The SUNY Oswego faculty, community and students were invited to take part in the first open forums regarding the university’s search for its next president on March 20.

The first candidate announced to be making a visit was SUNY Oswego’s current officer-in-charge, Mary C. Toale.

In the student forum, Toale led with an opening statement that dealt with her background and how she found her way into her current position. She then followed up by saying how excited she was to “chart the course” of the university together and how she believes leading as a team is the best path forward. Toale also said how excited she was about the opportunities that lie ahead.

“Going into the future … we have a ton of opportunities in front of us from the Micron investment to what faculty and staff bring to us every day to what you do as students to be able to keep SUNY Oswego in the forefront,” Toale said.

Next she addressed the reason as to why she was unable to run for the presidency during the first round of searches. According to Toale, she was simply not allowed. It was not until the second round of searches that she was given permission to throw her hat into the ring. However, she made sure to note that it was not a decision that she made with haste.

“When I got the call in the fall about being allowed to [apply for the presidency], it wasn’t an immediate ‘I’m going to apply’ it was more of a ‘OK, why do I want to apply?,” Toale said. “It’s never easy to apply for a job, especially this presidency and it was me coming to the conclusion that I’m good at it, I can do it and there’s always things that need to be worked on.”

She said that she not only wants to lean into working on the campus so that we can improve as individuals “but as a community.” Toale then went on to talk about how her knowledge of the university sets her apart from the other prospective candidates to the position.

“I have a deep understanding and knowledge of this place, what those opportunities are and have laid foundation over the past year to keep that foundation building out for the next decade or more so we can continue with this longevity that we have in prosperity,” she said.

Toale also mentioned that the campus does still face obstacles, specifically with resources. She said that this is something not only SUNY Oswego faces, but a number of large public colleges across the country.

Toale mentioned several times throughout the forum how important the campus is to her and made it very clear that she “want(s) the best person for this job no matter who it is.”

According to SUNY Oswego’s presidential search website, future candidates will be making visits to campus and participating in open forums in the upcoming weeks through April 4.

Photo via @sunyoswego on Instagram