How Patrick Doyle ’94, MPA ’20 has built a career and community at
Patrick Doyle ’94, MPA ’20, is the public lab system administrator for Information Technology Services, a role he has held for over 28 years. He is also an elected delegate for the United University Professions (UUP) — the Nation’s largest higher education Union — a role he has held since 2019. Through his role as a delegate, he currently serves as the chapter’s vice president for professionals (VPP). He also serves as a senator on the Professional Staff Senate (PSS), the officially recognized governance organization of professional employees at . Among the many responsibilities of being a senator on PSS, Doyle served two terms as the PSS representative on the statewide SUNY University Faculty Senate (SUNY UFS).
Doyle earned his bachelor’s degree in management and, as an employee, took advantage of the UUP “Space available” program to take classes part-time to earn a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) at CCPA. A proud two-time graduate, he shares with BingUNews how his education, career and community ties have shaped his lasting connection to the University.
Tell me about your story.
I was born in Syracuse but grew up in the area just outside of . I went to the local community college, and I loved it so much that I returned for another degree. Then I stepped away from my education to advance my career, but eventually decided to further my education by taking classes at to earn a master’s degree. I love campus! It’s also a great place to work, or I wouldn’t have worked here for so long. Without a doubt, is the most beautiful, well-maintained campus in the SUNY system that I have visited.
Why should people come to and CCPA?
The town of is a great place to live. We have professional sports, we have museums, we have countless things to do. A place to live is what you make of it. We have more eclectic little restaurants than you can shake a stick at! The SUNY system is a solid employer in the area and ever growing. The people I work with are amazing professionals.
Why did you decide to pursue your career in ITS?
I have always been good with computers and systems. It’s more of a career that found me. If you’ve ever walked into any of the public computing spaces, we call them Pods — if you’ve used a Windows-based PC or a Linux station in any of those areas, I’m the system administrator managing it. I’m not a person who likes to sit there and do the same thing. When I first started here, I had 125 computers in four different computer labs. As of last count, I have about 550 computers, and those aren’t including the virtual ones; the labs are now located across 19 different buildings.
Why did you decide to go back to CCPA?
I ended up looking into entering local government and going back for a master’s degree at the same time, and I thought — ‘I could run for town office, or I could get a master’s degree in local government.’ And a master’s degree lasts forever! At CCPA, I didn’t have any poor instructors. I enjoyed every one of them. They all had different teaching styles, but learning different things from different people who know their subjects was great for my career.