PROVOST O’SULLIVAN RETIRES; NEW ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS ANNOUNCED
Dr. Calvin O. Butts III will be staying on as president until the search committee can find a new president to step in after him. The semester also saw the retirements of two prominent administrators and a number of promotions.
Dr. Patrick O’Sullivan retired from his role as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs and Dr. Nancy Brown retired from her position as the dean of the School of Education. Dr. Butts wrote in an email in early January:
“As you know, due to critical vacancies on the College Council, the Presidential search process was stalled until recent appointments were made. In the interest of the College, I have informed SUNY that I will remain President until a decision is made regarding next steps.”
Dr. Duncan Quarless has been promoted to acting provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. Dr. Barbara Hillery now holds the position of acting associate provost. Dr. Amanda Frisken is the new acting dean of the school of arts and sciences. Dr. Diana Sukhram has been promoted to acting dean of the school of education, and Dr. Jacob Heller will become the assistant vice president for Institutional Effectiveness and Administration. (A profile of Dr. Duncan Quarless, the new acting provost and senior vp for academic affairs, will appear in the next issue.)
An email sent out by Mili Makhijani, chair of the SUNY OW college council and chair of the presidential search committee, provided a “Survey on preferred Characteristics for the Next President,” where all members of the campus community had a chance to give their input on what they would want in a school president. The survey closed on February 25th, and the data was compiled to assist the search committee in finding a new president.
With the presidential search committee continuing its efforts, the promotions, and Dr. Butts staying on to help oversee these transitions, the school is working hard to ensure that everything continues to run smoothly and efficiently.