Bill Text: NY J00393 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulating Deborah F. Stanley upon the occasion of her retirement as Interim Chancellor of the State University of New York after more than 47 years of distinguished service to SUNY

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)

Status: (Passed) 2023-02-07 - ADOPTED [J00393 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J00393-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 393

BY: Senator STAVISKY

        CONGRATULATING   Deborah   F.   Stanley  upon  the
        occasion of her retirement as Interim Chancellor  of
        the  State University of New York after more than 47
        years of distinguished service to SUNY

  WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative  Body  to  acknowledge
those  individuals whose professional lives and civic endeavors serve to
enhance the stature of the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
congratulate Deborah F. Stanley upon the occasion of her  retirement  as
Interim  Chancellor  of the State University of New York after more than
47 years of distinguished service to SUNY; and

  WHEREAS, Deborah F. Stanley graduated from Syracuse University  with
a   bachelor's   degree   in   English  before  earning  her  Doctor  of
Jurisprudence from Syracuse University College of Law and being admitted
to the New York State Bar Association; and

  WHEREAS, Following  her  graduation  from  law  school,  Deborah  F.
Stanley  joined  SUNY  Oswego as a teacher of business, later serving as
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Executive Assistant to
former  President  Stephen  L.  Weber  before  eventually  earning   the
prestigious appointment of President; and

  WHEREAS,  As  President  of  SUNY  Oswego  for  23 years, Deborah F.
Stanley's vision led to the creation of the  college's  Syracuse  campus
and School of Communication, Media and the Arts; she also positioned and
supported  this vital institution to gain national accreditation for its
School of Education, as well as national and international accreditation
for its School of Business, and global accreditation for its  electrical
and computer engineering and software engineering programs; and

  WHEREAS,   Deborah   F.   Stanley's   leadership   brought  historic
investments to the SUNY Oswego campus to the  benefit  of  the  tens  of
thousands  of  students  educated  there  over the course of her tenure,
including the largest philanthropic gift in the college's history  which
was  used to create the Marano Scholarship and now provides scholarships
to 90 first-generation students per year; and

  WHEREAS, To further  support  deserving  students'  access  to  SUNY
Oswego,  Deborah F. Stanley launched its Path Forward campaign to double
the  amount  of  need-based  privately  funded  scholarships   available
annually  from  220  to  440;  spearheaded  a  massive upgrade of campus
technology, internet, and laboratory equipment; and guided  the  college
to  its  most  culturally diverse student body in SUNY Oswego's history;
and

  WHEREAS, Throughout her illustrious tenure as President, Deborah  F.
Stanley  influenced  and  uplifted  many sectors beyond education, twice
earning the college  the  prestigious  Carnegie  Foundation's  Community
Engagement  Classification  and  transforming  the student experience by

establishing  the  Presidential  Scholarship  Program  for   outstanding
academic  achievers,  as well as the Possibility Scholarship Program for
disadvantaged students in the sciences; and

  WHEREAS,  In  what  was  believed to be her final days of service to
SUNY before beginning a well-deserved  retirement,  Deborah  F.  Stanley
bravely  stepped  up  when called upon to serve as Interim Chancellor of
the State University of New York, a position she has exceptionally  held
for the past year; and

  WHEREAS,  In  this  capacity, Deborah F. Stanley was instrumental in
the  establishment  of  impactful,  profound,  and   lasting   policies,
including  the  enactment  of  a Chosen Name and Pronoun policy ensuring
that members of the SUNY community maintain the right to use names other
than their legal names in order to  identify  themselves  and  that  the
chosen  names  of students and employees can and should be used whenever
possible  in  the  course  of  college  business,   communication,   and
education; and

  WHEREAS,  Deborah  F.  Stanley also worked in close partnership with
the Governor and SUNY Board of Trustees to massively  expand  access  to
public higher education by waiving application fees for students at more
than  500  high  schools,  ended the practice of withholding transcripts
from  students  with  outstanding  debts,  and   increased   educational
opportunities for adult learners by expanding offerings to more than 400
micro-credentials; and

  WHEREAS,  Furthermore,  Deborah  F.  Stanley  helped secure historic
investments  for  SUNY,  including  Micron  Technology's  $100   billion
investment  to  build  the largest semiconductor fabrication facility in
the country, and played a foundational role in  the  unprecedented  $150
million expansion of the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
to  cover  an  estimated  75,000  additional  students  who are studying
part-time, as well as incarcerated individuals; and

  WHEREAS,  With  a  steadfast  and  unwavering  commitment   to   her
community,  Deborah  F.  Stanley  continues  to  serve  as  chair of the
American Academic Leadership Institute;  co-chair  of  Academic  Search,
Inc.;  co-chair  of  the  Central New York Regional Economic Development
Council;  board  chair   of   CenterState   Corporation   for   Economic
Opportunity;  and  statewide  co-chair  of  the  State University of New
York's Student Mental Health Task Force, to name a few; and

  WHEREAS, This extraordinary  woman  earned  a  Distinguished  Alumni
Award  from  Syracuse  University;  was  named a New York State Woman of
Distinction  in  2006  by  the  New  York  State  Senate;  received  the
Post-Standard's  Person  of  Achievement Award in 2010; was honored with
the designation of President Emeritus of SUNY Oswego; and  continues  to
be recognized for her expertise and experience as an invited speaker and
panelist  at regional, national, and international venues on topics such
as sexual  assault  on  campus,  experiential  learning  practices,  and
leadership; and

  WHEREAS,  A  significant contributor to higher education in New York
State, Deborah F. Stanley has  continually  demonstrated  an  impressive
dedication,  an  unparalleled devotion and an unremitting enthusiasm for
the quality  of  the  educational  programs  and  opportunities  offered
throughout  the State University of New York, and leaves behind a legacy

to the students of SUNY and to the residents of this great  State;  now,
therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
recognize Deborah F. Stanley for her distinguished legacy of  excellence
and  public  service as a transformational leader of higher education in
New York over the course of her 47 years with the  State  University  of
New York; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Deborah F. Stanley.