SUNY-ESF’s Academic Governance outlined plans for the search for a new president during the organization’s Tuesday meeting.

SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson officially launched the presidential search last month. Interim President David Amberg, will remain in the position until his successor is chosen.

Douglas Daley, executive chair of Academic Governance, began the meeting by describing the logistics involved in the search.

The Board of Trustees is currently developing requests for proposal in order to choose an executive search firm to assist SUNY-ESF in the presidential search process, Daley said. In the coming weeks, Academic Governance will also begin to seek six faculty representatives to serve on an ad hoc nominating committee that will consider potential presidential candidates, he said.

The current members of the committee — Sergeant at arms Neal Abrams, SU Senator Susan Anagnost and Chair of the Honors and Awards Committee Janine DeBaise — are tasked with developing and managing the faculty representative election process. The goal of the committee will be to ensure that there is balance and diversity among the chosen faculty members, Daley said.

“Of course we’re going to respect the preferences of the membership, but we’re looking for the voice of experience and balanced perspectives in respect to diversity,” he said.

Matt Marko, the chair of SUNY-ESF’s Board of Trustees, will attend Academic Governance’s December meeting to discuss and respond to any questions or concerns about the presidential search process.

The names of individuals nominated for SUNY-ESF’s president will remain confidential to the public throughout the search process, Daley said. The confidentiality aims to encourage a broad and diverse pool of candidates by eliminating concerns of facing “negative repercussions” for applying to the position while employed at another university.

“The idea is we’re hopeful that we’ll get a better pool of candidates, or at least a deeper pool of candidates,” Daley said.

Individuals involved in the search process will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements stating that they will not disclose candidates’ names, he said.

Daley said there are similar searches taking place across SUNY campuses for SUNY-ESF’s new president. Johnson is expected to recommend a presidential candidate to present to the SUNY Board of Trustees in 2020.

Amberg was appointed interim president in July of 2018 following the resignation of former SUNY-ESF president Quentin Wheeler amid conflict between faculty and administrators. Amberg is also a professor and vice president for research at Upstate Medical University.

Published on November 12, 2019 at 10:23 pm

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