O'Connor served for 14 years in senior positions at New York University, with responsibilities as vice president for university relations and executive assistant to the president. He currently is president of the Ballintober Group, a Manhattan-based consulting firm providing management services to educational and cultural organizations. O'Connor, a Maine native, has taught at the Gallatin School at NYU, was co-founder and director of the New York City Police Department Watch Team Community Patrol and has been active with many community and business organizations in New York City.

Chancellor John W. Ryan noted that O'Connor's appointment in an acting capacity would take place immediately. The Board of Trustees will conduct a formal search over the coming months. It is anticipated that O'Connor will be a candidate for the permanent position.

The Broome County District Attorney's Office in late December cleared University at Binghamton public safety officers of any wrongdoing in an Oct. 15 campus incident, in which officers used pepper spray to prevent three students from disrupting a university event.

In an effort to foster private fund-raising, the Board of Trustees has approved a policy to enable campuses to more easily name buildings and campus grounds after living individuals and organizations. Previously, University policy only allowed campuses to name buildings to honor the deceased.

"The naming of a building after an individual is one of the highest honors the University can bestow," said Trustee Chairman Thomas F. Egan. "It is also an important component in development efforts."

SUNY is well represented on the list of 700 best colleges for Hispanic-Americans, according to the magazine The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, a bi-weekly publication. It found that only the California state university system has as many colleges ranked "best" as does New York's system. Albany was among the recommended SUNY institutions listed.

Paul R. Perez of Bronxville has been appointed by Gov. George Pataki to serve on the Board of Trustees. And investment banker for 12 years and a specialist in emerging markets, Perez became chief investment strategist for the Scion Group this year, and held previous positions with Credit Suisse, Bankers Trust, and Security Pacific National Bank. Prior to his career in banking, he served the Society of Jesus for eight years as a lecturer on ethics.