Garrick Utley to Step Down as SUNY Levin Institute President

New York City - State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher today announced that Garrick Utley, president of the SUNY Levin Institute, will step down from his position after eight years at the helm, effective December 31, 2011. Utley will continue his involvement with the Levin Institute as a Senior Fellow.

Since 2003, Utley has led the development of innovative learning, research, and public engagement initiatives designed to help New York respond to globalization. Prior to his SUNY service, Utley was for many years a widely known and respected broadcast journalist focused on international affairs.

“The mission of the Levin Institute has always been to help New York and the U.S. hone their competitive response to globalization in a volatile world economy,” said SUNY Board Chairman Carl T. Hayden. “Garrick Utley worked to define and embrace this mission, inspiring all of us with his commitment to lifelong learning and the need to face the serious challenges confronting New Yorkers and Americans today. He leaves the Levin Institute a legacy of innovative programs and a clear path to a globally competitive future for New York entrepreneurs and professionals.”

Chancellor Zimpher said, “Garrick Utley’s extraordinary leadership and judgment have guided Levin’s impressive accomplishments over the last eight years. As a result of his leadership, and the committed effort of the Institute’s team, SUNY’s Levin Institute prepares professionals for new opportunities, plants seeds for new business growth and activity, and imparts the skills New York entrepreneurs need to see their ideas succeed in today’s economy.”

Matthew Nimetz, chair of the Levin Board, said, “Garrick’s greatest insight was to recognize how rapidly New York’s competitive position in the global economy is being challenged. His greatest accomplishment has been to give SUNY a new and dynamic role within the City of New York, focusing on this transformational phenomenon. The New York and the World initiative, which Garrick will continue to lead, is a major step forward in positioning the city and the state to deal aggressively with the global challenges to New York’s economic vitality.”

“New Yorkers, like all Americans, are living through the epic drama of our time,” Utley observed. “As we face low growth, high unemployment, and continuing economic uncertainty in today’s global economic environment, how we respond to these challenges will define New York’s future.”

Hallmark Levin Institute programs that prospered under Utley’s tenure include:

•       JumpStart NYC – A three-month educational program, conducted in collaboration with the

New York City Economic Development Corporation, to help professionals in transition find opportunities for new careers at small, entrepreneurial companies. More than 450 individuals have participated to date.

•       FastTrac GrowthVenture and FastTrac NewVenture – More than 1,500 New Yorkers have completed these two programs, which help entrepreneurs start, manage, and grow successful businesses. The FastTrac programs are a collaboration between the Levin Institute, the New York City Department of Small Business Services, and the Kauffman Foundation.

•       The Confucius Institute for Business at the State University of New York – Created in partnership with the Nanjing University for Finance and Economics, this is the fifth Confucius Institute established within SUNY and the first focused exclusively on business and working professionals. The Institute offers New York companies and entrepreneurs course work on the business culture, language, and market skills needed to succeed in China.

•       New York in the World – The first state-wide research and public engagement initiative designed to inform the public of the benefits and costs of globalization to New York State and New York City, as well as how to best respond to its impact. With support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, this initiative has produced research and recommendations that are substantive and accessible to decision makers in the public and private sectors, as well as the general public. 

•       Innovate New York – With support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this program focuses on the impact of globalization and new technologies on the economic future of New York State and City. Its goal is to foster mutually rewarding collaboration among start up and traditional businesses, as well as between investors and new business ventures in New York.

·         The Global Workforce Project – Supported by a U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant, this project works with SUNY campuses to create curricula modules on global issues for undergraduate education programs.

“Garrick Utley is a consummate professional who has made a significant and indelible contribution to SUNY’s efforts to bring innovative and quality education and public service to New York at a time of great change" said Mitch Leventhal, SUNY's Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs. “His dedication to erasing barriers of language, culture, and national interest has helped make the Levin Institute – and the SUNY Global Center that houses it – an important destination not just for students and educators, but also for public figures and events of global significance. I am pleased that Mr. Utley will be a Senior Fellow at the Levin Institute and will remain involved in the New York and the World initiative.”

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