SUNY Forms Search Committee for New Chancellor

Albany – State University of New York Board of Trustees Chairman Carl T. Hayden announced the formation of the SUNY Chancellor Search Committee.  The committee is charged with conducting a search for a permanent SUNY chancellor to succeed John R. Ryan, who stepped down in May. Dr. John B. Clark currently serves as interim chancellor.

 

Membership of the committee reflects the larger SUNY community and includes college and university presidents, students, faculty, trustees and alumni.

 

Distinguished citizens from outside of SUNY include Vishakha Desai, president of the Asia Society, Paul Tagliabue, former commissioner of the National Football League, Enrique Senior, a managing director at Allen & Company, and ReiJane Huai, CEO of FalconStor Software, a global data protection and storage virtualization company based on Long Island.

 

 “SUNY is the youngest and largest comprehensive system of higher education system in the nation.  The opportunity to lead it represents a unique challenge.  By the very composition of the search committee, we intend to signal our commitment to extending the global reach and influence of SUNY. Our goal is to conduct a rigorous international search that succeeds in attracting a broad and deep pool of candidates.  I am excited to begin our work,” Hayden said.

 

SUNY Trustee Gerri Warren-Merrick will serve as vice chair of the committee.

 

“Very few positions rival that of SUNY chancellor in the world of higher education,” Warren-Merrick said.  “The next SUNY chancellor has a wonderful opportunity to lead, educate and inspire New York and the nation.  We will be aggressive in our efforts and we are eager to begin the process.”

 

The Committee will be assisted with the national search by Michael Baer, Arnie Miller, Sean Farrell and Monroe Moseley of the Boston-based firm of Isaacson Miller Search Consultants.

 

Committee members serve on a voluntary basis without compensation.  The committee will conclude its work by recommending to the SUNY Board of Trustees a short list of finalists.  The board will consider the finalists and then vote in public session to name the next SUNY chancellor.

 

Clark will not be a candidate in the search.  He was appointed interim chancellor after Ryan, a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral,  announced that he was leaving SUNY become the president of the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, N.C.

 

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 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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2007 CHANCELLOR’S SEARCH COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

 

Donald Boyce, Student Trustee, SUNY Board of Trustees and President of the SUNY Student Assembly

Donald Boyce, president of the Student Assembly of the State University of New York, was sworn in May 31, 2007, as the student trustee of SUNY Board of Trustees. Trustee Boyce co-chairs the Board's Student Life Committee and serves as member of the Academic Standards and Executive Committees.  Currently, Trustee Boyce is enrolled at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy and is working toward his Master of Arts in Public Administration.

 

In addition, Trustee Boyce is a member of Governor Spitzer's Higher Education Commission which is charged with identifying ways to improve the quality of higher education offered in New York State.

 

Committed to student leadership, Boyce has served as president of the Student Senate at Orange County Community College, comptroller and CFO of the Student Association at the University at Albany, and vice president of the Graduate Student Organization at the University at Albany. Further, he has served the Student Assembly in the past as both treasurer and director of academics. Boyce, originally from Wurtsboro, New York, is a graduate of Monticello High School and a winner of the Chancellor’s Award for Academic Excellence.

 

Edward F. Cox, Member, SUNY Board of Trustees Partner – Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, LLP

Edward F. Cox, a partner in the Manhattan law firm of Patterson, Belknap, Webb and Tyler, LLP, holds a B.A. degree from Princeton University (Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) and a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School. He was appointed to the SUNY Board of Trustees on June 27, 1995.

 

Cox is a founding director and former chairman of the Student/Sponsor Partnership for underprivileged inner-city high school students and serves as chairman of the State Council of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and as a member of the State Commission on Judicial Nomination for candidates for the Court of Appeals.

 

Cox co-chairs the SUNY Board committees on Charter Schools and Community Colleges and chairs the Finance and Administration Committee.

 

Vishakha N. Desai, President & CEO, Asia Society

Vishakha N. Desai is president and CEO of Asia Society, a global educational organization dedicated to deepening connections among the peoples of Asia and the United States. She sets the directions for the Society's diverse set of programs—in the areas of policy, business, arts, culture and education—throughout the Society's network of centers in the U.S. and in Asia. She is a frequent speaker and commentator in the media, addressing cultural, social, educational, business, and policy trends and their implications for the U.S.-Asia relationship and Asian regional ties.

 

Appointed president in 2004, Dr. Desai conceptualized and presided over the organization's fiftieth anniversary celebrations in 2006, marked by high-profile activities and expansive fundraising initiatives. As a result of these efforts, the Society is expanding the scope and scale of its activities, particularly in Asia, including a new India Centre in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), which opened in 2006, and planned multi-million-dollar physical facilities in Hong Kong, Houston and a new center in Seoul, Korea.  Prior to her appointment as president, Dr. Desai served as Asia Society’s senior vice president and director of the Museum and Cultural Programs. In this position, she managed the Society’s $40 million renovation of its New York City headquarters.

 

Dr. Desai holds a B.A. in political science from Bombay University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Asian Art History from the University of Michigan. The recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, Dr. Desai was awarded an honorary doctorate from Susquehanna University in 1996 and from the College Staten Island in 2005. She was also awarded the Asian American of the Year Award by the University of Massachusetts, and by Asian Americans for Equality, and is a recipient of the National Institute of Social Sciences Gold Medal. She serves on the Boards of The Brookings Institution and Asian University for women, among others.

 

Carl T Hayden, Chairman of the SUNY Board of Trustees, chair of the SUNY Chancellor Search Committee and Chancellor Emeritus of New York State Board of Regents

 

Carl T. Hayden was appointed chairman of the SUNY Board of Trustees October 22, 2007.  Chairman Hayden was named Chancellor Emeritus of the New York State Board of Regents in April 2002 after 12 years on the Board. He was originally elected to the Board of Regents in 1990, was elected chancellor in 1995, and re-elected chancellor twice thereafter.  Hayden was previously chairman of the Board of the New York State Health Foundation and currently chairs the Chemung County School Readiness Project. From 2003 to 2007, Hayden was a director of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the Campaign for Fiscal Equity.

 

Hayden graduated from Hamilton College in 1963.  At Hamilton, he majored in the history of East Asia.  In 1970, he earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Cornell Law School, where he was president of the Law Student Association.  Hayden served in the U.S. Navy from 1963-1967.  He was a Gunnery Officer aboard USS Boston (CAG-1), a heavy cruiser, and a legal officer at the US Naval Station, Treasure Island, San Francisco, California.

 

Muriel Howard, President, SUNY College at Buffalo

Dr. Muriel A. Howard has served as the president of Buffalo State College since 1996. Dr. Howard's professional and scholarly interests include educational leadership and the representation of women and minorities in the academy.

 

President Howard is the immediate past chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Board of Directors. The organization's mission is to open the door of opportunity of higher education to all citizens and to embrace students who traditionally have been underrepresented in American colleges and universities. Buffalo State College emulates this mission under the leadership of President Howard.

 

She serves on several national boards, including the Voluntary System of Accountability Presidential Advisory Committee, the Air University Board of Visitors, the American Academic Leadership Institute, the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, and the National Survey of Student Engagement Advisory Board.

 

ReiJane Huai, Chairman and CEO, FalconStor Software, Inc. and SUNY Stony Brook Alumnus (1985)

Chairman and CEO ReiJane Huai came to FalconStor, a global data protection and storage virtualization company, with a distinguished career in software development and management. As executive vice president and general manager, Asia, for Computer Associates International, Inc., he was responsible for sales, marketing and the development of strategic joint ventures in the region.

 

Mr. Huai joined CA in 1996 with its acquisition of Cheyenne Software, Inc., where he was president and CEO. He joined Cheyenne in 1985 as manager of research and development, and was appointed director of engineering in 1987. While there, he served as chief architect of ARCserve, the industry's first storage management solution for the client/server environment. Mr. Huai received a master's degree in computer science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1985.

 

Milton Johnson, President, Faculty Council of Community Colleges and Associate Professor of Speech, Finger Lakes Community College

Mr. Johnson is an associate professor of communications at FLCC, and president of the Faculty Council of Community Colleges, the faculty governance body of the 30 Community Colleges.

Professor Johnson was elected president of the Faculty Council of Community Colleges in April 2007 after six years on the Faculty Council.  Originally elected to the Faculty Council in 2001 by the Faculty of Finger Lakes Community College, Professor Johnson has served as Governance Committee co-chair, vice president and treasurer, and as a member of several SUNY strategic planning committees.  He presently serves on the SUNY General Education Assessment Review Group and on the Advisory Board for the Institute for Community College Development.  He is a recipient of a 2007 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service and the 2006 Finger Lakes Community College Student Corporation Student Choice Award.  He received his B.A. in Criminology and M.A. in Communications (Theatre) from Indiana State University.

 

 

Alain Kaloyeros, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, University at Albany

Alain E. Kaloyeros is also a Professor of Nanosciences at UAlbany's CNSE and President of Albany NanoTech (ANT), a not-for-profit corporation created by the SUNY Research Foundation (RF) to implement strategic government-university-corporate nanotechnology partnerships and assist in the educational and research missions of CNSE.

 

Kaloyeros received his Ph.D. in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1987. He has authored and co-authored over 150 articles and contributed to 7 books in nanoelectronics and nanooptoelectronics ultrathin films, atomic layer vapor phase processes, and nanoscale x-ray, electron, and photon-based metrology. Kaloyeros holds 13 U.S. patents. He is a past recipient of the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award; the NSF Research Initiation Award; the Albany Foundation 1995 Academic Laureate Award; the 1999 Citizen of the University Award; the 2002 Outstanding Inventor Award of the SUNY RF; the R&D 100 Award for one of the Most Technologically Significant Inventions of 2001; the 2003 SUNY RF Excellence in the Pursuit of Knowledge Award; the 2004 RF Partnership in Leadership Award; and the 2005 Tech Valley Summit MIKE (Mentorship, Innovation, Knowledge, and Entrepreneurship) Award on behalf of the Albany NanoTech leadership team. He is also in the 2004 and 2005 AcademicKeys Who's Who in Sciences Higher Education and the 2005 AcademicKeys Who's Who in Higher Education Administration.

 

John LaRosa, President, SUNY Downstate Medical Center at Brooklyn

John C. LaRosa, MD, FACP, is president of SUNY Downstate Medical Center at Brooklyn, one of two freestanding health science centers in the SUNY system. A leader in medical education and academic medicine administration, Dr. LaRosa is internationally known for his research on statins and the role that cholesterol, hormones, and diet play in heart disease.

 

Dr. LaRosa oversees the education, research, and clinical programs at Downstate, which comprises colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Related Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, and the 376-bed University Hospital of Brooklyn, its onsite clinical teaching facility that serves one of the most diverse populations in the nation.

 

Since assuming Downstate’s leadership in 1999, Dr. LaRosa has strengthened its role as the anchor for health education in Brooklyn; increased grant funding by 40 percent; and positioned Downstate's clinical programs to achieve regional prominence. In 2001, he initiated a highly successful Master of Public Health Program. Expanded in 2007 to include a Doctor of Public Health and recently approved by the SUNY Board of Trustees, these degree programs prepare the way for a School of Public Health. The advanced biotechnology park Dr. LaRosa established in Brooklyn has grown to include an incubator for early-stage biotech companies, one of only three in New York City; a commercial synthetic chemistry facility; and, in concert with the Empire State Development Corporation and the SUNY Research Foundation, the Brooklyn Army Terminal as a site for biotech expansion and manufacturing.

 

H. Carl McCall, Member, SUNY Board of Trustees and Former NYS Comptroller

H. Carl McCall was appointed to the SUNY Board of Trustees October 22, 2007.

Mr. McCall served as comptroller of the State of New York from May 1993 to December 2002.  As chief fiscal officer of the state, he was responsible for governmental and financial oversight and pension fund management.  As sole Trustee of the 880,000-member State and Local Retirement Systems, Mr. McCall was responsible for investing a pension fund valued at $112 billion. 

 

Mr. McCall has had a distinguished career as a public servant.  He served three terms as a New York State Senator representing the upper Manhattan district of New York City; as an ambassador to the United Nations; as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; and as the commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights.

 

From 1991 to 1993, McCall served as president of the New York City Board of Education, and presently serves on the boards of New Plan Realty Corporation, the Ariel Mutual Fund and TYCO International and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received his B.A. from Dartmouth College and was also educated at the Andover Newton Theological Seminary and the University of Edinburgh.

 

Enrique F. Senior, Managing Director, Allen & Company

Enrique Senior serves as a managing director for Allen & Company, a private investment firm based in New York City. Founded in 1922 by brothers Herbert and Charles Allen, the company serves some of the worlds leading media, information and entertainment enterprises as advisor, underwriter and broker.

 

Allen & Company is noted for its annual conference held each July at Sun Valley, Idaho, which attracts leaders from media, entertainment, politics, philanthropy, politics and other areas.

 

John Simpson, President, State University at Buffalo

Dr. John B. Simpson was appointed president of the University at Buffalo on January 1, 2004, bringing with him more than 30 years of experience in higher education.  Prior to his appointment as UB president, he held the post of campus provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he served from 1998-2003.  Dr. Simpson’s previous appointments include 23 years at the University of Washington, where he joined the department of psychology faculty in 1975, later serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1994-98. 

 

A native of California, Dr. Simpson received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara and earned his doctorate from Northwestern University in neurobiology and behavior.  Dr. Simpson has published widely in the field of neuroendocrinology, and he is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society for Neuroscience, and the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior.  A member of the SUNY Research Foundation Board and the UB Associates Board, Dr. Simpson is an ex officio member of the UB Foundation Board of Trustees.  Among his numerous leadership roles, Dr. Simpson serves on the boards of the SUNY Research Foundation, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy.  In testament to the university’s longstanding leadership in international education, he received an honorary degree from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in 2007.  Appointed by Governor Spitzer to the New York State Commission on Higher Education, he also serves on the American Council on Education’s Commission on International Initiatives.

 

David Skorton, President, Cornell University

David J. Skorton became Cornell's 12th president July 1, 2006. He holds faculty appointments at the rank of professor in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and in Biomedical Engineering on Cornell's Ithaca campus. He is also vice chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum, an independent, non-profit organization of Fortune 500 CEOs, leaders of colleges and universities, and foundation executives.

 

A seasoned administrator, board-certified cardiologist, biomedical researcher, musician and advocate for the arts and humanities, he aims to make Cornell a model combination of academic distinction and public service. He has vowed, among other goals, to continue and accelerate the transformation of the undergraduate experience in order to make Cornell the finest research university and provider of undergraduate education in the world, and to integrate the activities of the Weill Cornell Medical College campuses with the activities of the university's Ithaca and Geneva, N.Y., campuses in order to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration.

 

Before coming to Cornell, he was president of the University of Iowa for three years, beginning in March 2003, and he was a faculty member there for 26 years. A national leader in research ethics, he was charter president of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc., the first entity organized specifically to accredit human research protection programs. He has traveled widely in Europe and Asia on behalf of both academic and community projects, and he engages in service to the community, particularly in regional and state economic development, as a member of the boards of the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York, Inc.

 

Debbie Sydow, President, Onondaga Community College

Dr. Debbie L. Sydow, the 7th president of Onondaga Community College, has served as a community college educator and administrator for more than 20 years. Throughout her career, she has worked in support of high quality educational programs and comprehensive support services for students seeking college transfer, job training, continuing education, or basic skills education. In her various administrative and faculty roles, she has actively worked with all college stakeholders to ensure curricular quality and program alignment with community need.

 

As president and CEO of Onondaga Community College, one of the 64 SUNY campuses, Dr. Sydow leads an institution that was recently named one of the fastest growing community colleges in the nation. She has guided record enrollment growth and capital improvements in excess of $50 million.  The opening of the College's first student residence halls represents just one of many transformative projects that Dr. Sydow has initiated and led at Onondaga. Others include the highly successful Arts Across Campus program and a comprehensive strategic enrollment management program. In addition, she has expanded community access to higher education through distance education and flexible program offerings, and secured gifts and grants totaling more than $20 million.

 

An active professional and civic leader, she serves as president of the Association for Presidents of Public Community Colleges in New York, and on the boards of the Greater Syracuse Metropolitan Development Association, ProLiteracy Worldwide, Hartwick College, and other community and educational organizations. She has been recognized with numerous awards for her professional leadership and commitment to the community.

 

Paul Tagliabue, Chairman, Board of Directors, the Neil D. Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce, the State University of New York and Former Commissioner, National Football League

 

Mr. Tagliabue serves as the founding chairman of the Levin Institute. From 1989 to 2006, he was commissioner of the National Football League and presided over an extended period of labor peace and revenue growth in professional football.  During his tenure, the League grew from 28 to 32 teams, secured the largest television contracts in entertainment history, supported the construction of more than 20 NFL team stadiums, and expanded the NFL’s global reach.

 

He began his career as a policy analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense; subsequently, he was a partner in the Washington law firm of Covington & Burling. He has served on the board of governors of the United Way of America and on the board of the National Urban League. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

 

Mr. Tagliabue recently rejoined Covington & Burling as senior of counsel. He will serve in the firm’s Washington, DC and New York offices, and will advise clients on strategic matters in the communications/media, technology and international sectors. 

 

Candace Vancko, President, SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Dr. Candace Vancko was named ninth president of SUNY Delhi in June 1999. Dr. Vancko, who has enjoyed success in both the private and the public sector, is nationally recognized as a higher education management specialist.  Prior to coming to Delhi Dr. Vancko served as vice president for Enrollment Services at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. From 1989 to present she has served as senior associate with Noel Levitz as an enrollment management consultant for more than 10 two-year colleges.

 

Her professional affiliations have included higher education advisory board, American Marketing Association; past president, executive committee, American College Testing program's Ohio Assembly; former national board member and past vice president for Publications, American Association of Community College's National Council for Staff, Program and Organizational Development; regional advisory board member, School to
Work; regional advisory board member, Tech Prep, board of directors, ARC of Delaware County; board of directors, Planned Parenthood of South Central NY; board of directors, Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care; and campaign co-chair, United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties.

 

She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Speech from The Pennsylvania State University.  She received her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Ohio University.

 

Gerri Warren-Merrick, Member, SUNY Board of Trustees, Co-Chair of the SUNY Chancellor Search Committee and president of WarrenMerrick Communications and former Vice President for Global Public Policy for Time Warner

 

Gerri plans a spring launch of WarrenMerrick Communications, where she will continue her work in communications strategy, philanthropy, public policy and social responsibility.

 

Gerri recently retired from Time Warner Inc. after 25 years of service. As vice president of Global Public Policy for Time Warner Inc., Gerri Warren-Merrick was responsible for building and maintaining relationships with local, state and national policy leaders communicating company objectives and creating partnerships and programs related to public policy, education and the arts. She acted as a primary liaison with institutions and communities served by Time Warner and its divisions, including Home Box Office, Time Inc., New Line Cinema, Time Warner Cable, Turner Broadcasting, Warner Bros. and America Online.

 

For the past 20 years, Gerri held several executive positions in community relations, public affairs, government relations and communications for Time Warner Cable and Time Warner Inc. In those roles she was instrumental in directing company resources to innovative philanthropic initiatives that leveraged Time Warner's wide-ranging expertise, global presence and fundamental commitment to service the public interest.

Gerri was appointed to the SUNY Board of Trustees on June 15, 2006.

 

Carl Wiezalis, Member, SUNY Board of Trustees, President of the University Faculty Senate and Professor of Respiratory Therapy, Upstate Medical Center

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

 

Professor Wiezalis was elected president of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) in 2001, and is a former president of the New York State Society for Respiratory Care.  In addition, Carl was the recipient of the National Educator of the Year Award granted by his professional society and a Fellow in that organization.  He currently co-chairs the Ethics Committee for the AARC.  Carl has enjoyed many years of professional service at the local, state and national levels.

    

Professor 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 President Wiezalis will serve 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 New York State Senate and Assembly and signed by Governor Pataki in 2006. 

 

Staff to Search Committee:

John J. O’Connor, Vice Chancellor and Secretary of the University

Aimee Bernstein, Associate Vice Chancellor