Farmingdale State College

A Letter from President Nader

This is not the letter I had intended to include in this issue of FSCNow.

Shortly before this edition was scheduled for release, the COVID-19 public health emergency struck. Farmingdale State College was one of the very first public colleges in New York to be directly affected by the crisis. We had considered not issuing this third edition of the magazine as the College’s students, staff and faculty reeled and worked tirelessly to adapt to the new educational environment caused by the crisis. At nearly the same time, we lost two highly respected members of our campus community, although neither passing was related to the coronavirus.

Upon further reflection, we found many silver linings in these dark clouds, and decided that this may well be the perfect time to read, reflect and, yes, even celebrate the many remarkable ways our College has confronted the coronavirus challenge while helping many others during these difficult days.

As always, you will find many heartening and enjoyable stories about FSC graduates and faculty as well as our student spotlights. Stories like these have already made FSCNow an awarding winning publication.

However, in this special edition, you will also read about the many remarkable ways in which the FSC community stepped forward to help at a time of crisis. In the pages that follow, you will learn about campus efforts to provide personal protective equipment to frontline health care workers as well as the inspiring work of Farmingdale students and faculty who placed themselves at risk to deliver medical care to others. Many of these heroic people contracted COVID-19 as a result of their work. Thankfully, all have recovered. You will also read about our outreach to other SUNY campuses and distressed communities to assist them as they cope with the impact of the virus.

More than ever, I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and well. I recognize the profound disruption and worry that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing in our daily lives.

More than ever, I am proud to share with you the 2020 edition of FSCNow.