Let each become all he is capable of being. This saying has been confused, today, as I write this looking back.

You remember stories of a campus resonating with enthusiasm and growth in the 1960s, when the new art department flourished with an energy of opportunities. You remember that same invigoration when the SUNY system and the trusting donors had so much confidence and passion for the arts, an expansion arose in 2016. You remember a community that was proud of their progressive students, the irreplaceable professors, and the idea of an education that lives up to the morals of growing a better world.

You are wondering why your spreadsheets and campus spirits are down. You are wondering why there are less cultivated creatives now in the world, the ones painted to think outside of parameters. You are wondering why the passion once used to encourage a campus as one, has been gutted by the penned propositions of the powers looking down from their office perch. There is still passion, but it unfortunately has shifted into the necessary fight to protect the future.

Let each become all he is capable of being. A saying that lives beyond the seal of SUNY. It lives in the belief which students hold onto as they are sitting in their first class in Fredonia. That class for me began at 9:30 a.m. on a September Tuesday with tenured sculpture professor Peter Tucker. I walk in, anxious yet open minded, to a classroom blaring music and Peter dancing along.

A year before this, I was looking throughout the region for a university to advance my sculptural knowledge. Up to this point, I was creating chainsaw carvings on a professional scale, but was seeking to push this further. Through my emails with Peter, I realized not only was this professor a plethora of skills and expertise on levels beyond merely art, he was a mentor with his top priority being a student’s success.

By my last semester, I looked back on the impact Peter Tucker had on my life. That included listening to him explain the meaning of the painted ceiling in Florence, Italy, a study abroad class he annually coordinates. It means the long conversations about my ideas and future which he had no hesitation of agreeing to, because that is what mattered. It means following the connections of people and opportunities Peter shared, his support beyond the University and graduation. He taught me that it is possible to be an uplifting, understanding, well informed and enthusiastically inspiring teacher who belongs within the campus.

I applied to SUNY Fredonia because I trusted Peter to expand my possibilities and outcome. This means I also trusted the SUNY Fredonia system. These professors did too, uprooting their lives and families to arrive in the village of Fredonia with a promised desk, but a crooked handshake to go with it.

Professors like Peter Tucker, Dr. Michele Bernatz, and Stephen Komp are the faces students like me saw everyday and trusted with our minds. These professors’ impact reaches collectively across disciplines, not just art students. They are the faces of SUNY Fredonia that cannot be replaced. When a failed administration impacts the opportunities of future students and professors, we must rise to share their worth.

To cut a program is to cut an idea. To cut a widely admired and respected tenured professor though, is a wound deeply impacting a family, community member, and campus wide friend. It is time for the SUNY administration to remove their blinders and recognize the multiple avenues that span beyond cutting a dollar sign from payroll.

Let each become all he is capable of being. I am a proud alumnus of SUNY Fredonia. I now successfully make a living through my furniture design and sculpture company, Jimmy Keller Design. I also work with an internationally known scenic shop, The Scenic Space, creating pieces on a large scale for companies such as Disney and Universal. The Scenic Space was started by a Fredonia alumna and has proudly employed several SUNY Fredonia alumni.

“I wouldn’t be where I am and with the team I have, without the professors from Fredonia,” said Megan Lewandowski, chief executive officer and production manager for the business.

The word “proud” still stands. I, nor, the students, professors, or community have yet lost faith in the SUNY Fredonia administration. There can be an outcome of growth, not setback. An outcome of future inspiration, not forgotten opportunities. An outcome that does restructure the University together, not at the expense of loss. Peter Tucker, and the entire Visual Arts and New Media department, let me become who I am capable of being.

Tenured means permanent and protected. We know nothing is truly permanent. When will SUNY re-carve the seal that reads “Let each become all he is capable of being,” because I am afraid we can no longer agree that stands.

Jimmy Keller is currently a resident of Hamburg, but grew up in South Dayton and commuted to Fredonia from there.