SUNY Board of Trustees Appoints Interim Chancellor

​State University of New York Board of Trustees Appoints Deborah F. Stanley as Interim Chancellor
 
SUNY Oswego President Brings Decades of Campus Leadership and Student-Centric Approach to Lead the Nation’s Largest Comprehensive University System
 
SUNY Board of Trustees to Launch Global Search for Permanent Chancellor Beginning January 2022
  
Albany, NY – The State University of New York Board of Trustees today announced the appointment of SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley as interim chancellor to lead the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States. President Stanley brings nearly 45 years of campus leadership to SUNY and will begin serving as interim chancellor on January 15, 2022.

“SUNY has a long and rich history of providing students the opportunity and access to the highest quality education at our premier colleges and research institutions, and President Stanley is the right educator at the right time to lead this prestigious university system,” said SUNY Board Chairman Dr. Merryl H. Tisch. “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. On behalf of a thankful and proud Board of Trustees, we welcome Deborah as our new interim chancellor for the State University of New York and look forward to working alongside her to build on the greatness of this world-renowned institution.”
 
President Stanley said, “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. 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.”
 
The SUNY Board of Trustees also announced they are launching a global search in January 2022 for the permanent SUNY Chancellor. They plan 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.
 
About Deborah F. Stanley
This month Deborah F. Stanley will step down as the 10th President of the State University of New York at Oswego after 25 years. She established the Presidential Scholarship Program for outstanding academic achievers, the Possibility Scholarship Program, and the pioneering Oswego Guarantee that promises the necessary classes will be available for students to complete a degree within four consecutive years and, during those years, there will be no increase in the cost of room or meal plans. She enhanced the Oswego Guarantee with the Graduation ROI in 2013—a $300 return on investment awarded to all first-time students who complete their baccalaureate degree in four years or less.
 
President Stanley initiated successful national accreditation for the School of Education and national and international accreditation for the School of Business. She led the creation of the School of Communication, Media, and the Arts, and recently established the college’s Syracuse campus, located in the Clinton Square area of downtown Syracuse. Under her leadership, new programs such as electrical and computer engineering, human-computer interaction, human development, biomedical and health informatics, cinema and screen studies, and the online MBA programs were established. President Stanley has overseen substantial growth of full-time faculty—41 over the last five years. Her ambitious campus-wide renewal plan, now in its second decade, encompasses hundreds of millions of dollars in renovations and construction.
 
President Stanley has been an invited speaker and panelist at regional, national, and international venues on topics such as sexual assault on campus, experiential learning practices, and leadership. She was co-chair of SUNY’s mental health and wellness task force, which provided its recommendations to the Board of Trustees at the June 2021 meeting to expand services for all SUNY students. She served on the American Council on Education’s Board of Directors, is a past chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Board of Directors. She is current chair of the American Academic Leadership Institute, and serves on numerous other education, climate, and leadership boards and institutes. Locally, she served as board chair of CenterState CEO. President Stanley has served as a member of the CNY Regional Economic Development Council since its inception and was recently appointed as its co-chair. President Stanley earned her baccalaureate degree with honors and juris doctor degree from Syracuse University.