OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Dear WestConn Community,

I am pleased to share that Ari Santiago, Interim Chair of the CSCU Board of Regents, will visit WestConn on Thursday, October 22. Please join us for an open forum with Chair Santiago during Common Hour.

The forum is a chance for our community to hear directly from Chair Santiago and to ask questions about the issues that matter to you. Chair Santiago will give brief remarks, followed by an open Q&A. Because no classes are scheduled during Common Hour, I hope many of you will be able to attend.

All students, faculty and staff are invited. No registration is required. A calendar file is attached for your convenience and can be used to add the event to Apple Calendar, Outlook, and most other calendar applications. You may also add the event directly using these options: Outlook (WCSU) Google Calendar.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,

Jesse

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University

Dear WestConn Community,

I am pleased to announce that, after a competitive nation-wide search, Michael Moriarty will join WestConn as our inaugural Vice President for Operations and Chief Operating Officer beginning October 30, 2026.

Mike brings more than 15 years of executive leadership experience and a deep understanding of Connecticut public higher education. At Charter Oak State College Mike currently serves as interim president and, since 2016, has served as Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer. His operational experience spans finance, information technology, facilities, human resources, and student-facing administrative services, including financial aid.

During his time at Charter Oak, Mike helped lead a financial turnaround that strengthened reserves and long-term sustainability while preserving affordability and student success. He helped guide major administrative and technological improvements, along with the relocation of the College’s headquarters. This combination of financial stewardship, operational experience, and collaborative leadership will be valuable as we strengthen WestConn’s foundations and advance our academic mission.

Mike shared that his “leadership philosophy is rooted in partnership,” emphasizing the importance of engaging openly with campus communities, respecting the expertise of faculty and staff, and building trust through transparency and consistency. That approach reflects the kind of leadership we need as we work together to make university services more connected, responsive, and effective.

Before joining Charter Oak, Mike spent more than a decade at Deloitte, where his work included leading domestic and international teams on complex financial and regulatory projects. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Connecticut and is a certified public accountant. Having grown up in Waterbury, Connecticut, he brings a personal connection to our region and an appreciation for WestConn’s impact on its communities.

As our first Vice President for Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Mike will oversee fiscal affairs/budget, facilities and operations, IT and Innovation, auxiliaries and events and conference management. He will work with colleagues across the university in advancing our WestConn Rising commitment to Strengthen Foundations: financially, physically, and culturally.

I am grateful to the search committee and everyone who participated in the campus forums and shared feedback. Your time and thoughtful engagement helped shape this important appointment. I also appreciate Chancellor Braswell and our Charter Oak colleagues for their partnership in supporting a smooth transition.

Please join me in welcoming Mike to WestConn. I look forward to the experience, care, and spirit of partnership he will bring to our community.

Sincerely,

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University

Dear Members of the University Community,

I am writing to share an update on the search for our next Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students and on our interim leadership plans.

The Search Continues

First, I want to thank the members of the search committee for the considerable time, care, and dedication they brought to this important work. We are continuing the search through a more focused and expedited process. A review team will evaluate applications as they are received, and once strong candidates are identified, we will invite them to campus to meet with students, faculty, staff, and other members of the university community.

Thanking Dr. Julie Perrelli

I also want to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Julie Perrelli for her many years of service to WestConn and for her leadership of Student Affairs during this interim period. Julie will  transition back to the faculty in the School of Professional Studies and take on a project-based assignment as a Presidential Fellow, focused on student persistence and completion and working directly with me. This important work will allow the university to continue benefiting from Julie’s experience, institutional knowledge, and commitment to our students. We will share more details soon.

Interim Leadership

Erica Thompson will become Interim Dean of Student Affairs effective September 2.

Until then, Dr. Perrelli will remain in her current role and continue to serve as the primary point of contact for Student Affairs.

Erica currently serves as WestConn’s Bursar and brings a deep understanding of our students, university operations, and the ways administrative and financial processes can affect enrollment, persistence, and completion. She has had over seven years of direct Student Affairs experience. I have great confidence in her judgment, her calm and collaborative approach, and her ability to navigate complex issues while remaining focused on the needs of students.

Erica has agreed to serve in the interim role through the completion of the search and the transition of our next permanent leader. To maintain continuity during this period, she will focus exclusively on her interim responsibilities and will not be a candidate in the current search.

Cashier’s Office Support

During Erica’s interim appointment, Wanda Negron, Associate Bursar, will serve as the primary point of contact in the Cashier’s Office. We are working to establish additional support for that office and other areas affected by these transitions.

Additional Campus Update

Finally, I am bringing together information about the university’s broader structural and staffing changes into a single, comprehensive campus communication, as requested by AAUP and SUOAF. I expect to share that update soon.

Thank you for your continued commitment to WestConn and, most importantly, to our students.

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President

What if the most important part of a new academic year is not simply what we will do, but who we will become along the way?

Welcome Wolves. Today, we begin a new year at WestConn — a year filled with new classes, new people, new questions, and new possibilities.

For our students, this is a chance to explore, grow, and discover what comes next. For our faculty and staff, it is an opportunity to teach, mentor, encourage, try something new, and make a difference in the lives of our students and in the community we share.

Lately, I have been thinking about one word:

Becoming.

None of us is finished becoming. Not our students, not our faculty and staff, not me, and certainly not WestConn.

But what does it mean to become together?

It means recognizing that we do not grow entirely on our own. We learn from, challenge, and encourage one another. Sometimes, someone else sees our potential before we see it ourselves, and their belief helps us take the next step.

As we begin this year, I hope you will think not only about what you want to accomplish, but also about who you want to become and how you can help someone else grow, too.

One way we are creating more opportunities for connection is through Common Hour, every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:20–1:20 p.m. It is a chance to pause, meet someone new, enjoy our campuses, and spend time together.

Today, Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Common Hour Kick-Off

12:20—1:20 p.m.

Westside Campus Center North Plaza

Treats • Lawn Games • Music • Good Company

Come by, even if only for a few minutes. Say hello, meet someone new, and join us. We hope to see you.

Welcome Wolves.

I am excited for the year ahead not only because of what we can accomplish together, but because of who we are still becoming.

Let’s become together.

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President

Dear WestConn Community,

One year ago today, July 11, 2025, I joined our university as the new president. It was my first day at WestConn and my first day as a university president. That will always mean something to me.

I came into this job with a real belief that public, regional universities matter and a clear sense of why I wanted to be part of this community. But no amount of experience prepares you for what it actually feels like to be responsible for an entire institution — its students, its people, its history, its money, its buildings, its future — all at once, every day.

Most of you know that I’m a first-generation college graduate. I still remember my first-year orientation, walking onto a college campus for the first time, completely overwhelmed and more than a little scared. No one in my family had done this before me, so there was no one to tell me what to expect or even that it would be okay. I figured it out as I went, with the help of so many people.

I share this because it’s central to who I am. I carry that memory with me into every meeting, every budget conversation, every commencement. Leading a public university was never something anyone in my family imagined for me, and I don’t take a single day of it for granted.

This first year has given us a lot of things to celebrate. Enrollment rose nearly 10% last fall, and we’re on track for another 6% this fall. First-year retention climbed to 76%, with projections pointing toward 77%. We graduated 912 students. We deepened our relationships with employers and community partners, rebuilt pride in what WestConn is and can be, moved our accreditation and planning work forward, and made some hard calls to start putting our finances and operations on a stronger foundation.

Everywhere I turn, I see people giving more than the job requires. Faculty who change lives in classrooms and labs. Staff who solve problems quietly before most people even know there was a problem. Students juggling jobs and families and impossible schedules, still showing up, still reaching. And alumni and community partners who never stopped believing in this place.

None of that means the year was easy.

We’re still facing a serious structural financial challenge. Our facilities are aging. We’ve been through organizational change, leadership turnover, and the slow, hard, and necessary work of rebuilding trust. We’ve made progress, and there is still much to do.

Stabilizing this university is only the first step. Real resiliency is still ahead of us.

Some decisions were hard, really hard, and some conversations were uncomfortable, really uncomfortable. I’ve come to see this not as a sign of leadership going wrong but as a sign it’s going honestly.

If this year has taught me anything, it’s that the title doesn’t come with certain, but, instead, comes with real responsibility. Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s listening hard, telling the truth even when it’s inconvenient, making decisions when the path forward is messy, showing optimism and possibility even when things are uncertain, and staying at the table when things get difficult instead of stepping back. This has been my commitment to you from the very beginning and continues to be how I hope we will work together.

Leadership also means holding two truths at the same time. The challenges are real, and the work is worth it… for the future we’re building, for the communities counting on us, and for the students whose lives we get to be part of.

I am so grateful to everyone who welcomed Sam and me this year, worked alongside the leadership of this university, trusted me, pushed back on me, and helped me see this university more clearly than I could have on my own. WestConn has changed me in twelve months. My belief in what this place is trying to do, and in the people carrying that work forward every single day, is stronger now than it was on day one.

Today, year two begins.

I’m proud of what we’ve started to build together. I’m clear-eyed about what’s still ahead. And I’m all in on making WestConn stronger, more resilient, more connected, and even more impactful than it’s ever been.

There’s a lot more to do. But I think back to the inauguration events this year, and how the community showed up. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, neighbors, people who had never set foot on this campus before, and people who’d given it forty years and more. It was a celebration of what we could still become, together. That same kid who walked onto a college campus for orientation all those years ago, scared and unsure, could never have imagined looking into the crowd at the concert hall surrounded by a community choosing, together, to believe in something deeper and something renewed.

That’s what year two is about for me. Not realizing one person’s vision for WestConn, but shaping together the university we are capable of becoming. I’m grateful to be part of that work, and even more grateful to do it alongside each of you.

Sincerely,

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President

Dear WestConn Community,

I am writing to share news about an important leadership transition within our university community. John DeRosa, WestConn’s Chief Information Officer and leader of our IT&I division, will be transitioning to Central Connecticut State University, where he will continue his career in higher education technology leadership.

John has been a strong leader for WestConn. His vision, dedication, and commitment to advancing our technology infrastructure have been instrumental in positioning our university for the future. Under his leadership, IT&I has driven critical initiatives including our transition to Ellucian SaaS and Banner modernization, the development and implementation of our comprehensive three-year IT strategic plan, and the strengthening of collaborative partnerships with Central’s IT teams that have enhanced our technological capabilities. As a proud WestConn alumnus who earned his MBA here, John brought deep institutional knowledge and genuine care for our community to his role. We are grateful for his many contributions and wish him tremendous success in this new chapter of his career.

As we move forward, IT&I will be transitioning to the Vice President for Operations Division effective upon the hiring of the new Vice President for Operations. This realignment supports our WestConn Rising restructuring initiative and positions IT&I within the operational framework that will best serve our university’s needs.

In the interim period, effective July 1, IT&I will report to Interim CFO Ronald Thomas. Day-to-day and direct leadership of IT&I will continue under Rebecca Woodward, Director of Information Technology and Media Services. I want to express my deep appreciation to Rebecca for her continued willingness to step in and provide steady, capable leadership during this transition. Her dedication, expertise, and reliability have been invaluable to our university, and I have full confidence in her ability to guide IT&I through this period.

Central will provide transition support and leadership continuity in partnership with our WestConn IT&I team during this period, ensuring a smooth handoff and continued excellence in our technology operations.

I am confident in our IT&I team’s ability to continue their important work serving our students, faculty, and staff. The path ahead under this new structure positions us well for continued innovation and success in support of our academic mission.

Sincerely,

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President

Dear WestConn Community, 

Before anything else, I want to acknowledge something directly. Some of the criticism I heard over the past two weeks was about my own use of generative AI, particularly on social media and in connection with the inauguration. For some students, especially those in our Visual and Performing Arts programs, this was not just a concern; it was hurtful. 

 I am sorry.

 I understand more clearly now how those choices were experienced, and I take that seriously. 

 As a result, we are taking the following steps: 

• The university will no longer use creative materials created using generative AI. This approach will remain in place while we work toward more formal, campus-wide guidance through our shared governance processes and system office. 

• I will also limit my own use of generative AI, particularly in ways that intersect with the university’s public presence. 

As I shared previously (https://www.wcsu.edu/president/2026/04/11/apersonalnote/), some of my use of these tools has been personal, a way for me to express ideas or emotions creatively and quickly. That does not change the impact it had. Moving forward, I will be more thoughtful, provide clearer context, and work more directly with our student artists and creators, whose work should be central to how we represent WestConn. 

 During this time, I also had the opportunity to meet with students and members of our campus community in nine conversations about AI at WestConn. Most of those who participated were students from our Visual and Performing Arts programs, so while these discussions were incredibly valuable, they do not yet reflect the full range of perspectives across our university. 

That matters, and it’s something we will address. 

I want to thank each of you. You showed up with honesty, passion, and care for this place. That was clear in every conversation. 

I also want to thank Joshua Sumrell, Director of Inclusion and Belonging, for helping facilitate these conversations and for thoughtfully capturing themes and insights across all sessions. His leadership helped ensure these were spaces where students felt heard. 

Below is a summary of the feedback we heard.  

A Desire to Stay Human and Connected: Across every conversation, there was a strong and consistent message about the importance of human connection. Many of you expressed that your concern is not simply about technology, but about what it means for us to remain a community grounded in relationships, authenticity, and trust. There is a desire for WestConn to continue to feel personal. To feel real. To be a place where communication reflects people, not processes, and where connection is not replaced by convenience. 

The Importance of Creative Work and Identity: Students in the arts, in particular, spoke with clarity and conviction about their work. Creative expression is not just a task or an output. It is deeply personal. It reflects time, effort, growth, and identity. When AI is used in creative spaces, especially in visible or public ways, it can feel like that work is being replaced or overlooked. For some, it raises questions about the value of their education and the future of their fields. This is not just about preference. It is about purpose. 

AI as a Tool, Not a Substitute: At the same time, there was not a rejection of AI altogether. Many of you acknowledged that it can be helpful, especially when used to organize ideas, support learning, or improve efficiency. What I heard clearly is a distinction: AI can be a tool that supports thinking. It should not replace thinking. There is a desire to learn how to use these tools responsibly, without losing the critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative skills that define a WestConn education. 

Inconsistency and Uncertainty Across the University: Another theme that came through strongly was inconsistency. Students described very different expectations depending on the class, the department, or the instructor, including how faculty are using AI in teaching, assignments, grading, and assessment. In some spaces, AI is discouraged or prohibited. In others, it is encouraged or required. This creates confusion. It raises questions about fairness. And it makes it difficult to understand what the university truly expects or values in this moment. Clarity matters here, and we have work to do. 

Ethical and Broader Impacts: Some of the conversations moved beyond the classroom and into larger questions about ethics and impact. Students raised concerns about how AI systems are built, how they use existing work, and what that means for ownership and fairness. Others spoke about environmental impact, including the energy and water demands of data centers, and how that aligns with WestConn’s commitment to sustainability. Some also raised concerns about over-reliance on AI and its potential impact on learning, confidence, and mental well-being. These are not easy questions, and they are not limited to WestConn. But they are important, and they are part of how we think about our role as an institution. 

There was also a clear call for more shared understanding. Students asked for clearer definitions of generative AI, more guidance on how to use it responsibly, and opportunities to learn how to identify it in writing, music, and visual work. This is not just about policy, it is about education. 

A Desire to Be Involved and Contribute: What stood out just as much as the concerns was the willingness to help. Many of you expressed interest in being part of the solution, especially when it comes to showcasing student work, contributing to university communications, and helping shape how AI is used here. There is pride in what you do. And there is a clear desire to see that work reflected in how we present ourselves to the world. 

What This Really Comes Down To: Taken together, these conversations are about more than AI. They are about identity, trust, and what it means to learn, to create, and to belong at WestConn. They are also about how we prepare for a world where AI will continue to grow, while holding on to the values that define who we are. 

These themes are not just reflections; they are shaping how we move forward, both in immediate actions and longer-term guidance. 

What Comes Next 

These nine meetings were an important starting point, but they are not the full conversation. Because many of these perspectives came from students in the arts, we need to expand this dialogue to include voices from across the university, including STEM, business, education, health sciences, and beyond and our faculty and staff. I will be working with the Provost, Deans, Student Government Association, and faculty through shared governance to continue this work, including developing clearer guidance and expanding opportunities for education and dialogue. 

We pride ourselves on the strength of our arts programs and the creativity of our students, and we also recognize that AI is a technology our students will encounter in their careers. Our responsibility is to hold both truths at once. 

Thank you again for your honesty, your advocacy, and your care for WestConn. This is what a strong, thoughtful academic community looks like.

Sincerely,
Jesse 

Dear Western Connecticut State University Community,

I am writing to follow up on this week’s University Senate discussion. After careful consideration, I am rescinding my prior disapproval of the proposed amendment and returning the matter to the Senate for action consistent with its established process. I also want to clarify the context surrounding my earlier action and outline steps we can take together to strengthen clarity in our governance moving forward.

In advance of taking formal action, I consulted with Senate leadership, shared my hesitation, and expressed a preference that the matter be addressed through Senate action rather than presidential action. Based on our discussion and shared interpretation of the governing documents, it was understood that this step would be necessary to move the matter forward. While this was not my preferred approach, it was taken in an effort to follow what was believed to be the appropriate process at the time. It is also important to note that, while our documents and practices have not always been applied consistently, the practice of receiving presidential feedback, and where appropriate approval on Senate actions, including constitutional amendments, has established precedent at WestConn.

I also want to address directly the broader concerns raised. Suggestions that I am not supportive of shared governance, collaboration, or dialogue do not reflect how I have approached this role. Since my arrival, my focus has been on building relationships, engaging openly, and working in partnership across our community. I understand that past experiences may shape how actions are interpreted, and I respect that history. At the same time, I ask that my actions be considered based on how I have engaged and the commitments I have made.

As I shared in the meeting, how we engage one another in moments like this matters as much as the outcome. These are complex issues, and we should approach them with curiosity, generosity of intent, and a willingness to listen to understand. We can disagree, at times strongly, without becoming adversarial. The assumptions we make about one another shape the culture we are building together, and we are at our best when we model the thoughtful, respectful dialogue we ask of our students.

Our governing documents, including the Constitution, bylaws, and related materials, are not always as clear or aligned as they should be, which can place all of us in a difficult position. The discussion at Senate, and in the days since, has made clear that our current language and processes are creating confusion, particularly in times of transition.

To move forward constructively, pursuant to the Senate Constitution (IV.A.1.), I have requested that the Senate President form a Senate Review Committee to develop and submit a report on proposed constitutional amendments that clarify roles, responsibilities, and processes, and reduce ambiguity in our governance framework. This is not about disagreement in values, but about ensuring that our framework is clear, consistent, and supports the shared governance we all seek to uphold.

My preference is to lead through dialogue and relationships. That is how we build trust and create something that lasts. I believe we have an opportunity to do that here, together.

Thank you for your engagement and your continued commitment to the university.

Sincerely,
Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President