Utica College to formally inaugurate Casamento as the school’s ninth president on Friday

UTICA, N.Y. — Utica College plans to formally inaugurate Laura Casamento as the school’s 9th president this Friday.

Casamento took over as the college’s new president on Aug. 1, the school said in a news release issued Monday. She is the first woman to serve as president in Utica College’s 70-year history.

The Sept. 23 ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. in the Charles A. Gaetano Stadium, weather permitting.

Casamento succeeded Todd Hutton, who retired as the school’s longest-serving president after 18 years, according to Utica College.

She had previously served as the school’s executive VP and chief advancement officer. In that role, Casamento was a “principal architect” of Utica College’s “tuition reset.”

The initiative reduced the cost of undergraduate tuition and fees by 42 percent to below $20,000 for all new and returning undergraduates, according to the school’s website. It took effect this semester.

Casamento also oversaw several institutional initiatives including the “Achieve: A new Dream, A New Era” campaign, which raised more than $34 million, topping the college’s goal of $25 million, according to Utica College.

Prior to joining Utica College, Casamento was president and COO of Herkimer County Trust, an independently owned, state-chartered bank in Herkimer.

She served as president from April 1998 until December 2002, when the bank was sold to the Savings Bank of Utica, which is now part of M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB).

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com