December 5, 2022
To the Campus Community:
The SUNY Board of Trustees appointed a new chancellor this morning and released the
following announcement:
The State University of New York
News Release
SUNY Board of Trustees Appoints John B. King, Jr., Lifelong Educator and former U.S.
Secretary of Education, as the System’s 15th Chancellor
King Brings to SUNY a Deep Commitment To Advancing Equity & Excellence For All Students,
Supporting Educators, & Improving College Affordability
King Currently Serves as President of The Education Trust, prior to that Obama Administration
Education Secretary, New York State Education Commissioner
For Immediate Release: Monday, Dec. 5, 2022
Albany – The State University of New York Board of Trustees today announced the appointment
of John B. King Jr. as the 15th chancellor of SUNY, the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in
the United States.
Chancellor King brings to this position decades of experience as a leader in education
administration and policy at the local, state, and national levels. He has championed
expanding access to high-quality, affordable education in recognition of the transformative
power it holds for students from all walks of life.
“As we work to continue to transform SUNY to meet the needs of the next generation
of students and New York’s economy, we need a leader who understands how to balance
striving for both excellence and equity. John King has a proven record of doing both,”
said SUNY Chairman Dr. Merryl H. Tisch. “We are thrilled to welcome John back to New York and are confident that he is perfectly
positioned and prepared to tackle the challenges that face our system in the years
ahead,” said SUNY Vice Chairman Cesar Perales.
Chancellor King’s selection was the result of a year-long global search, and the Board
today unanimously approved his appointment. He will replace Deborah F. Stanley, former
president of SUNY Oswego, who has been serving as interim chancellor since December
2021. Chancellor King will move back to New York and begin his new role in January.
“I am humbled and honored to accept the position of chancellor and to advance Governor
Kathy Hochul’s vision to make SUNY the best statewide system of public higher education
in our nation,’” Chancellor King said. “Public education quite literally saved my life when I lost both of my parents at
a young age, and I have dedicated my professional career ever since to ensuring that
every student has access to the academic opportunities that they need and deserve.
I look forward to working with all members of our campus communities, lawmakers, and
stakeholders to bring SUNY to new heights and maximize its potential.”
“John King is an extremely smart, capable, steady, strong and fair educator. He’s
just what SUNY needs.” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer.
"For almost 75 years, the State University of New York system has been committed to
advancing knowledge for students. As a proud graduate of SUNY Binghamton, I can personally
attest to the power of our state's public universities and was honored to join the
search Committee for the next Chancellor,” said U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (SUNY Binghamton, Class of 1992). “As a child of New York, product of our public schools and educator and public servant,
John King has the vision, intellect, experience and expertise needed to lead the system
into the future. While serving as Secretary of Education, we had the chance to partner
to expand college affordability, increase financial aid as well as invest in student
success and completion. I know he will carry this work forward in his new work and
congratulate John on his appointment."
Chancellor King is currently the President of The Education Trust, a nonprofit organization
that promotes high academic achievement for all students in early childhood, K-12
education, and higher education. Prior to his appointment to that post in 2017, Chancellor
King served as U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama, who called
him “an exceptionally talented educator.” While serving in this cabinet-level post,
Chancellor King worked to simplify the financial aid process, oversaw federal investments
in evidence-based strategies to increase college completion, and advocated for the
president’s America’s College Promise proposal, which called for creating a federal-state
partnership to make attendance at community colleges free and also investing in scaled
wrap-around services to support students on the path to academic success.
From 2011 to the beginning of 2015 when he joined the Obama Administration, Chancellor
King served as New York State’s first African American and first Puerto Rican education
commissioner. He worked in this position to leverage federal Perkins funding to invest
in a statewide initiative connecting K-12 schools, higher education institutions,
and employers to tailor high school curriculum to meet the needs of a modern-day workforce
– an effort he has expressed to the Board that he hopes to continue and expand on
as chancellor.
“As President Obama's Secretary of Education, John King helped lead our fight for
expanded access to higher education for every American and to ensure that all students
had the support they needed to finish college. He championed the role of Community
Colleges, connected them to the needs of today's workforce, and helped lead the effort
across the administration to lift up young men and boys of color through President
Obama's My Brother’s Keeper initiative,” said Valerie Jarrett, Chief Executive Officer of the Obama Foundation. “John believes in his core that public education - from pre-k to post-doctorate
- is the key to challenging inequity and unlocking the potential of every individual.
I can think of no better leader than John to lead the State University of New York
and I know his service will be exemplary."
“John King is an extraordinary leader who has dedicated his life to equity in public
education, guided by his belief that all students, everywhere, deserve an excellent
education,” said Laurene Powell Jobs, Founder and President of Emerson Collective. “As SUNY Chancellor, John will demonstrate the same high standard of excellence
that has always defined his leadership, benefiting students and communities across
New York for many years to come.”
“John King brings a wealth of experience to this new position. As both the US Secretary
of Education and an Overseer of Harvard, he understands both the opportunities and
the challenges faced by higher education,” said Lawrence Bacow, President of Harvard University. “SUNY is fortunate to be getting the benefit of his leadership.”
“John King is an innovative education reformer with a long record of putting his words
into action when it comes to providing ALL students with a high-quality education.
Over the many decades I have had the honor and pleasure of knowing him, John has been
at the forefront of the fight to build an educational system that delivers on America’s
promise of equal opportunity. That includes his service, since 2017, as a member of
Robin Hood’s board of directors,” said Richard Buery, Chief Executive Officer of the Robin Hood Foundation. “He is both a friend and a hero. He will be an exemplary leader of the SUNY community,
as he has been at every institution he has founded and/or led through his extraordinary
career. What an inspired choice.”
“It’s hard to imagine someone more qualified than John King to head SUNY, given his
experience leading both K-12 and higher education. No one is more devoted to the shared
goals of excellence and equity,” said David Coleman, Chief Executive Officer of College Board. “John has dedicated his life to the principle that all students deserve the great
stuff, and that academic inquiry is a precious thing to be shared. This is a visionary
appointment at a critical time; John will make a profound contribution to New York
State and the higher education landscape.”
"John King is one of America's premier educators and a tireless force for expanding
student access and success. He is the perfect choice to lead The State University
of New York, one of this country's most effective engines of economic and social mobility,"
said Ted Mitchell, President of the American Council on Education. "I could not be happier for John and our colleagues at SUNY, and I am confident
it will be an exciting and prosperous tenure. All of us at ACE look forward to working
with John in his new role."
“It is with great pride that I learned that Teachers College alumnus John B. King,
Jr. will become SUNY Chancellor,” said Thomas Bailey, President of Teachers College, Columbia University. “As U.S. Secretary of Education, John demonstrated his strong commitment to equity
and to advancing access, affordability and completion for all students — ideals deeply
held by TC. We look forward to working alongside John as he leads SUNY, striving to
implement these same ideals for students in New York’s community college and four-year
college system."
“John has a long and distinguished track record of improving the opportunity of Americans
of all backgrounds to obtain a higher education. Given the size and the reach of the
SUNY system, his appointment will benefit the millions of first-generation students
in New York that see higher education as the best path toward economic mobility,”
said Eloy Oakley, President of the College Futures Foundation and former Chancellor of
the California Community Colleges. “I look forward to supporting John King in this new role.”
About John B. King, Jr.
Chancellor King is a life-long educator and public servant who began his career teaching
high school Social Studies in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Boston, Massachusetts. While
in Boston, he co-founded a middle school specifically intended to serve a high-poverty
student population that became one of the highest performing urban public middle schools
in the state and eventually grew into the successful Uncommon Schools network, which
he co-managed.
Chancellor King served from January 2015 to December 2015 as Delegated Deputy Secretary
at the U.S. Department of Education, which included overseeing all pre-school through
12th grade policies with a focus on improving equity and closing achievement gaps. He
also oversaw cross-agency collaboration for President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper
Task Force, seeking to address opportunity gaps experienced by young men and boys
of color. In the fall of 2015, President Obama tapped Chancellor King to serve as
Education Secretary beginning in January 2016, and he was later confirmed by the Senate
in a 49-40 vote.
Prior to joining the Obama administration, Chancellor King served as state education
commissioner in New York – a post to which he was appointed in 2011 – overseeing all
elementary and secondary schools, as well as public, independent, and proprietary
colleges and universities, professional licensure, libraries, museums, and numerous
other educational institutions.
Chancellor King holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Harvard University, a
Master of Arts in the teaching of social studies from Columbia University's Teachers
College, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and a Doctor of Education degree in educational
administrative practice from Columbia University's Teachers College. He was a 1995
Truman Scholar and received the James Madison Memorial Fellowship for secondary-level
teaching of American history, American government, and social studies.
Chancellor King was elected to serve on the Harvard University Board of Overseers
in 2019, is a Vice Chair of the Board of the American Museum of Natural History in
New York City, and also serves on the boards of the Robin Hood Foundation, the Century
Foundation, and MDRC.
Among many awards, Chancellor King has received the Ann S. Kheel Award from the New
York Urban League, the Eugene M. Lang Lifetime Achievement Award from the "I Have
A Dream" Foundation; the New York Immigration Coalition Builders of the "New" New
York Award; and the Robin Hood Foundation Heroes Award; as well as honorary degrees
from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the University of Memphis, and LeMoyne
College.
About The State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education
in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles
of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four
academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools,
a law school, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department
of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.3 million students amongst
its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing
education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic
research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in
fiscal year 2021, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There
are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with
a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities,
visit www.suny.edu.
John Nader
President