Chancellor Ryan to be President and CEO of the Center for Creative Leadership

Albany – State University of New York Chancellor John R. Ryan today announced that he will step down as chancellor effective at the end of May to become the president and CEO of the Center for Creative Leadership, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina.

In making his announcement Chancellor Ryan said, “I have greatly enjoyed my five years at the State University of New York, first as president of the Maritime College, then as interim president of the University at Albany and for the past two years as your chancellor.

“With the team of outstanding campus presidents, highly skilled administrators and staff at the System and campus levels, a strong faculty that will become truly exceptional with the hundreds of new scholars now being hired and the largest student enrollment in our history, SUNY is advancing toward the threshold of greatness.”

State University of New York Board of Trustees Chairman Thomas F. Egan said, “John Ryan has served the State University of New York with integrity and distinction.  A true leader and public servant, he has moved the University forward, gaining the confidence of students, faculty and elected officials of all political persuasions.  The foundation he has put in place will enable the State University to become one of the great institutions of the 21^st Century.  My colleagues on the Board of Trustees and I owe him a special debt of gratitude for taking on the assignments of serving as president of two of our campuses and as our chancellor.  We wish John and his wife, Diane, continued success.”

Chairman Egan added, “I have spoken with Governor Spitzer’s staff and have indicated my goal of working closely with them to insure a smooth transition as the Board of Trustees identifies an interim chancellor later in the spring and undertakes a national search for Chancellor Ryan’s successor.”

The State University of New York Board of Trustees named John R. Ryan President of the Maritime College on June 15, 2002 and interim president of the University at Albany February 24, 2004.  The Board named Ryan interim chancellor effective June 1, 2005 and permanent chancellor December 19, 2005. Working with the governor, the Legislature and campus presidents, Ryan helped to secure the strongest operating budget in two decades; including funding for:

• Mandatory and base level needs, such as faculty salaries and energy,
• Faculty quality and economic development through the Empire Innovation Plan,
• Enrollment growth funding to provide proper resources for our current and future students,
• High-needs programs to meet New York’s demand for graduates in engineering, information technology and health care fields such as nursing, and
• Capital construction projects to provide the infrastructure improvements necessary to meet campus needs.

Ryan also served as the 56th superintendent (president) of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis from 1998 to 2002, overseeing a $220 million annual budget and 7,000 faculty, staff and students. While at Annapolis, the largely civilian Faculty Senate praised the academic focus of his administration and passed a unanimous resolution requesting that he remain for an additional four-year term -- a first in the history of the school.

Chancellor Ryan’s biography is available at:

http://www.suny.edu/System_Administration/Chancellor/chancellor.cfm?nav=aboutSUNY&navLevel=2

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 417,500 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses