SUNY Chancellor to Appoint Vice Admiral John W. Craine Jr. as Special Advisor

Albany – State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher today announced that she will appoint outgoing SUNY Maritime President Vice Admiral John W. Craine Jr. as Special Advisor to the Chancellor. In this role, Admiral Craine will help oversee the implementation of the recently announced SUNY Campus Alliance Networks.

“Admiral Craine is an experienced leader in generating efficiency through the use of shared services, having achieved significant cost savings during his time at SUNY Maritime and in the Navy,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “We are fortunate to have his expertise available as we implement the Campus Alliance Networks across SUNY and take our commitment to students to the next level by redirecting administrative funds toward improving their educational experience.”

“I have seen first-hand the positive outcomes that result as services are shared among those with common interests, goals, and constituencies,” said Admiral Craine. “The Campus Alliance Networks that Chancellor Zimpher and the Board of Trustees are implementing across New York put SUNY on a path toward greater efficiency and enable campuses to provide enhanced services to the students, faculty, and communities they serve. SUNY is perfectly suited for this vital effort, and I look forward to helping the Chancellor carry it out.”

As Commander of Naval Shore Activities, US Atlantic Fleet, Admiral Craine was involved with a base-realignment process that saved millions of dollars, enhanced efficiencies, and reduced excess infrastructure. As Chief of Naval Education and Training, he also managed realignment of education and training functions for the Navy.

As president of SUNY Maritime College, Admiral Craine instituted a shared services program with the SUNY Levin Institute in mid-town Manhattan, creating shared services between SUNY Maritime’s human resources, payroll, finance, and purchasing for the Levin Institute. For the SUNY Global Center, housed in the same facility as the Levin Institute, Admiral Craine executed a shared services plan for facilities management and conference services. Both initiatives led to significant cost savings.

Admiral Craine was appointed president of SUNY Maritime on May 27, 2006, after serving as the acting president since June 2005. He also served as the interim president of the college from October 2001 to July 2002, when he became the founding president of the State University’s Neil D. Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce. Admiral Craine has repeatedly been tapped by the SUNY Board to advise on better alignment of services and greater efficiency within SUNY, first as chairman of the Task Force on Efficiency and Effectiveness of the State University in 2003 and later, in 2009, as Chairman of the Re-Engineering SUNY Advisory Committee.

In June, the SUNY Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Rear Admiral Wendi Carpenter, USNR, president of SUNY Maritime College. She assumed the duties of president August 31, 2011, becoming the 10th president of SUNY Maritime and the first woman to serve as president of the college. Chancellor Zimpher and SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman Carl T. Hayden were in attendance for the  “Change of Office” ceremony held on campus.

Chancellor Zimpher recently announced the establishment of SUNY Strategic Campus Alliance Networks throughout the state-operated system. Networks call for shared administrative functions between two or more campuses in each region to enable the expansion of academic resources and course availability for students while increasing efficiency.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 467,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with nearly 3 million alumni around the globe. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu