SUNY Board of Trustees Announces Academic Actions and Appointments

June 29, 2020

Temporarily Suspends SAT/ACT Requirements for 2021-2022 Academic Year

Expands Veterans Application Fee Waiver to Include Active Military, Their Spouses, and Dependents

Appoints Dr. Stephen H. Kolison, Jr., as new SUNY Fredonia President

Issues Commendation for Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson

Appoints New SUNY Interim Leadership Team to Lead SUNY During Chancellor Transition

Albany – State University of New York Board of Trustees today announced academic actions and appointments, including decisions directly impacting campuses and new students. Actions include temporarily suspending the SAT and ACT testing requirements for the 2021-2022 academic year; expanding SUNY's Veterans Application Fee Waiver program to include active military, their spouses, and dependents; and appointing a new SUNY Fredonia President.

SAT/ACT Testing Requirement Suspended for 2021-2022

SUNY campuses will temporarily suspend SAT/ACT standardized testing requirements for rising high school seniors intending to enroll at a SUNY bachelor’s degree-granting campus for the 2021-2022 academic year. Today's action is a temporary change of admission eligibility requirements applying to the spring 2021, fall 2021, and spring 2022 cycles only. For those prospective applicants who have already taken or will take the SAT/ACT and wish to submit scores, SUNY campuses will include those official scores as part of their review.

SUNY’s Veterans Application Fee Waiver Program Expanded

The Board of Trustees approved the expansion of SUNY's Veterans Application Fee Waiver to include dependents of Veterans, as well as active-duty military service members and their spouses and dependents. SUNY established the fee waiver for Veterans and their spouses in November 2019. The action is effective immediately at SUNY's state-operated campuses, and the Board will strongly encourage the boards of SUNY’s 30 community colleges to do the same.

Stephen H. Kolison, Jr., Appointed as new SUNY Fredonia President

Dr. Stephen H. Kolison, Jr., is appointed as SUNY Fredonia’s 14^th president, effective August 17, 2020. Dr. Kolison is executive vice president and provost for the University of Indianapolis. In this capacity, he has a wide range of responsibilities including providing leadership for achieving the academic mission of the University. He joined the University of Indianapolis on April 1, 2017.

Dr. Kolison began his professional career in 1990 when he joined Tuskegee University in Alabama as an assistant professor and coordinator of the Forest Resources Program. He obtained his bachelor of science in general forestry from the University of Liberia, and earned his master of science and doctorate degrees in forest economics from Iowa State University. He is a graduate of the American Academic Leadership Institute and holds four postdoctoral certificates from Harvard University.

Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson Commendation

The Board of Trustees in acknowledging Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson’s final SUNY meeting unanimously approved a commendation for her service. The honor recognizes Chancellor's leadership of the SUNY system and initiatives implemented to build on SUNY's values of providing the broadest access to a high-quality education. Chancellor Johnson led the system with a vision grounded in four central pillars: individualized learning, research and innovation, sustainability, and partnerships.

Interim Leadership Established during Chancellor Transition

Following the departure of Chancellor Johnson, the Board of Trustees today appointed SUNY’s Interim Leadership Team, which will be led by Robert Megna, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer, and Tod Laursen, Senior Vice Chancellor and Provost. The Board also reaffirmed and expanded key positions of SUNY’s executive leadership team, which is charged with preparing campuses for reopening.

The Board of Trustees today also appointed Jennifer Mero as Secretary to the Board of Trustees. The Secretary to the Board of Trustees serves as the principal liaison to the Board of Trustees and SUNY’s executive leadership team, campus presidents and system constituents.

Erie Community College Announces Presidential Search and Interim Leadership

The Erie Community College Board of Trustees announced the immediate search for Erie Community College’s 12^th president, which is expected to result in a candidate selection by the end of 2020. The co-chairs for the search will be Erie Board Chair Leonard Lenihan and Erie Trustee Danise Wilson. A website has been established for the search: www.ecc.edu/Presidential-Search.

The Board established a leadership transition with the approval of the Erie Board appointment of William D. Reuter as interim president for the campus. His role is effective July 1, 2020, following the previously announced departure of President Dan Hocoy.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.