After a lengthy search process, SUNY Oswego has yet to find a viable candidate for what will be the 11th president of the college. 

In May of 2021, former SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley announced she would retire from her position in December of the same year. She had served 25 years in the position. In January 2022, she moved up to become interim chancellor of SUNY which was already finding a suitable replacement for her president position.

In early November 2021, SUNY Oswego sent a campus-wide announcement email on the development of the Presidential Search Committee, an 18 member committee dedicated to finding the next president. Under Chair James McMahon, the committee created a website and a survey for Oswego students, staff, alumni and friends to display their thoughts on the search.

The website showed how to email the college applications, nominations, and expressions of interest for the position of president. Encouraging candidates of all backgrounds to apply,  the website listed its expectations as well as  information on the search committee, the third party firm the committee would use to support their search, Academic Search, and a timeline of interviews.

On June 23, SUNY Oswego revealed in a campus-wide announcement email the Presidential Search Committee approved six candidates to come to campus throughout the summer for interviews, viewable by faculty and staff and open forums, open to students and the public. Information on each candidate was shared to the search website 48 hours prior to the candidate’s interviews. 

On Aug. 26, a new campus-wide announcement email was sent out, revealing none of SUNY Oswego’s six candidates would be advancing any further in the search process. 

The school hopes to continue their search “as soon as possible,” McMahon’s email states. The Presidential Search Committee is working with a new search firm, RPA Inc., which in the past has conducted many successful searches for the SUNY system.

The committee is proud of the work it has done so far and thankful to the SUNY Oswego community. “We appreciate the participation of many members of SUNY Oswego’s community during the recent on-campus interviews,” McMahon wrote. “We commend the Search Committee for successfully conducting the first phase of the search in accordance with the SUNY Presidential Search Guidelines.” 

Future search updates will be posted to the Presidential Search website. As of Sept. 13, the website has not been updated and still shows the school’s original search firm.

Photo via Abigail Connolly