Stanley to transition to SUNY interim-chancellor role

ALBANY, N.Y. — SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley is heading toward retirement on Dec. 31, but her immediate plans will keep her quite active in the education sector.

The SUNY board of trustees on Dec. 20 announced it has appointed Stanley as interim chancellor to lead SUNY after Chancellor Jim Malatras steps down on Jan. 14. 

Malatras announced his resignation on Dec. 9 after documents pertaining to the sexual-harassment probe of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed that Malatras had conversations that included comments about Lindsey Boylan, a Cuomo accuser and a former Malatras co-worker that used language involving an expletive. The New York State Attorney General’s office the previous week had released the documents on the sexual-harassment probe of Cuomo.

Malatras noted in his resignation letter that “the recent events surrounding me over the past week have become a distraction.”

In her new role, Stanley brings nearly 45 years of campus leadership to SUNY and will begin serving as interim chancellor on Jan. 15. She’ll retire as the 10th president of SUNY Oswego at the end of this month after serving in the role since 1997 and as interim president for two years before her appointment to the permanent role. 

“…President Stanley is the right educator at the right time to lead this prestigious university system,” Merryl Tisch, who chairs the SUNY board of trustees, said in a release. “With President Stanley’s decades of leadership, commitment to academic excellence, and her unwavering support for students, she is well-positioned to serve our 64 campuses with a proven record of accomplishments, integrity, and intellect.”

Stanley made the following statement about her new assignment:

“During my tenure at SUNY, I have had the great pleasure of collaborating with exemplary leaders at all levels throughout our system, and it is an incredible honor to continue that work with the SUNY Board of Trustees and our campus presidents,” she said. “I do not take lightly our responsibility to make sure we are providing a safe and welcoming environment that allows our students to grow academically and provide the foundation to pursue and reach their goals and dreams. During this leadership transition, their success will be my highest priority, and I look forward to leading this great university system to new heights.”

Fred Kowal, president of United University Professions, called Stanley “an immensely accomplished leader” and hopes she will “effectively lead SUNY through this transition period.”

“Today, we also renew our call for a nationwide search for a permanent SUNY chancellor with a high priority on candidates of diversity, and an open, communicative process,” Kowal said in a Dec. 20 statement. “In the coming year, there is critical work that will need to be done and we look forward to working with the Board of Trustees, Dr. Stanley, and the other unions representing SUNY employees to deliver resources and support for our members, our students, and our patients across New York.”

The SUNY board of trustees also announced it will begin a “global search” in January for the permanent SUNY chancellor. The board plans to work with an executive-search firm to identify, recruit, and encourage potential candidates; review the qualifications of applicants; and verify the credentials of all finalists, per the release.