Observer-Dispatch: SUNY Poly embarks on new era of leadership

Observer-Dispatch: SUNY Poly embarks on new era of leadership

Published:
Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - 10:44
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SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s interim president will step down June 15 to be replaced by another interim president.

State University of New York Chancellor Kristina Johnson shared that news during a visit Tuesday to SUNY Poly’s campus in Marcy where she spoke to staff and faculty about the college’s future, which has been in limbo since its former president and CEO, Alain Kaloyeros, was arrested on bid-rigging and corruption charges in September 2016. His trial begins next month in Manhattan.

Once the new interim president, who has yet to be named, is in place, though, the college will launch an international search for a new president, Johnson said. It also will begin work on a plan that Johnson called a “framework for a sustainable future,” a plan that definitely includes both the Albany and Marcy campuses, she said.

“We want to be able to hand that president a blueprint: What is SUNY Polytechnic all about?” Johnson said.

Bahgat Sammakia, who has served as interim president since December 2016, will return to his job as vice president for research at the State Univeristy of New York at Binghamton on June 15, Johnson said.

The new president will only oversee academics at the Utica and Albany campuses of SUNY Poly. Economic development, including the Marcy Nanocenter and Quad-C, will be overseen by the newly created nonprofit, the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering and Science, or NY CREATES. It was formed by Empire State Development and the State University of New York, and announced last week.

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