State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher will step down in 2017, SUNY announced Tuesday.
Zimpher, who will turn 70 in October, has guided the nation’s largest public university system for seven years. During that time, she is credited with launching multiple programs that helped SUNY gain national prominence.
“Nancy Zimpher has transformed SUNY and lifted our system up as the national model of higher education for the 21st century,” said SUNY Chairman H. Carl McCall in a release.
In a letter to the 64 campuses in the SUNY system, Zimpher said she wanted to give SUNY enough notice to find a proper replacement. She will officially step down June 30, 2017.
SUNY’s first female chancellor, Zimpher launched “The Power of SUNY” initiative early in her tenure, which helped position SUNY campuses as drivers of economic growth and community development.
In 2015, she announced a “Completion Agenda” initiative. The agenda calls for an increase in the amount of degrees SUNY awards per year to 150,000, up from 93,000.
In the letter to SUNY campuses, Zimpher outlined her priorities in the final year of her tenure. She said she will focus on growing the TeachNY program, which helps trains teachers to address a statewide shortage; securing an extension for NYSUNY 2020, which creates a “rational” annual tuition increase, and increasing completion rates.
Before arriving at SUNY, Zimpher served as president of the University of Cincinnati, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and executive dean of the Professional Colleges and dean of the College of Education at Ohio State University.
She sent out this tweet on Tuesday:
Being chancellor of @SUNY is a highlight of my career. Our work is not done! #systemness https://t.co/pp5u3Luuc7
”” Nancy Zimpher (@nancyzimpher) May 31, 2016
In an interview Tuesday with the New York Times, Zimpher said she was not retiring and would continue be active in education, including in teacher preparation.
McCall said the search for a new chancellor will begin soon.
