means to Binghamton’s students is a start. Now, as a point person to advocate, I can deliver a stronger message to the University community.”

Ortiz has also been tasked to look at the Scholars Program with fresh eyes. “Nothing is broken, but every so often, new personnel and fresh eyes assessing how things are done now can be good,” he said. “In the next five years we will do a self-assessment, conduct an external review and respond accordingly.

“Finally, another five-year goal will be to see data that says our efforts to increase diversity has been successful, measurable and visible,” he said.