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President Hitchcock on Leave; Provost Santiago
Named Officer in Charge
by Greta Petry
On Friday, Jan. 30, University at Albany President
Karen R. Hitchcock and State University of New
York Chancellor Robert King released a joint statement
noting that, effective immediately, Hitchcock
was going on leave due to �an ongoing illness
in her immediate family.�
King appointed UAlbany Provost Carlos Santiago
to serve as officer in charge in Hitchcock�s absence.
Hitchcock had previously announced in October
that she was resigning in June 2004, at the end
of the current academic year.
In
a memo thanking UAlbany faculty and staff
for their dedication and service, Hitchcock said,
�While our families are always our first consideration,
my love and respect for all of you have made this
a truly wrenching decision.�
She also said that she is �deeply proud of all
we have accomplished together; and, that I know
you will give Provost Carlos Santiago � now Officer
in Charge � your full support as UAlbany continues
to move forward under his leadership.�
Santiago addressed the campus community briefly
on February 2 in the Campus Center Ballroom, saying
he will serve in the title of officer in charge
until a decision is made to appoint an interim
UAlbany president.
�I anticipate that such a decision will be made
in the next several weeks,� he said, in
his remarks.
Santiago, who joined the UAlbany faculty in 1988,
noted that as provost, he served as the chief
executive of the University when the president
was traveling or on vacation. �The phrase �officer
in charge� is used when this arrangement is not
a short-term, temporary one for a day or two,
but will last for a somewhat longer period of
time,� he said.
�It has been a great privilege and an honor to
work and learn for the last 16 years at the University
at Albany,� Santiago continued. �I now feel duty
bound to help out at this critical juncture in
the institution�s history. I join you in expressing
our support for President Hitchcock and wishing
her and her family all the best in these difficult
times and our thoughts and hopes are with them.
I also want to thank Chancellor Robert King for
his immediate response and for the supportive
position he took in light of President Hitchcock�s
unanticipated request.�
Santiago served the University as faculty member,
department chair, Senate chair, associate provost,
and dean of Graduate Studies before becoming provost
and vice president for Academic Affairs in April
2001. �I know this institution well and I am proud
to say that I know virtually all of the faculty
and staff in this room,� he said.
Santiago said it is �particularly important for
all of us � faculty, administration, staff, and
students � to continue to work closely together
to ensure that the institution not lose the momentum
that has developed under President Hitchcock�s
leadership and that of the academic deans. The
senior administration of this campus � vice presidents,
deans, and their staffs � looks forward to continuing
our close association with faculty leadership
and governance as well as student leadership,
parents, alumni and friends, and our union partners.
Like other SUNY institutions, we count on continued
support from the SUNY System Administration and
its Trustees, our University Council, and the
executive and legislative branches of New York
State government to help us fulfill our mission
on behalf of the citizens of this State.�
Santiago said that while public higher education
faces difficulties across the nation, �the faculty,
in particular, through their scholarship, teaching,
and service, must continue to lead the way in
confronting our challenges and seeking outcomes
that bring greater excellence in all that we do.�
He said, �The job of the senior administration
on this campus is to provide direction, options,
and opportunities. Nonetheless, this is a time
of change and while change brings with it uneasiness
and conceivably a sense of instability, change
also provides an opportunity to markedly advance
our institutional goals. I can assure you that
our institution will stand by its commitments
and I will do everything in my power to assure
continuity in the weeks ahead.�
Santiago concluded, �Together, we can sustain
the momentum. Together, we can help our University
Council, the Chancellor of the State University
of New York and the SUNY Trustees attract the
best possible leadership to lead this institution
through the next exciting phase of its evolution.�
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