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Under pressure from state lawmakers, the central administration of the State University of New York system backed off a plan to have one president oversee two campuses, though system administrators stressed that the decision would not keep the campuses from putting cost-saving administrative structures in place. The system announced in August that three pairs of campuses would share presidencies, part of a larger initiative designed to stimulate regional cost-saving initiatives. The announcement spurred particular backlash at one pair of institutions -- SUNY-Potsdam and SUNY-Canton -- and drove one state representative, whose district includes the campuses, to introduce a bill that would guarantee each campus had its own president.
The other two pairs will move ahead with unified presidencies. According to a resolution passed in November, the campuses, including Potsdam and Canton, have until July 15, 2012, to produce a report about how they will meet certain cost-savings goals. "Chancellor Zimpher and the SUNY Board of Trustees decided this was more important than allowing one hurdle to distract from our efforts to channel more funding to our academic courses, which has always been our goal, and remains our goal," said a spokesman for the chancellor's office. "There will still be a consolidation of the administrative structure at Canton and Potsdam."
