President Timothy Sams celebrated his third Old Westbury anniversary on January 11, 2024. His leadership expertise is based on more than 30 years of experience in higher education. In 2023, City & State named him one of the “Long Island Power 100.” Sams is focused on creating a world class student experience and investing in the school’s future. His leadership style is measured, calculated, and persistent. Patience is one of his key virtues.
Social justice and diversity are important to Sams. He is a humanitarian with a respect for dignity. “I want this place to be a haven for people who believe in social justice, even environmental justice,” Sams said. “Our students [should] feel secure, our students [should] feel welcome and affirmed, and our faculty [thinks] about what it means to be a school committed to social justice,” he said with a smile.
President Sams took office during a difficult time for New York State and for America as a whole. Inheriting a college during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was completely blindsiding. Sams considers bringing everybody back to campus after the lockdown to be one of his greatest accomplishments.
“There was no handbook for COVID-19,” He recalled. “Closest you would get would be a measles or mumps outbreak on a campus when you look at emergency response plans.”
To bring people back to campus he recognized the necessity for collaboration. Having a team who actively stayed engaged was a huge asset for keeping a safe and respectful campus life.
Dr. Sams’ goal is to institute a residential college model to create a school of brilliant students and future leaders. He hopes to encourage students to live a life shaped by their undergraduate or graduate program. “Every intellectual pursuit has a corresponding lifestyle,” said President Sams. “Not every school teaches its graduates how to live a lifestyle in association with that chosen pursuit.”
The residential college model is inspired by programs he witnessed in top colleges around the nation. Old Westbury could become a solid pillar of excellence even with a smaller student body than some institutions. “This isn’t about size,” Sams stated. “It’s about quality. … When you look at our faculty, when you look at our students, when you look at the quality of education they receive, we can make a good case that we do a very stand up job in comparison.”
President Sams had high praise for Old Westbury’s academic programs. “I saw some very strong programs, the M.I.C. [Media Innovation Center] being one,” Sams said. “We would be able to talk very strongly with anyone around the nation about the strength of our Media and Communication program, our Business program, or Education program.”
He is very interested in STEM programming which he admits has become far more relevant than he ever anticipated. He is eager to uncover how, through education, the university can empower its graduates to go beyond the expected.
His staff and the diversity on campus are “the vitality in our university.” Dr Sams recognized his responsibility to his students. “If we do what we owe them, they will be able to go anywhere and make waves.”
