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MCC Daily Tribune

Vote of No Confidence in SUNY Board of Trustees After Appointment of SUNY Chancellor Without a Search

President of the Faculty Council of Community Colleges and our MCC colleague Christy Fogal, informed community college shared governance leaders on Friday that the President of SUNY Empire State College and former Governor Cuomo advisor James Malatras, was voted in as the 14th Chancellor of our SUNY system without a search. According to Fogal, the appointment was confirmed despite the joint statement from the FCCC and UFS encouraging an open, transparent, and inclusive national search. Reasons for the suspension of a search included the cost of a full search and the unprecedented crises we are currently facing with budget, COVID19, and racial unrest in our state and country. The FCCC, UFS, and SA responded to these justifications by stating that for those very reasons, "this is the most important time to maintain the values of shared governance and not rush into an appointment for the leader of the largest university system in the country. This appointment also sets a very bad precedent for selecting future system and local campus leaders".

Fogal pointed out that " in September 2015, the SUNY Board of Trustees passed a landmark resolution on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which promised a commitment to the recruitment, hiring, and professional development of administrators, faculty, and staff of color and other identities. Although the voting members of the SUNY Board (UFS and FCCC Presidents are non-voting members) are diverse, there was not a diverse pool of candidates for the highest position to lead our system. In fact, there was not even a pool of candidates".

Please see the attached joint vote of no confidence resolution approved by the executive committees of the Faculty Council of Community Colleges and University Faculty Senate and endorsed by the SUNY Student Assembly.

Attached Files:
Joint FCCC-UFS VNC Resolution.pdf

Nayda Pares-Kane
Faculty Senate
08/24/2020