Change was the buzzword this year for institutions of higher education in Westchester County. Several new college presidents took schools in new directions and programs have adapted to deal with the quaky job market and shifting career climate. Here are some major highlights of the year:
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Manhattanville College
Jon Calvert Strauss came onboard this year as interim president of the Purchase-based private school in the wake of college President Molly Easo Smith”™s resignation. A four-time college president, Strauss came from Texas Tech University where he served in an interim leadership role. He is expected to serve a two-year term at Manhattanville.
“In most college presidencies, you walk into million-dollar problems ”“ not the ability to redirect money, which will allow us to recruit the best,” Strauss said of a $5 million anonymous donation awarded to Manhattanville late summer. “That”™s one of the highlights of my term here. I”™d like to do that every month.”
Some $2 million of that total will be redirected toward academic improvements for the retention of students, Strauss said.
Another $1 million will target structural improvements like a new welcome center and improved lounge and meeting space to “match the grandeur” of Reid Castle, the college”™s administrative hub.
Another $2 million will go to an Innovation Fund for Strauss to build a firm academic foundation for the next college president.
“(The search) will begin formally in late spring, which is typically the timeline,” Strauss said. “You interview late fall and then make the decision right around the holidays. We”™re looking to bring in a new president by July 1, 2013.”
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Pace University
Pace University this year unveiled a $100 million to $150 million master plan to consolidate its Pleasantville campus and to sell its 35-acre Briarcliff campus zoned for residential usage with a special use permit for education.
As part of the university”™s 2010-2014 strategic plan, the restructuring of the Westchester campus would include major renovations to existing buildings, construction of three residence halls and an opening up of layout into a more pedestrian-friendly approach with added services and amenities.
The town of Mount Pleasant has conducted and closed the scoping session for environmental review and preparation is under way now on the impact statement, which “moves along very quickly,” according to Geoff Thompson, a spokesman for Pace.
It then goes back to the town, which is about a two- to three-month process.
“It”™s a big economic statement to make,” Thompson said. “It really strengthens Pace ”¦ and with all the emphasis on higher education now as selling points for Westchester County,” it became a natural fit for the school.
If all approvals are gained, Briarcliff is sold and construction stays on schedule, Pace has targeted fall 2015 as a viable completion date.
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Berkeley College
Berkeley College marked the 10th anniversary of its 99 Church St. campus in White Plains in conjunction with the school”™s overall 80th anniversary.
Berkeley will focus this coming year on introducing to the Berkeley community a “legacy of leadership through a series of special events, interactive exhibits and videos,” according to college President Dario Cortes.
The college recently introduced an Office of Student Success, a financial literacy team, an expansion of the readmissions department, further development of MBA programs, a Brooklyn campus and an online student orientation center.
Cortes touted technology as vital to academic advancement, which will be a focal point in year 2012.
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Iona College and The College of New Rochelle
Iona College in New Rochelle and The College of New Rochelle both welcomed new leaders this year.
Joseph E. Nyre succeeded Brother James Liguori as eighth president of Iona College.
He most recently served as president and CEO of Hope Institute for Children and Families in Springfield, Ill.
The Catholic-heritage private institution this year embarked on myriad initiatives, which notably included the introduction of a trading floor at the Hagan School of Business.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, The College of New Rochelle inaugurated Judith Huntington as 13th president of the college, succeeding Stephen J. Sweeny, who served as president since 1997.
Huntington is the first lay woman president of the school founded in 1904 as the first Catholic college for women in New York state.
