Hundreds of people gathered in Onondaga Community College's Gordon Student Center Wednesday morning, many to see and hear for the first time the woman newly-appointed as the college's eighth president.
Casey Crabill wore red, unlike her March visit to the same building, when she dressed in black jeans and a denim jacket. That was a "stealth visit," she said in her brief speech.
On March 1, the same day she interviewed for the job, she approached students and told them, “I’m thinking of coming here. What do you think?”
Casey Crabill addresses OCC faculty, students and staff Wednesday morning.
“To a person your students told me that I would be okay,” Crabill said. “They offered examples: 'There’s financial aid. People will help you choose courses. Teachers will be good. They’re helpful. They’re available.' One student said to me, ‘They treat you like a person.’ They expressed complete confidence that if I made the decision to come, things would go well,” she said, emphasizing that her survey was not a “scientific study.”
Crabill, 56, is presently serving as the president at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) in Branchburg, N.J., where she is completing her seventh academic year.
She was hired by OCC in March to a three-year term beginning July 1. Her starting salary is $225,000. She'll also receive a $2,000-a-month housing allowance, use of a college vehicle, a cell phone and a computer.
Crabill began her career at the State University of New York at Albany. She earned her bachelor's degree in English from Skidmore College and a master's in teaching English as a second language and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction, both from the State University of New York at Albany.
She spoke about the upcoming transition as she takes the reins from Meg O'Connell, who has served as OCC's interim president for the past year. It will take time, Crabill noted.
I’ve already been asked more than once what I will change first," she said. "The first thing I’ll change? My address. Beyond that will take a lot of conversations with all of us.”
Click here to read a question and answer with Crabill about issues facing OCC. .
Things to know about Casey Crabill:
Brief and to the point: Her first major speech at OCC came in under seven minutes.
Storyteller: She related details about her "stealth visit" warmly, in ways that connected with her audience of students, faculty and staff.
Sense of humor: In Upstate New York, nothing plays like self-deprecating humor.
Example: "First I want to express gratitude for whoever remembered that I am short. This is really great to have the opportunity to see over the podium."
Still Upstate: Seven years each in California and New Jersey didn't take the Upstate out of Crabill's accent. (She was raised in East Greenbush, near Albany.)
"Let me say a few things about thAt," she said in her speech.
Her 'A' was as hard as rock.
Contact Dave Tobin at 470-3277, [email protected], or via Twitter: @dttobin