Interim Chancellor, The State University of New York
Deborah F. Stanley began serving as interim chancellor of The State University of New York, the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, on January 15, 2022.
Chancellor Stanley previously served for 25 years as president of the State University of New York at Oswego. There, she established the Presidential Scholarship Program for outstanding academic achievers, the Possibility Scholarship Program, and the pioneering Oswego Guarantee that promises the necessary classes will be available for students to complete a degree within four consecutive years and, during those years, there will be no increase in the cost of room or meal plans. She enhanced the Oswego Guarantee with the Graduation ROI in 2013—a $300 return on investment awarded to all first-time students who complete their baccalaureate degree in four years or less.
At Oswego, Chancellor Stanley initiated successful national accreditation for the School of Education and national and international accreditation for the School of Business. She led the creation of the School of Communication, Media, and the Arts, and recently established the college’s Syracuse campus, located in the Clinton Square area of downtown Syracuse. Under her leadership, new programs such as electrical and computer engineering, human-computer interaction, human development, biomedical and health informatics, cinema and screen studies, and the online MBA programs were established. Chancellor Stanley oversaw substantial growth of full-time faculty—41 over the last five years. Her ambitious campus-wide renewal plan, now in its second decade, encompasses hundreds of millions of dollars in renovations and construction.
Chancellor Stanley has been an invited speaker and panelist at regional, national, and international venues on topics such as sexual assault on campus, experiential learning practices, and leadership. She was co-chair of SUNY’s mental health and wellness task force, which provided its recommendations to the Board of Trustees at the June 2021 meeting to expand services for all SUNY students. She served on the American Council on Education’s Board of Directors, and is a past chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Board of Directors. She is current chair of the American Academic Leadership Institute Board of Directors, and serves on numerous other education, climate, and leadership boards and institutes. Chancellor Stanley previously served as board chair of CenterState CEO and co-chair of the CNY Regional Economic Development Council.
Chancellor Stanley earned her baccalaureate degree with honors and juris doctor degree from Syracuse University.