By GREGORY ZELLER //
A State University system that proudly skipped “a costly and lengthy search process” last time around is taking no chances in the selection of its new permanent chancellor.
The State University of New York Board of Trustees announced Tuesday the launch of a “global search” for a new head honcho, complete with an official search committee, multiple subcommittees staffed by SUNY faculty and students and the international efforts of a topflight executive-search firm.
Boston-based Isaacson Miller, well known for helping mission-driven organizations identify new leaders, has taken the case, with SUNY Chairwoman Merryl Tisch and Vice Chairman Cesar Perales heading up the system’s official search committee.
In its quest to provide the SUNY Trustees with a full list of qualified candidates, Isaacson Miller – which has recruited senior leaders for cultural organizations, healthcare systems, regional school districts, universities, national environmental organizations and other high-profile associations – is leaving no stone unturned: It’s even accepting public nominations for potential candidates.
Merryl Tisch: Search pattern.
The comprehensive hunt strikes a very different tone than SUNY’s last search for a permanent chancellor. In 2020, after former Chancellor Kristina Johnson stunned Albany by resigning her post to become president of The Ohio State University, SUNY moved quickly to name Jim Malatras – a former director of state operations and deputy secretary for policy management under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo – as her successor.
Upon anointing Malatras the first SUNY graduate to take command of the State University system, SUNY leaders issued a statement noting the “clear direction” of the Board of Trustees, which wanted to “appoint a leader who could hit the ground running.”
Unfortunately, the Malatras era ran out just 16 months later, when the relatively new chancellor stepped down in the face of intense political pressure and SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley stepped up as SUNY’s interim leader.
Malatras resigned after a May 2019 text message resurfaced, showing he belittled a state economic-development official who later accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. It was not the first time the former president of the Rockefeller Institute of Government was caught berating a fellow professional – facts that were either missed or ignored by SUNY during its rush to replace Johnson.
This time around, it appears slow and steady will win the chancellor race.
“We have assembled a search committee that is inclusive and representative of our campus community and the wide range of interests needed to bring forward the best candidates to lead the largest university system in the nation,” Tisch and Perales said in a statement. “We want to thank all the members of the committees who will devote their time, talents and input to ensure the next SUNY chancellor encompasses the intellect, experience and deep commitment to affordability [and] access, and who will continue to build on the world-class education our students expect and deserve.”
