Changes Are Coming

First things first: From our Cardinal family to yours, we hope you are having a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Welcome to the debut edition of Cardinals Corner, blogging about intercollegiate athletics at SUNY Plattsburgh. I hope to keep this updated as much as possible as time permits around hosting events, media and public relations, producing recruiting guides, writing press releases and so much more.

"Out with the old, In with the New." That adage is appropriate for the technological changes that have--and will--be taking place to affect our department for the better. That wise phrase is also the genesis for this blog.

Let me explain...

We will be rolling out a new athletics website for a scheduled release in February. The new URL will be gocardinalsports.com. This will greatly enhance our visibility to various audiences: the media, prospective student-athletes, alumni, current students, donors, parents and friends. Some of the new features may include audio/video, LiveStats, photo store, polls, online publications, easier navigation, a better experience for the user, etc.

This new project comes on the heels of two important ventures we have unveiled this academic year: a YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/CardinalsSportsInfo) and a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Plattsburgh-NY/Plattsburgh-State-Athletics/151754779173).

You have probably also noticed in recent years that we added media guides online, LiveStats, photo galleries...to name a few.

Unfortunately for some followers, these new initiatives have resulted in the decision to eliminate printed media guides, effective for 2009-10. We understand that some will miss these traditional yearbooks that were treasured keepsakes of the teams you follow. Or that we may experience some media backlash because they don't have a hard-copy instrument of the teams they cover in print or on-air. However, we feel good about the decision because the move is a "green" one which will have less impact on the environment and we are re-allocating financial resources to support the new website. Our costs will be better spent. Furthermore, we are joining other institutions--from big NCAA Division I programs like Ohio State and Michigan to other New York-based schools to even fellow SUNYAC members--who have studied the benefits of increased online presence while relying less on printed collateral.

So with the calendar year coming to a close and 2010 ushering in this weekend, Out with the Old and In with the New!