Michael Frasciello considers himself a nontraditional student. After high school, he spent one semester pursuing higher education but realized he lacked the right orientation and support structures to feel ready for college.

Frasciello, who was appointed dean of University College at Syracuse University in September, then enlisted in the Air Force. Within the next 10 years, he was able to complete three degrees while working full time.

Over the course of the decade, Frasciello said he learned to appreciate and value the access that universities offered to part-time students.

“Without knowing it at the time, I realized that at some time in my professional career, I wanted to pay that forward,” Frasciello said.

SU’s University College offers education for part-time enrolled students who want to earn a degree, credentials or certificate from most of the schools and colleges on campus. Frasciello said courses are offered during the day, in the evenings and online.

An opportunity came up for Frasciello in the business unit of University College after he spent six years working in software development. He worked at the college for 13 years and then took up a position as director of online learning at the College of Engineering and Computer Science before returning to University College.

Frasciello said it didn’t take long for him to realize he was in the right place because he understood the college’s mission intimately.

“I do understand how fortunate I am to work at an organization whose mission is to transform people’s lives through education,” Frasciello said.

His favorite part about being dean though, Frasciello said, is working with his extraordinary staff.

And the staff reciprocates those feelings. When it was announced that Frasciello would be appointed interim dean back in January, the entire staff was very excited, said James Gaffey, director of administration for the dean’s office.

“(Frasciello) has demonstrated his commitment to the personal and professional development of his staff,” Gaffey said.

He added that by creating career opportunities and paths for people at University College in addition to being respectful of personal lives, Frasciello has done a great job connecting with the staff and making sure he recognizes them as individuals.

Over the course of his career, Frasciello said Bea González, vice president for community engagement, and Teresa Dahlberg, dean at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, have been inspirations for him.

González helped him truly understand the mission at University College as a gateway to the university, and Dahlberg taught him what it means to serve as a dean and how to be collaborative and strategic, Frasciello said.

As a result of his time in the military, Frasciello said he identifies as a “systems person” and would prioritize practice and protocol when making plans. But González reminded him of the importance of another “p” — people.

“Everyone needs that person, and for me, Bea is that person,” Frasciello said.

One of the most significant initiatives Frasciello is working on as dean is to further increase access to the university for part-time students.

He plans to accomplish this by expanding the number of undergraduate programs that are available to part-time students.

Courtesy of Stephen Sartori

Almost all of the undergraduate programs are accessible to part-time students, Frasciello said, but they aren’t convenient in terms of timing and scheduling. The timings of classes are more geared to traditional students, he added.

Frasciello also wants to increase SU’s capacity for online graduate programs for every school and college within the university. Currently, the university doesn’t have a centralized support unit to help schools and colleges put their graduate programs online, he said.

Certain colleges at SU, such as the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the School of Information Studies, are partnered with an external system, 2U Inc., to support their online master’s programs.

However, 2U is primarily interested in large-volume programs, Gaffey said.

University College is looking to create a standardized internal unit to help schools and colleges put graduate programs online, which would allow the colleges to be more responsive to their online programs and reduce individual burden. It would also focus on more small-volume programs.

“(Frasciello) has a vision for University College where it really plays an integral role for the university,” Gaffey said.

But some of the most rewarding work he’s done has been work that isn’t outwardly visible to students and staff, Frasciello said.

About 12 years ago, a University College student graduated with his bachelor’s degree at the age of 56. He started at the college after he left the Army around 1972. Life gets in the way for a lot of adult students, Frasciello said. After he graduated, that student said he wouldn’t have been able to do it without University College.

“We open the gateway to the university and we support these students all the way over the finish line,” Frasciello said. “And that’s the rewarding part.”

Published on October 10, 2017 at 11:26 pm

Contact Sandhya: ssiyer@syr.edu