Student 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
Pares-Kane, Nayda
Faculty Senate
08/24/2020