SUNY BOT Approves Dr. Daniel P. Larson as President of Cayuga County Community College

Albany -- The State University of New York Board of Trustees today approved the appointment of Dr. Daniel P. Larson as the President of Cayuga County Community College, effective Oct. 26, 2007. Dr. Larson has been serving in this capacity since Aug. 1, 2007.

 “Dr. Larson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position, having served Mohawk Valley Community College for four years and, prior to that, gaining community college experience in Missouri,” said Interim SUNY Chancellor Dr. John B. Clark. “I am confident that Dr. Larson will continue to serve the students, faculty and staff at Cayuga County Community College with great success and I commend the Board of Trustees for confirming his appointment today.”

“Dr. Larson’s capacity for strong leadership is evident in his past experience both within the SUNY community college system and at St. Charles Community College in St. Peters, Missouri,” said SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman Carl T. Hayden. “I am pleased to be a part of this confirmation and look forward to working with Dr. Larson.”

Dr. Larson said, "I deeply appreciate the SUNY Board's confirmation of my appointment as Cayuga Community College president. This is a vote of confidence for a selection process that involved all of the Cayuga community. As we address the challenges and opportunities of the next many years, I am committed to continuing to engage the entire College as a dynamic and collegial community."

Since April 2003, Dr. Larson had served as vice president for Instruction at Mohawk Valley Community College, Utica and Rome, N.Y.  As chief academic officer, he provided executive leadership for all academic programs, developed new instructional programs and partnerships based on regional needs and provided leadership for outcomes assessment and institutional effectiveness activities. 

As Steering Committee co-chair and editor, Dr. Larson designed and implemented the Middle States self-study project and reinvigorated outcomes assessment with faculty engagement in anticipation of this very study. He strengthened grant funding through renewed engagement with faculty and staff, resulting in new grant proposals and awards totaling more than $5 million during 2005-06. In addition, Dr. Larson re-established a collaborative relationship with Student Services, revised the faculty evaluation process, and supported the expansion of high school concurrent-enrollment offerings.

From 1999 to 2003, Larson served as vice president for academic affairs at St. Charles Community College, St. Peters, Mo. He designed and completed the successful North Central self-study and site visit in March 2002, with the first 10-year accreditation renewal in the 15-year history of the college. He redefined student learning assessment with a clearer delineation of structure, personnel, activity, and outcomes – noted as a primary strength in the March 2002 North Central team report after being a primary weakness in the 1996 report. Larson completed a $13.75 million Phase 3 campus construction project and began planning for the $30 million Phase 4 construction of five new campus buildings to accommodate the expanding student population. In addition, Larson led the revision of general education to align with the new 42-hour statewide block transferable to all Missouri public and independent signatory institutions.

Prior to his work at St. Charles Community College, Larson served as Dean of Arts & Sciences at Lake Michigan College (Benton Harbor, Mich.), and Founding Chair of the Humanities Department and Executive Director of Goppert Theatre at Avila College (Kansas City, Mo.).

Larson holds a doctorate of musical arts in voice performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  He earned a master of music in voice performance and literature and a bachelor of music in applied music-voice from the University of Rochester.  Dr. Larson is also a 1970 graduate of SUNY Fredonia.

The Board of Trustees of Cayuga County Community College appointed Larson as Administrator-in-Charge, effective Aug. 1, 2007. On July 10, 2007, the Cayuga County Community College Board of Trustees adopted a resolution appointing Larson to the post, following a national search and interviews at the campus level and with SUNY System Administration senior staff and pending approval from the SUNY Board of Trustees.

Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes region of Central New York, Cayuga Community College is a comprehensive community college and a fully accredited unit of the State University of New York.  It has a full- and part-time student body of 3,896 and a faculty of 217 at its two campuses in Auburn and Fulton.

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. 

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