Chief Marketing Officer Doug Gruse Talks Creativity Culture

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This excerpt is taken from “A Deep Dive With Doug Gruse.” Read the full story.

Doug Gruse spends his days overseeing marketing strategy for Empire State University. As chief marketing officer, he works with his team of 17 to create meaningful campaigns that resonate with potential students.

But for Gruse, the job goes beyond enrollment numbers. At the core of his passion for marketing is the desire to make the field a more honest and creative one—a philosophy that guides each decision the team makes. For the last three years, he has worked to make the university’s image embody its mission, centering the authenticity and uniqueness that characterize SUNY Empire learners.

In Saratoga Springs, Gruse sits at his office desk, almost in line with the far corner of the room. He sports square-shaped tortoiseshell glasses, a plaid stone-gray suit jacket over a charcoal-colored shirt, and a two-tone grey bowtie.

What was your upbringing like?

Gruse: When I really think about the heart of my family, my mom was from Northern Michigan—a little resort town—and her family had a restaurant there. In my childhood, we would go every summer and spend most of it with my grandparents. A lot of that centered on the restaurant.

I was in the kitchen helping my grandfather—it was probably more annoying than helpful, but it was exciting for me. My grandmother was a nurse. She would go to work all day, and then come back and still do work at the restaurant. We’d have our family meals there. It was such a big part of our identity that it’s what I think about when it comes to family.

When I was in kindergarten, my dad was a news reporter. There was a local zoo that he had featured in some stories, and a tiger at the zoo had a litter of cubs that she had rejected. The zoo director took one of the cubs in, somebody else took in another, and my family fostered the third one for six months. I named her Ginger, which was my favorite character on Gilligan’s Island, because in my head there was a point where she wore a tiger-striped dress. Somehow, in kindergarten it just made sense. I had the best show-and-tell experience of any kid.

Ginger grew fast. She was big by the time we had to give her up. It was really sad. After the foster period, my mom was contemplating keeping her, maybe building a large enclosure, but my dad said no.

Let’s fast forward to college. If I’m not mistaken, I think you went to school for journalism.

Gruse: I did. I was in the journalism school at Louisiana State University, and my focus was in advertising.

Did you work as a journalist at some point?

Gruse: Yes. It’s funny. My dad was a newspaper editor, and I spent a lot of time with him in his office. I swore I would never work for a newspaper. Then when I moved to Philadelphia, a job opened up at a newspaper and I thought, OK, I guess I’ll do that for a while. I ended up working in newspapers for 16 years and in fact moved up here following a job in journalism.

What was your beat?

Gruse: I covered arts and entertainment and features, and then ultimately became the online editor because I saw technology was changing. Throughout my career, I call myself a slasher—not in the sense of Freddy Krueger, but I’ve had a lot of different jobs. I’ve found that I’m a writer slash editor, slash designer, slash marketer. The industry has changed so much, and I’ve jumped around.There’s so many different things that I’ve had to be, and I like that. I think that actually fits my personality really well. I get bored.

How do you think your journalism background informs your work as a marketer?
Gruse: Everything for me really is storytelling. Whether it’s doing visual art or working as a writer, I’ve always liked telling other people’s stories. And I think good marketing today focuses on that. It’s what our campaigns here at the university focus on. We’re telling our students’ stories and why we make sense for our students and letting them drive that narrative authentically. It’s so moving. It’s exciting. It never gets boring. I love talking to our students. I love hearing how we’ve changed their lives in ways that they never thought would be possible. That’s the great thing. I’ve always believed in higher ed. Knowing that higher education can be accessible to everyone at SUNY Empire and seeing that every day is very meaningful to me.

How do you define marketing and how is it an effective tool for the university?

Gruse: When I was in college, marketing was thought of as selling. It had this very manipulative, corporate feel. That was one thing I never loved about it. I always wanted something that was honest, and I think it’s evolved a lot because consumers are savvier. Marketers have had to realize they need to be authentic to optimize their messaging.

For me, marketing today is communication and matching people to the products and services that they would value. That’s the great thing about my job here—I feel good about the product that we’re marketing. It’s something I really believe in. We’re very honest in our messaging. We help the people who need us the most make a decision to get where they need to go for that next step in their lives.

What have previous experiences taught you about what makes a good team?

Gruse: When I think about what I value in a team, it’s seeing everyone’s perspective and bringing it all together. I’ve tried to build a team that’s diverse. I want them to really understand our students, which are themselves very diverse and eclectic. I want each of them to have an authentic voice.

We have a brand, and we have to adhere to brand standards, certainly, but I want to know how everyone on the team fits within that brand. I want us to always try to push boundaries a bit, and sometimes you have to rein it in. However, for creatives, it’s important that work doesn’t become routine and that they feel like there’s an opportunity to grow. I always try to encourage that.

We have one last question for you, and it’s kind of a silly one. We’ve noticed that you’re always wearing a bow tie. Why?

Gruse: One of my bosses had a policy that proper men wore ties to work if they wanted to be respected. I thought it was ridiculous. I went and bought ties, and they drove me crazy because they’re long. I’d catch them in the car door or my desk drawer. I thought, why do I have this weird fabric just hanging here from my neck? It seemed so weird, especially for work. So I thought, I’m going to wear that tie that you’re demanding, but I’m going to wear a bow tie. Having come from the South, bow ties are sort of proper culture. So it was a little bit of sticking it to the man to wear one. And there’s a little bit of irony to it.

What do you look for in a bow tie?

Gruse: So, it has to be one that I can tie myself; pretied bow ties are a no. So that would be the first thing. And second, I like patterns. That’s important to me, and I want them to be playful in some way, ideally. And I really like to mix and match patterns in general. So, like a plaid jacket, a funky bow tie, a striped shirt.  I think it’s funny. You’ve got to have a quirk, right?

Vjosa Musliu ’08: Growing Up in War

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When Vjosa Musliu ’08 first started writing a book about her childhood experiences during the Kosovo War, she wanted to preserve her memories. 

“I started writing it in 2012 first as a move against forgetting, then as a way of making sense of what I could not make sense of as a child,” says Musliu, an Albanian. “After a while it became a cause for intellectual disobedience.”

The result of her efforts is “Girlhood at War: Interpreting War and Liberation in Kosovo” (Bloomsbury Publishing), a collection of short stories about Musliu’s experiences as an Albanian living under Serbian rule during the late 1990s and the eventual liberation by NATO forces. 

The book is both a collection of personal essays and an academic analysis of the war and the ensuing liberation, told from the rare perspective of a young child who is today, an associate professor of international relations at the Free University of Belgium (VUB). 

 “The overwhelming majority of academic productions about war and peace-making has been written by scholars who have not experienced either,” she says. 

Musliu experienced both.  

Second Class Citizens

Musliu grew up in Gjilan, Kosovo. Although her childhood was filled with love and warmth, it was also dominated by Serbia’s oppressive rule over Kosovo Albanians, which relied on repressive measures of control. 

“By the time I was old enough to play in the street, the government in Belgrade (capital city of Serbia) had installed an apartheid-like system in Kosovo whereby ethnic Albanians were massively laid off from public jobs, schools (teaching) in Albanian were closed, (and) the public space became a homogenous Serbian space,” Musliu says. “Growing up in a setup like that whereby you are rendered as second class citizen in your own space, grows you up overnight.”

The first signs of conflict were subtle, she says. She remembers being required to whisper whenever she spoke Albanian in a public space and to avoid certain streets and neighborhoods where Albanians were the target of police intimidation. “Wars do not start like the Olympics,” Musliu says. “Nobody cuts off the ribbon first to then shell civilians or launch an attack over a hospital.”

Long simmering tensions erupted when war broke out in March 1998. Serbian troops began to attack the civilian population and the loosely formed Albanian guerilla movement known as the Kosovo Liberation Army. Reports of mass killings by the Serbs triggered an international outcry.  The fighting finally ended in June 1999, with the arrival of NATO peacekeeping troops. 

That year, Musliu celebrated her 14th birthday dressed in a U.S. military uniform and holding an unloaded gun. She became an informal translator for U.S. troops stationed in her city, often translating between angry Albanians who sought revenge against the Serbs and NATO troops who insisted on not picking sides. 

“Working as a translator as a 14-year-old was in a way my very embodied entrance into the field of peace and conflict studies,” Musliu says. “I was seeing hands-on how these mechanisms work. I would later sit in auditoriums and listen to senior scholars as they theorized about those same events.”  

A Global Perspective

In 2004, Musliu moved to Albania to attend the University of New York Tirana, Empire State University’s international partner in that country. Growing up among U.S. marines and NATO soldiers, Musliu was thrilled to get a degree from an American institution. 

“I grew up with the utmost adoration for the U.S. NATO troops,” she says. “They were the ones who saved our lives back in 1999 and put an end to Serbia’s ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.”

Ironically, it was through her courses at SUNY Empire that Musliu was exposed to literature critical of U.S. global interventionism. “The four years became formative not only in my intellectual upbringing, but also in terms of personal development,” she says.  

After getting a degree in international relations from SUNY Empire in 2008 — the same year Kosovo declared independence — Musliu returned briefly to Kosovo to work as a journalist. In 2009, she moved to Belgium. She finished her master’s degree at Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium and went on to get a Ph.D. at Ghent University. After doing two consecutive postdocs at the VUB, she became a tenured professor there. 

Today, Musliu, her husband and their eight-year-old daughter are permanent residents of  Belgium, Kosovo, and Turkey. Because her extended family still lives in Kosovo, she travels there frequently, both for work and to enjoy skiing and spring retreats in the Kosovo mountains. 

In celebration of International Women’s Education Day, Musliu will discuss her book with the SUNY Empire community at noon on Monday, March 9. Visit sunyempire.edu/alumni for more information coming soon. 

Five-Minute Feature: Katie Meyers, Office Assistant for Accounting Services

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Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now!

What led you to your career path?

I started my college journey in nursing, but balancing full time work and single motherhood at that time, the course load became too demanding, and I stepped away for a bit. When I returned, I knew I wanted to move into a professional office role, so I enrolled in the Business Administration A.A.S. program.

Two required accounting courses completely changed my direction. I realized how much I enjoyed working with numbers, solving discrepancies, and making everything balance. That experience led me to pursue my B.S. in Accounting at SUNY Empire.

During my final year, I worked as a student assistant in the Accounting Services department, and shortly after graduating, I was offered a full time role in the same office. I’m still early in my career, but I’ve found a place where I feel supported, challenged, and excited to grow for years to come.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire?

How accessible it is to so many people. The university’s ability to support students and help them achieve their goals through an online learning platform is truly a gift for those with busy lives, unique circumstances, or non-traditional schedules. I feel honored to be part of an institution that is committed to making education attainable for everyone—no matter where they live, how old they are, or what stage of life they’re in.

What’s one moment in your career that you’re especially proud of?

We’ve been working on improving the travel pre-approval process to make it more user-friendly. As part of that project, I was asked to develop a way to automatically send travel vouchers directly to travelers’ email accounts. I was proud to find a solution using Microsoft Excel that now allows us to send vouchers automatically. It was exciting to contribute to a smoother, more efficient experience for our travelers.

What fictional character resonates with you the most?

Wonder Woman resonates with me because she is a strong woman who knows she can take on anything, yet she still leads with compassion. I became strong because, at one point in my life, strength was the only option I had—and over time, it became part of who I am. Like her, I believe I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. At the same time, I have a big heart that helps me see things from other people’s perspectives, and that balance of strength and empathy is something I really connect with.

What’s something that always makes you feel grounded?

My family. I am a mother to a total of six children (four biological and two bonus) and a wife. Whenever I need a moment to remember what my life is truly about, I turn to them. Sometimes it’s a bear hug from my husband or cuddles from my boys, and other times it’s simply standing back and watching them play. I love my family—they definitely keep me on my toes, but they are also my whole world.

Behind the Scenes with the Center for International Education

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The Center for International Education at Empire State University unites learners and educators across the globe. From decades-long partnerships with universities outside the U.S., to new, exciting study abroad opportunities, the office acts as a bridge for global learning exchanges.

Representing the office is Francesca Cichello, senior executive director of the Center for International Education, Kimberly Marsella, associate director of international education, and Lori McCaffrey, international education liaison. Cichello has been with the university since 2006, Marsella joined three years ago, and McCaffrey was hired in 2007. The Center for International Education also includes Assessment Specialist Lori Stanley, and Administrative Assistant Rebecca Rumpf.

What are your responsibilities in the Center for International Education?

Cichello: One of the larger pieces of my role is partner development and partner maintenance. We’re very lucky to have some long-standing partnerships that are over 30 years old. The stewardship of new kinds of partnerships and bringing us into a new era is also my responsibility. Expanding our footprint around the world is really important to me.

Marsella: My responsibility is to support Francesca and the efforts she mentioned. I also oversee our admissions process and have revamped our online applications. A lot of the work involves our faculty overseas, and I work with coordinators who are all based on-site at our programs to plan and prepare for the academic terms. I provide support for our graduations abroad and virtual exchange.

McCaffrey: I’m in charge of the new study abroad program that we just unveiled in Prague. We’re exploring some other short-term study abroad options. I’m also responsible for the letters that we write for students when they’re seeking documentation and authentication of their time with us here. That is called the apostille process.

What do you find most rewarding about working in international education?

Cichello: We’re working with hundreds of students at a time and making it possible for them to earn an Empire State University degree. That is incredibly meaningful to me—to know that what we do as a university within the SUNY system is completely unique. Making this commitment to serving international students a reality is something I really value, and it requires so many different people and so many different perspectives. I find it so gratifying to work with the team here in the U.S., but also all our colleagues abroad. It brings so much experience and cultural know-how to the table that makes this work very rich.

Marsella: I love working with students, and I’m incredibly moved by our students’ stories. It’s interesting to see some of the challenges that our students face and how they overcome them, how they persevere. I think of our Lebanese students working through economic crises and war.

As someone who loves to travel internationally and enjoy other cultures, I love working with the team here, but I didn’t know how much I would fall in love with our colleagues abroad, how amazing they are, and how wonderful it is to work together.

McCaffrey: I don’t have the same depth of experience yet, but I’m already seeing—just in the short time that we’ve been doing study abroad—how excited students are with the idea that they can go abroad because they didn’t think that was an option for them.

Introducing them to that concept has been very fulfilling. I studied abroad in my undergrad years and worked in the international education office at SUNY Plattsburgh. It feels like a coming-home moment that I ended up back in international education.

What are you most proud of accomplishing?

Marsella: We’ve reintroduced residencies and have successfully run five residencies since I started. It’s been exciting to send our faculty to the sites to directly work with our international students. We’ve had residencies in the Dominican Republic, Turkey, and Prague.

McCaffrey: I’m proud that we were able to roll out study abroad as quickly as we did. We had a tight timeline to get things going. I was able to hit the ground running and pull in the resources we needed from different offices to make it happen.

Cichello: I’m proud of the fact that we are such an incredible group and a functional team. If we have disagreements, it’s always in service to students and making the programs better. I’m very proud of this team, having worked with many others over the years.

What does a workday typically look like for you?

Marsella: Because most of our programs are hours ahead of us, we get in and have a slew of correspondence from teams abroad. We correspond with them daily by email or Microsoft Teams. I often do some verification of our student diplomas or degree programs. There’s always a new challenge with seven programs running in different parts of the world, and in different parts of their academic terms.

McCaffrey: My day consists of a lot of checking the status of letters and maintaining that process. They have to move through different levels of the government, so we’re always monitoring where we are in that process and letting students know. Students might be waiting for those letters for jobs or additional education in master’s and Ph.D. programs.

Cichello: Sometimes we also travel, which means compressed time schedules and lots of early mornings and late evenings to get as much face time with students and faculty as possible in addition to ministry of education meetings and partner meetings.

There is no typical day, but the typical day is often a lot of interactions in-person, via email, and via virtual meetings.

What’s a surprising takeaway from working in international education?

McCaffrey: I don’t think I realized how much the Center for International Education was doing before I worked in the office. It wasn’t until I was working here that I saw the depth of these partnerships and how many students we’re serving internationally. It’s impressive how many students internationally have a tie to Empire State University.

Marsella: I’ve been in higher education for 25 years, but honestly, to see what needs to get done with the ministries of education abroad, and how complicated that is—I really had no idea. It’s exciting to see how important our degrees are to these students.

Cichello: I am constantly surprised at the capacity we have to keep working at a high level, even when we get negative news or difficult situations. Sometimes, I feel at a loss, and then someone abroad will say or do something that is incredibly resilient, and I’m surprised by our ability to carry on.

Each of us has a different way of looking at things, but also a commitment to what we do. It’s incredibly surprising to me that we’re able to do what we do with such a small team and remain effective in other parts of our lives and fulfilled by the work we do.

New Associate Provost Is Dedicated to Student Success

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From teaching courses in business administration to tackling dean roles at two universities, Rashmi Prasad, Ph.D., has enjoyed a lengthy career in higher education. Now, the seasoned educator and leader adds a new position to his extensive resume: associate provost for academic affairs at Empire State University.  

“I’m really excited to be part of the team,” says the Albany resident, who joined SUNY Empire in October. “I think we can accomplish some really great things.” 

Prasad comes to SUNY Empire from Truman State University in Missouri, where he served as dean of the School of Business and Professional Studies for five years. Prior to that, he was academic vice president for the College of Business at Western Governors University—a large online institution headquartered in Utah. It was during his tenure there that Prasad first learned about SUNY Empire from a colleague.  

“The seed was planted in my mind. So when I saw an opportunity, the bell went off in my head,” he recalls. “I thought, maybe I should investigate this.” 

Prasad says he was drawn to SUNY Empire because of its dedication to improving access to high-quality, affordable education—a pursuit to which he’s deeply committed. He notes that his personal interest in expanding access stems in part from his 16 years of service to the University of Alaska Anchorage, where he was a professor before ultimately being appointed dean of the College of Business and Public Policy. His time at the Alaska institution afforded him an eye-opening opportunity to work with adult learners and first-generation students.  

Now, at SUNY Empire, he’s dedicated to helping staff foster that same kind of student success. In his role as associate provost, he co-chairs the university’s Middle States 2028 accreditation efforts. He also works with the Office of Prior Learning on growing the number of students who qualify for credits. More broadly, he supports offices like Empire Online and the Center for Teaching and Learning. He says he’d like the university community to know that his approach to his role “is one of sincerity and humility.” 

“I’m new and I have a lot to learn, but I also bring a substantial amount of experience,” Prasad says. “I’m here because I want to be here, and I want to help the university achieve its mission.” 

Five-Minute Feature: Lorette Calix, Academic Program Director of the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Program

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Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now!

What led you to teach the subject you’re teaching?

After experiencing a semester of Study Abroad, I chose an undergrad degree in International Relations. And after working in a number of managerial positions, I decided I needed to know more about Management, so I completed graduate studies in that field. The first course I taught (and I happily continue to teach) for SUNY Empire combined both fields: International Cross-Cultural Management (ICCM). I have lived internationally for over half my life, and I identify with the ICCM course content because of my many lived experiences. Even though ICCM is a management course, I especially like it because it is a course that promotes tolerance and understanding. It is a course that opens most students’ eyes to different, but equally correct, ways of interpreting a situation or doing things. It helps them work effectively with people from different backgrounds and create inclusive workplaces. Even after 20 years, I learn something new every term, and ICCM continues to be my favorite course.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire?

My favorite thing about SUNY Empire is the student focus. We try to meet students where they are and help them find a path to reach their goals. Our students have interesting and complicated lives, and we try to provide the support they need to be able to succeed. Even the younger, more traditional age students, are choosing SUNY Empire because they find it provides a way to get a quality education and still maintain some balance with their other life commitments. I’m proud of our students and enjoy working with them; and I am happy to be part of an institution that has so many people who care.

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of?

When I think of my proudest career moment, a memory from my college days is what comes to mind. So, it isn’t really part of my professional career, but related, because it was both in education and related to “meeting students where they are”. When I was in my last year of college, a friend and I started an English as a Second Language program for immigrants living in the area. One of the places we went to give classes was a local factory. When we started working with that group of students, I realized that one of the older gentlemen was illiterate, and very ashamed of that fact. He was embarrassed every time he had to sign a document with an “X” or had to ask a co-worker to punch his timecard because he couldn’t read his name.

In addition to working on English, I worked with him one-on-one to help him with what he needed most. He didn’t become fully literate, and he didn’t learn as much English as he might have if we had dedicated all our time to that; but the memory of his happiness when he could sign his own name or find his time card on the rack still brings me joy, and I am proud to have been able to help him.

What is your favorite travel destination?

I have been to so many places, it is hard to choose. I find something memorable and enjoyable every place I go. I can’t even say there is a least favorite place where I wouldn’t want to return. But the places I travel to most often are all related to people I want to see. So, I guess my favorite travel destinations are those I share with people I care about—and that includes traveling home!

What is the greatest benefit of international education?

International experiences can be life-changing.  Before my study abroad semester I was trying to decide between majors in Biology and English.  Numerous studies have demonstrated that students with international experience start with higher salaries after graduating, have lower unemployment rates, have improved GPAs, get jobs faster, are more likely to graduate, and get into their first or second choice grad school.  In addition, there are the “softer” benefits like demonstrating more maturity, greater self-confidence, better ability to adapt to diverse work environments, more tolerance for ambiguity, and greater job satisfaction. On top of all that, international experiences can be exciting and fun!  I don’t know what I would consider the greatest benefit, but I do believe a broadly applicable result is that most students come away from international experiences with more awareness of the rest of the world and a greater appreciation for other perspectives and points of view.

Empire State University Joins FutureReadyNYC Healthcare Pathway Accelerator to Create New Career Pathways for NYC Students 

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Careerwise, a nonprofit organization focusing on workforce development through youth apprenticeships, recently announced the creation of the FutureReadyNYC Healthcare Pathway Accelerator. This initiative is designed to provide youth apprenticeship opportunities in healthcare to high schoolers across New York City. Students will have the opportunity to access paid, multi-year earn-and-learn pathways at leading healthcare institutions like Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and New York Presbyterian.  

SUNY Empire will ensure that students are able to access clear pathways to college credit and degree attainment – which aligns perfectly with its mission to provide flexible, accessible education that meets students where they are in their educational and professional journeys. 

“Building real economic opportunity means forging education-to-career pathways that are accessible, aligned, and employer-driven,” said Krystal Ripa, director of workforce development. “Here at SUNY Empire, we are proud to support Careerwise and the FRNYC Healthcare Pathway Accelerator that blend academic rigor with meaningful work experiences, expanding upward mobility and advancing workforce readiness for learners of all backgrounds.” 

“As a professor of nursing with more than thirty years of experience across the healthcare continuum, I have seen firsthand that nearly every healthcare role—clinical, technical, and support—is facing unprecedented workforce strain,” said Maureen Kroning, professor of Nursing and workforce fellow. “Meeting this demand requires partnering with high schools to offer early college credit and paid, learn-and-earn pathways that allow students to enter the healthcare workforce sooner while continuing their education. These education-to-career partnerships are essential to building a sustainable and equitable healthcare workforce for New York state.” 

“This partnership shows the power of employers and labor coming together around a shared talent solution in one of our most critical sectors—healthcare,” said Brent Parton, President of CareerWise. “Together, we’re finishing the job of career pathways for young people by creating a real bridge to good jobs and careers through debt-free, earn-and-learn opportunities. The FRNYC Healthcare Pathway Accelerator is a model for the nation, demonstrating how K–12, higher education, and industry can unite to meet urgent workforce needs while unlocking opportunity for the next generation.” 

Get to Know Julie Gedro, Dean of the College of Business

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Julie Gedro is dean of the recently formed College of Business. Ahead, she shares her love for the city of Rochester, goals for the new college, and lessons she’s learned throughout her career in higher education. 

What is your current hometown?  

I was born and raised on the Virginia Peninsula. I currently live in Rochester, New York. It is a city with a rich cultural, industrial, entrepreneurial, and social justice history, and it is a place where I can still feel, see, and hear that legacy in daily life. I live, for instance, less than two miles from Susan B. Anthony’s gravesite at Mount Hope Cemetery, and this proximity is symbolic and meaningful for me. Rochester has a compelling combination of grit and beauty. 

What inspired your career path, and how did you transition to working in higher ed? 

Learning, growth and development have been the throughline in my career journey. I have always been drawn to learning and helping others learn, whether on the tennis court, through corporate training, through human resource management and development, as faculty, and as a dean. 

My route into higher education was in some ways a long one. After working at a couple of country clubs, I transitioned into corporate training roles with the longest being in financial software. I served in human resource roles at the phone company in Atlanta, Georgia. Concurrently, I returned to school twice, earning my MBA and then Ed.D. Through a fortuitous series of events and conversations, I discerned a calling to academia as a fulltime vocation. 

What’s one goal you have for the new College of Business?  

One goal is to lead and facilitate an organization that draws on the strengths and talents of every faculty and staff member so that we may serve as an engine for individual learning and transformation.  I envision strong content and meaningfulness for a program, and a strong and recognized reputation of our degree. For me, the formation of our College of Business is a moment of building and refining.  

What did you learn from your past positions at SUNY Empire that you’ll be applying to your work going forward? 

As dean of the School of Business, I developed a solid understanding of what is vital to this kind of role: quality and relevance of our offerings, program development, enrollment management, financial stewardship, outcomes assessment, and continuous improvement. I have learned how to leverage my cognition and data-informed aspects of leadership as well as my intuition. 

 If you weren’t working in higher ed, what would you be doing? 

I would likely be in a human resource role in corporations that serve sports or tech. I would prefer to be in a role where I could help to build environments where people can do their best work. 

Five-Minute Feature: Rebecca Rumpf, Administrative Assistant for the Office of International Education

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Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now!

What led you to your career path?

I’ve always been drawn to roles where I can solve problems and help people reach their goals. Early on, I realized I enjoyed organizing information, making complex processes feel simple, and creating experiences that support others’ success. Over time, those interests, combined with mentors who encouraged me to lean into my strengths, naturally led me to this career path. It allows me to use both my analytical side and my creative side while making a meaningful impact.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire?

My favorite thing about SUNY Empire is how deeply committed the institution is to expanding access to education, not just locally but globally. In International Education, we work with students from all over the world, and I love that SUNY Empire embraces flexible, student-centered pathways that make higher education possible regardless of geography, background, or schedule. It’s inspiring to be part of a team that truly meets students where they are both culturally and academically.

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of?

One moment I’m especially proud of was when I helped lead a project that initially seemed overwhelming and turned it into a clear success. I collaborated across teams, streamlined communication, and made sure everyone stayed aligned. Seeing the outcome, and knowing that my organization and problem solving played a big role, was incredibly rewarding. It reminded me why I enjoy this work and reinforced my confidence in taking on challenges.

What’s the most fun tradition you have with family or friends?

One of my favorite traditions is getting together with family or friends for a themed dinner night. Everyone picks a dish, we cook together, and we always end up laughing over our cooking “experiments.” It’s simple, but it’s something we all look forward to because it’s a chance to slow down, reconnect, and create fun memories.

What is a “comfort” TV show or movie you rewatch over and over?

A comfort show I can watch endlessly is “Friends”. No matter how many times I’ve seen it, it’s still the perfect mix of humor and heart. It’s great background noise when I’m unwinding, and it always makes me smile.

Spanish BBA: One Year In

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A year after the launch of Empire State University’s Spanish BBA program, its inaugural cohort of students has completed their first semester.  2025 made the possibility of higher education in their native language a reality for Spanish-speaking students, and with it, a breadth of opportunity for their careers, families, and communities. Read about the Spanish BBA’s first year.

January

Empire State University launched the Spanish BBA program, SUNY’s first Spanish-language online degree program.  

Allwyn Avalos, bilingual call center representative, shared why the program resonates with him.

February

María Vega, bilingual student success coordinator, shared how her lifelong bilingualism led her to her role at Empire State University, where she delivers meaningful guidance to students.

Lyanne Garcia-Boswell, bilingual IT specialist, told the story of how they came to join SUNY Empire’s Spanish BBA team, and discussed their identity as a Spanish speaker.  

March

Claire Ziamandanis, linguist, shed light on considerations that went into the university-wide translation project in anticipation of the program’s first cohort.

Brenda Manra, enrollment communications manager, offered insights into how matrixed Hispanic identity can be.

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion launched the Duolingo Spanish Language Learning Pilot Program.

April

Liv Thygesen, bilingual disability specialist, shared her experience learning Spanish as a Second Language and tips for language immersion.

Pam Doran, digital accessibility coordinator, two-time alum, and current Ed.D. student launched Linguo, a custom machine translation tool.

May

Pam Doran, digital accessibility coordinator, received an Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG) for her proposal titled “Custom Machine Translation to Support Spanish-Language Higher Education Programs.” 

June

Perla Zamitiz, linguist, gave an interview surrounding adaptability, bilingualism, and linguistics.

Ronnie Rivera, bilingual assistant registrar, discussed the benefits of the Spanish BBA program.

July

Carlos Aleman, bilingual student accounts coordinator, focused on discipline and dedication, traits that shine bright among SUNY Empire students.

Armando Flores, bilingual enrollment and partnership outreach officer, detailed the care with which he approaches helping students navigate higher education in their native language.

Kendra Elie, bilingual financial aid advisor, revealed the key to her Spanish fluency was international travel.

August

Irene Oramas Sosa, bilingual multimedia technologist, underscored the significance of bilingualism and biliteracy as tools of empowerment.

Melissa Fiori, digital accessibility instructional designer, discussed how bilingualism opens all kinds of doors. 

September

Luis Camacho,academic coordinator of the Spanish BBA and assistant professor in the College of Business, chronicled his educational journey and highlighted what makes the program unique.

Claudia Lovegrove, assistant professor of business, framed the Spanish BBA as a way for Spanish speakers to lean on their strengths. 

October

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Hispanic staff and faculty members shared their favorite recipes from home and told the stories behind them.

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion hosted a series of panel discussions broaching translation, accessibility, and language-learning throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, with involvement from Spanish speakers across the university and guest speakers.

Cristian Salazar, adjunct professor for the Spanish BBA, delved into his expertise and stressed the importance of technological empathy in online learning environments.

Jorge Martín Diez, adjunct professor of marketing, dissected the importance of learning multiple languages for success in an ever-evolving, globalized world.

November

Professor of Macroeconomics Karla Soria Barreto explained her teaching philosophy and how she gets students to become invested in their education.  

December With the first semester of the program concluded, staff, faculty, and students celebrated its successes, including features in two of the foremost Hispanic media outlets of the country: Univision and Telemundo.