First Faculty Trustee in SUNY History Serves on Board

Albany – Upstate Medical University Professor Carl P. Wiezalis today participated in the SUNY Board of Trustees meeting as the first active SUNY faculty member to serve on the board.

“Welcoming Carl Wiezalis to the Board is an honor and a pleasure. Professor Wiezalis, as president of the Faculty Senate, has demonstrated outstanding leadership and I look forward to the benefit of his experience, expertise and wisdom,” said SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman Carl T. Hayden.

“Carl Wiezalis is a tireless advocate for SUNY, an expert in his chosen field, and a person of strong character and integrity,” said SUNY Interim Chancellor Dr. John B. Clark.  “I greatly value and appreciate Carl’s wisdom and support. The faculty can be certain that they are very well represented on the Board of Trustees.”

The president of the SUNY Faculty Senate sits on the State University Board of Trustees as a non-voting member.  The legislation naming the SUNY Faculty Senate president to the board became effective July 1, 2007.

“As the faculty representative, I am delighted to join the State University Board of Trustees,” said Wiezalis.  “At the same time, serving on the Board is a humbling responsibility. I will do all that I can to ensure the voice of the faculty is heard and I look forward to working with all my colleagues on the board as we advance teaching, learning, research and public service across the SUNY System.”

Wiezalis is a full professor with the State University of New York at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, where he has served as professor of Respiratory Care and Cardiorespiratory Sciences for 38 years, 27 years as department chairman. He is the recipient of the Upstate Medical University President's Awards for Professional Service and Affirmative Action and additional honors and recognitions.

Wiezalis is beginning his second two-year term as president of the University Faculty Senate of the State University of New York. In this capacity, Wiezalis serves as the first active SUNY faculty member on the SUNY Board of Trustees in the history of the University. The addition of the University Faculty Senate President to the Board of Trustees was mandated by supporting legislation passed by the state Legislature and signed into law in 2006. 

Wiezalis holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Hartford and a graduate degree from Syracuse University. He is a Licensed Registered Respiratory Therapist with the New York State Department of Health and the National Board for Respiratory Care.

He and his wife Sheila Kelly Wiezalis are parents of five children, all of whom are SUNY alumni.

The University Faculty Senate serves as a resource on governance for the University. It serves as a deliberative body on educational policies for the SUNY System. In this capacity, it issues publications such as handbooks, directories and reports on matters such as budget, program revision and presidential searches.

The Board of Trustees is the governing body of SUNY. It consists of 17 members, 15 of whom are appointed by the governor, by and with consent of the state Senate. The president of the Student Assembly serves as student Trustee. The president of the SUNY Faculty Senate serves as a non-voting member. All members of the Board serve on a voluntary basis and do not receive salaries for their services.

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 427,000 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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