Peter J. Cayan, president of SUNY College of Technology’s Utica site from 1982-2002 and who presided over the construction of a permanent campus in Marcy, died Sunday at 85.

MARCY

Peter J. Cayan, president of SUNY College of Technology’s Utica site from 1982-2002 and who presided over the construction of a permanent campus in Marcy, died Sunday at 85.

“Peter Cayan was a remarkable leader who guided the college through a critical period in its history,” said Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, president and CEO of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, in a news release. “We will forever be indebted to Peter for the tremendous impact he had on our institution and on the Mohawk Valley. The SUNY Poly community mourns his passing and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Cayan’s legacy was honored with the dedication of the Peter J. Cayan Library in 2003 and the establishment of a scholarship fund. His career in the State University of New York system spanned four decades. It was complemented by extensive involvement in the New York communities in which he and his wife, Jeri, lived.

“Peter Cayan led the institution during difficult times of transition,” said Ron Sarner, distinguished service professor at the Utica site, in the release. “It was on his watch that the college finally secured a permanent campus. His calm demeanor was a stark contrast to the turbulence that characterized faculty-administration relations in the college’s earlier years.

“It was Peter Cayan, who in the time just before he retired, forged an agreement to allow the institution to become a full four-year college,” he said. “Every day I am reminded of the key role that Peter played in the history of this college as I pass the library that bears his name.”

At the start of the Cayan era, the college was located in converted industrial buildings in Utica, most notably across the street from the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. His arrival as president came just months after groundbreaking ceremonies took in Marcy for a new campus.

The first building, Kunsela Hall, was completed in 1984. Additional construction soon followed, including Donovan Hall, the Campus Center and the Adirondack and Mohawk Residence Halls.

Shortly after his retirement, the $14 million Peter J. Cayan Library was dedicated in May 2003.

By OBSERVER-DISPATCH Posted Feb. 22, 2016 at 2:53 PM