By GREGORY ZELLER //
Nearly eight months after its current leader announced his retirement, Farmingdale State College has found its next president.
The State University of New York Board of Trustees announced Wednesday that Robert Prezant, a graduate of Garden City-based Adelphi University currently serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Southern Connecticut State University, has been elected to serve as Farmingdale State’s 10th president, effective Aug. 14.
Prezant will succeed President John Nader, the former mayor of the City of Oneonta and current co-chairman of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, who has served as FSC’s chief administrator since 2016 and announced his departure last November.
The new president, a marine biologist by trade, boasts a long career in science and academia.
Prezant holds a PhD in marine biology from the University of Delaware, an MS in biology (marine science) from Boston-based Northeastern University and a BA in biology from Adelphi.
John Nader: Mission accomplished.
Before arriving at SCSU in 2017, he logged stints as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at Montclair State University in New Jersey, dean of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the City University of New York’s Queens College and chairman of the Biology Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
It’s the résumé of an academic all-star and proven leader, according to Farmingdale State College Council Chairwoman Patricia Hill Williams, who called Prezant “an exceptional choice to lead FSC.”
“The entire council looks forward to working with Dr. Prezant to build on Farmingdale’s strong foundation, enhance the student experience and foster connections in the college community and beyond,” Williams said in a statement.
As SCSU provost, Prezant has proven himself to be a comprehensive strategic planner, overseeing a university-rebranding effort, serving on various New England Commission of Higher Education subcommittees and heading up a successful application process for a $3.2 million National Science Foundation Alliances for Minority Participation grant. He also created Southern Connecticut’s Southern Faculty Fellows in Residence program, designed to diversify university leadership.
As a biologist and administrator, he is credited with generating more than $20 million in external funding to support research and academic programs.
“Dr. Prezant’s track record of increasing funding to support student success during his career makes him well-suited to assume the presidency at Farmingdale State College,” SUNY Chancellor John King Jr. said Wednesday.
The chancellor also offered a glowing assessment of Nader’s performance as Farmingdale State president and throughout his long career in the SUNY system, including the former mayor’s seven years SUNY Delhi provost.
John King Jr.: Successful succession.
“John Nader [compiled an] incredible career of service to the SUNY system,” King added. “[He] has moved FSC forward in a positive direction.
“I strongly believe Dr. Prezant will build on the strong foundation laid by President Nader.”
Nader – who early in the national search for his successor promised to stay on until a new president was selected and installed – praised Prezant’s “wealth of experience and … record of achievement in public higher education.”
“He understands the college and is clearly well-positioned to build on Farmingdale’s many achievements,” the outgoing president noted. “I have no doubt that he will cultivate our growing partnerships with both businesses and philanthropies while advocating for our students and faculty.”
Prezant – whose scientific pursuits, focused largely on mollusks, have taken him from the Bronx River to Thailand’s Kung Kraeben Bay – said it was a “pleasure and privilege” to join Farmingdale State’s faculty, and acknowledged the Long Island school’s well-known student focus as a big draw.
“From its agrarian roots to high-tech and cutting-edge disciplines like artificial intelligence, FSC keeps pace with the times and will continue to evolve along with those disciplines as well as changing career opportunities and community needs,” the president-elect said. “The outlook and trajectory for Farmingdale State College is robust and bright, offering a home to students who are seeking a premier education with hands-on experiences in a rich environment of discovery.
“The college is primed to find new paths to promote scholarship and external grant support while deepening current partner relationships and growing new corporate and donor friends and collaborators,” Prezant added. “FSC not only will represent the future of higher education but will help lead it.”
