Stanley has been a force unto her own, working for SUNY Oswego for 44 years, 25 of them as president. In May 2021, Stanley announced that effective Dec. 31, 2021, she would be retiring from the position. Since then, little has been heard of who will take over or fill in for the position.
With only a little over two months before Stanley will step down, it is concerning to think about the fact that no announcements have been made regarding a possible replacement or interim president. What is even more worrisome is that there does not seem to be a clear plan in place for the transition. Even if there is a plan in place, it has not been communicated to the student body in any clear or effective way. This does not bode well for a transition that directly impacts the student body.
As Lao Tzu once said, “a leader is best when people barely know he exists…” While that may be true, it would still be very nice to know if a leader exists at all.
Stanley has mastered the art of being both accessible and elusive, providing opportunities for one on one meetings with students, largely avoiding any fanfare or recognitions but avoiding constant communication, widespread announcements and discussions as much as possible. Exciting things constantly happen around campus and at SUNY Oswego, it is foolish to think that these things are happening out of nowhere and safe to assume that Stanley has something to do with it. To name a few of the things Stanley has accomplished in her time here, she initiated successful national accreditation for the School of Education, national and international accreditation for the School of Business and global accreditation by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET for Oswego’s electrical and computer engineering and software engineering programs. In addition to this, Stanley effectively created the School of Communication, Media, and the Arts which draws thousands of students.
These examples are not things that many SUNY Oswego students walk around talking about on a normal basis, this does not discredit Stanley’s hand in them, it just demonstrates that perhaps Stanley is the best leader SUNY Oswego has seen.
25 years is a long time to fill. Stanley has managed to pack every moment with something valuable, most recently securing a grant to renovate Hewitt Hall for a new communications building. Her tireless efforts have undoubtedly improved SUNY Oswego drastically. This is why students should be conscious of the fact that she is leaving. This is why students should be concerned that there has been little information on who will take over the position of president.
It takes all kinds to make a world, it takes Stanley to create the SUNY Oswego we see today. It takes the student body to create the SUNY Oswego we will see tomorrow. It is vital that students engage with administration and have a hand in selecting the next president.
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