TO: Michael Tillotson, Associate Professor, Africana Studies

FROM: Seth N. Asumah, Chair, Africana Studies, and Distinguished Teaching

Professor, SNA

DATE: August 23, 2022

SUBJECT: Discretionary Salary Increases (DSI) Self-nomination, 2021-2022

With reference to the memorandum of March 23, 2022, from Mr. Gary Evans, Vice President
for Human Resources, sent on behalf of President Bitterbaum to all academic faculty and
librarians on the above-mentioned subject, and my critical evaluation of your self-nomination
material and activities in teaching, scholarship, and service, I am very pleased to recommend
you to Dr. Bruce Mattingly, Dean of Arts and Sciences, in the Highly Recommend category.

Your Discretionary Salary Increase Self-nomination material was reflective of your very
productive 2021-2022 academic year in professional activities, expertise in the field, research
and scholarship and endeavors in Africana Studies Department. As a relatively new colleague
at SUNY Cortland, you have nonetheless demonstrated in your short tenure here your very
productive first academic year (2021-2022) with numerous activities in the area of Mastery of
Subject Matter and Teaching Effectiveness—Reputation in the Field in the year in question.
These activities included, but not limited to, your nomination/reelection to the Board of
Directors of the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS), co-editor of the Annual Report
of the NCBS, appearances on PBS/WCNY The Ivory Towers—a weekly roundtable on
politics and current events and sponsoring our students in your classes in winning national
essay contest awards (Daniel Reisher for an example).

Your scholarly endeavors even in your first year were productive. Your article, Agency
Reduction Formation: The Origin and Development of Practical Theory was accepted for
publication in the Journal of Black Studies. As third author for the study of Post-Traumatic
Cultural Disorder (PTCD): The Presence of History, now under review, and continuing your
research for your third book, your year at SUNY Cortland was unrivaled by many new
faculty.

In the area of teaching effectiveness, you were a highly active teacher in AAS 100 and AAS
329 for the year in question. Your pedagogical techniques of inclusive classroom learning and
engaging your students in critical issues on campus during Black History Month and
Transformations have been very impactful. Your students, including the winner of national
essay contest, were highly active in critical discussions that transpired on this campus.

I would like to seize this opportunity to congratulate you in completing your first year at
SUNY Cortland with flying colors and for your dedication to the Africana Studies
Department, as I submit a copy of this memorandum to the Dean of Arts and Sciences, Dr.
Bruce Mattingly for a 2021-2022 Discretionary Salary Increases recommendation.

Again, please accept my gratitude. Congratulation!

CC: Dr. Bruce Mattingly, Dean, School of Arts and Sciences.