New York City – Upon recommendation by the State University of New
York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher, the SUNY Board of Trustees today approved three
appointments, which will enhance SUNY’s role in P-16 education, expand SUNY’s
presence around the world and strengthen academic excellence throughout the
SUNY System.
Today, the
Board appointed Johanna Duncan-Poitier as the Chancellor's deputy for the education
pipeline, Mitch Leventhal as vice chancellor for global affairs, and David K.
Lavallee as interim provost of the SUNY System. Leventhal and Lavallee’s
appointments are effective immediately, while Duncan-Poitier will join SUNY
Oct. 15, 2009.
“We have
the opportunity to weave together local evidence-based demonstration sites for
improving the education pipeline from birth to career that only a comprehensive
system of higher education can achieve,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “Given
Johanna's expertise and her personal commitment to teacher excellence, SUNY can
realize an even greater impact on the educational experiences of learners
across the state, and become a national model for access and success.”
“Mitch
Leventhal is the right person to enhance coordination of our international
efforts and to break ground in developing new initiatives for SUNY,” said
Chancellor Zimpher. “Now that the Board has approved his appointment, we can
get right to work.”
“David
Lavallee’s experience in public higher education makes him an ideal candidate
to lead the academic enterprise of SUNY and to help all of us move SUNY’s
strategic plan forward while we conduct our search for a permanent provost,”
said Chancellor Zimpher. “As a scholar, teacher, researcher and administrator,
David has distinguished himself and I am grateful to the Board for approving
this appointment.”
“It is my
pleasure to welcome Johanna Duncan-Poitier, Mitch Leventhal and David Lavallee
to the greater SUNY community,” said Board Chairman Carl T. Hayden. “Each of
these individuals comes to us well-qualified and well-prepared to be a part of
SUNY’s future and we are equally eager for their work to begin. Chancellor
Zimpher has done very well in attracting top talent to help advance SUNY.”
“Working
with Chancellor Zimpher and the Board to strengthen SUNY’s role in the
educational pipeline is an exciting challenge,” said Duncan-Poitier. “SUNY
impact on education can be broadened and deepened and I am honored by the Board
of Trustees and Chancellor Zimpher for their trust and confidence.”
“SUNY’s
total global potential has not yet been realized and I am appreciative of the
responsibility Chancellor Zimpher and the Board of Trustees have given me,”
said Leventhal. “Providing new opportunities for faculty and student
across the 64-campus system will be a challenge and one I look forward to; but
equally important will be our efforts to leverage our strengths to help New York state companies more effectively compete in a global economy.”
“Academic
excellence will continue to be the hallmark of the State University of New
York,” said Lavallee. “I want to thank the Board of Trustees and Chancellor
Zimpher for providing me with the opportunity work with the students, faculty
and staff of the entire SUNY System.”
Duncan-Poitier
will serve as the University’s representative with P-12 education leaders and
professionals with a state, national and international scope. She will also
serve as SUNY's liaison with representatives of other higher education sectors.
She will provide leadership and coordination for all matters involved with the educational
pipeline, defined as the educational experience of all learners from early
childhood through K-12, post secondary and workforce development.
Leventhal
will be responsible for developing and coordinating the University’s
system-wide global academic strategy and operations, as well as representing
SUNY’s global interests at a center to be developed in Manhattan. In
partnership with the SUNY Provost, campus presidents and campus international
academic affairs officers, Leventhal will also enhance current SUNY system-wide
programs and develop new ones in order to boost collaboration and international
partnerships.
Lavallee
will not be a candidate for the permanent provost position. He will hold the
position in the interim while a national search is conducted to replace former
Provost Risa I. Palm, who is now the senior vice president for academic affairs
and provost at Georgia State University.
About Johanna
Duncan-Poitier
Duncan-Poitier
currently serves as the Senior Deputy Commissioner of Education P-16 for the
New York State Education Department, overseeing the educational quality and
accountability for 700 school districts, 270 colleges and universities and 434
proprietary schools.
Duncan-Poitier
earned a baccalaureate degree at Queens College and a Master's in Public
Administration at Bernard M. Baruch College. In addition to over 20 years of
leadership experience within the State Education Department, Ms. Duncan-Poitier
also held leadership positions for more than 10 years within the City
University of New York (CUNY). She has been recognized for her
accomplishments with state and national awards.
Duncan-Poitier
will earn a salary of $220,000 per year and will be provided with an automobile
from the university vehicle pool.
About
Mitch Leventhal
Previously,
Leventhal served as vice provost for international affairs at the University of Cincinnati, with responsibilities for global strategy, institutional
collaboration, international recruitment, and curricular internationalization.
Reporting units included UC International Planning, UC International Programs
and UC International Services.
Leventhal
has extensive international experience across many industry verticals,
including shipping, chemicals, finance, insurance, information technology,
technology transfer and education. He is widely recognized as a leader in
international student recruitment strategy, enterprise-wide data systems,
consortium-based initiatives, and public-private partnerships.
Leventhal
was founder and president of the Microstate Corporation, adjunct assistant professor
of Information Management Systems at The George Washington University, founding
CEO of the Intellectual Property Technology Exchange, co-founder vice president
for Strategic Initiatives and managing director, of Planet Payment, Inc., and
more. Prior to his last position at the University of Cincinnati, he headed
North American operations for IDP, a firm owned by Australian universities.
He is
Chairman and President of the American International Recruitment Council
(AIRC), and sits on numerous other commissions and boards. Leventhal earned a bachelor’s
degree in Latin American Politics and a master’s in Comparative and
Developmental policies from the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his Ph.D.
in the International Political Economy of Education from the University of Chicago.
Leventhal
will earn a state salary of $180,000 and will receive a monthly housing
allowance of $4,500.
About
David K. Lavallee
Most
recently, Lavallee was provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at the SUNY
New Paltz, a position he held for 10 years prior to returning to the faculty at
the end of July 2009.
Lavallee
earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, N.Y., and his Master of Science and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Chicago in Chicago, Ill.
Lavallee’s
research in bio-inorganic chemistry has produced more than 60 peer-reviewed
articles, two books and two patents. He has been awarded more than $5 million
in research and training grants from the National Science Foundation, National
Institutes of Health and several other agencies and foundations. He has been an
invited speaker at more than 125 universities and research centers in 11
countries and was a Fulbright senior research fellow in Paris in 1986.
Lavallee
has also served as a research collaborator or consultant at several national
laboratories, including Argonne in Chicago, Ill., Brookhaven in Upton, N.Y., and Los Alamos in Los Alamos, N.M. His teaching and curriculum work has led
to the Catalyst Award, a national award for chemistry teachers, major grants
from the Department of Education for science preparation for teachers and from
the National Science Foundation for high school technology education.
Prior to
his arrival at SUNY New Paltz, Lavallee was the provost and senior vice
president at The City College of New York in Manhattan, a position he held
since 1994. From 1978 to 1994, Lavallee was with Hunter College, City
University of New York, initially as a professor of chemistry and biochemistry
and then as associate provost. Before his tenure at Hunter, he was an assistant
professor at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.
Lavallee
will earn a salary of $285,000 per year, a housing allowance of $5,000 per
month and will be provided with the use of an automobile from the University
vehicle pool.
About the State University of New York
The State
University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 440,000 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs
on 64 campuses. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu
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