State University of New York at Fredonia President Stephen Kolison will be overseeing his third commencement later this month. P-J file photo

Within the last week, Stephen Kolison has been making the rounds. As State University of New York at Fredonia president, he took time to take in the Legislative Breakfast, held by the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce in Mayville last Friday, and was in attendance at DFT Communications on Monday to kick off Small Business Week.

Keeping up appearances at events is one segment of a major position that has great implications on the future of northern Chautauqua County. Past presidents have understood the importance of that role. Oscar Lanford, Dallas Beal, Donald McPhee, Dennis Hefner and Virginia Horvath all had the community relations in mind during their tenures.

It was Lanford who set the stage for a major expansion at the campus. Beal followed and watched as enrollment hit 5,000 for the first time while maintaining an active role in community happenings. McPhee’s time in the 1980s and ’90s focused on new courses and greater diversity — in staff and student population.

Hefner left a legacy of new facilities and expansion projects that benefited both the region and institution. Horvath, while an active participant in numerous nonprofits and organizations, was a co-chair on the Western New York Regional Economic Development Corp.

One of the most outspoken leaders at the university was Hefner. He saw the pitfalls of a Chautauqua County that was too small for a north-south divide. He was one of the key players who ultimately helped galvanize forces in 1999 to ultimately create one county chamber.

Hefner also sought better relations between the campus and city of Dunkirk. It is exactly the reason he had the incubator built on the 200 block of Central Avenue in downtown.

Enter Kolison, whose introduction to northern Chautauqua County was like no other. He began his presidency in August 2020 — during the heart of COVID. Relocating from Indiana, he was not just dealing with the business of getting to know the intricacies and officials of the region, he also was handling unprecedented rules and restrictions that were — at that time — dictated by the virus.

Almost three years later, the pandemic has subsided, but the university is facing a different emergency. Enrollment numbers have fallen to 3,200. Deficits reaching $17 million continue to plague this location — as well as other campuses — in the SUNY system.

Nothing has come easy.

During a Robert H. Jackson interview series with Greg Peterson in 2021, Kolison spoke of challenges during his first six months at the helm. “When you are president, I think sometimes the expectation is you need to know every single thing on your campus. … You try to know as much as you can, but it’s not possible to know everything,” he said.

Not once in his first month at the helm during a global pandemic could he have expected a drinking-water crisis would hamper his university and the village for 20 days. A second came at the end of February and lasted four days.

While trying to maintain middle ground, Kolison was far too kind about the inconveniences. Consider his recent response regarding the issue during the last Common Council meeting: “We’re in touch with the village and we’re going to work with the village in any way we can to ensure that these things do not occur as frequently as they are occurring,” he said.

His tepid response does the region no favors. Two other agencies — the North County Water District and the city of Dunkirk itself — have offered to be a part of the solution if future woes impact the campus. Taking the village’s word on water — based on history alone — is like trusting the habitual thief to be employed at the bank. It is a perilous relationship.

Enrollment is the most important issue facing the university, one of the largest employers in Chautauqua County. Fewer students — some possibly due to notorious village water issues — can no longer be acceptable.

At the moment, Kolison and the university have more than enough clout to demand improvements while being part of area solutions that include Central Connections, an effort to tie the university to the village and city, and the incubator for business growth located in Dunkirk. But that cannot happen without advocacy on important issues and more community buy-in from the university.

Less than two weeks remain in this spring semester. Commencement takes place Saturday, May 20.

While a segment of the university’s population gets ready to ponder its next steps after moving on, there were optimistic signs on campus last weekend when 700 prospective students filled King Concert Hall for the second “Go Big Blue” day. It was a shining moment during an otherwise overcast weekend.

Maybe it was a signal of brighter results for an institution and region moving forward. For what it’s worth, we could use more of those victories.

John D’Agostino is the editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.