SUNY Old Westbury, soon to be designated a university, inaugurates Timothy Sams as president
Timothy Sams receives the symbols of his office as he is inaugurated as SUNY Old Westbury's sixth president on Friday. Credit: Jeff Bachner
Officials with SUNY Old Westbury formally inaugurated their president of the past two years on Friday, and he announced the college’s plans to elevate its status to be a university in July.
Timothy Sams has helmed the college since January 2021, but his inauguration was delayed by COVID-19 shutdowns and social gathering restrictions. He was named the college’s sixth president, succeeding the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, who stepped down in August 2020.
Sams was recognized in a ceremony Friday with SUNY and CUNY officials from throughout the state, led by Chancellor John B. King Jr., wearing colorful academic robes. The ceremony included a procession by an Afrikan Healing Circle to mark the college’s heritage and diversity.
The college is elevating to a university following a state Board of Regents resolution passed last year aimed at attracting more students to the SUNY system.
Sams made the announcement during his inauguration speech Friday, noting that the designation, starting July 1, as the State University of New York at Old Westbury, “befits the quality and depth of the academic and student development programs we offer.”
SUNY Old Westbury officials said the university name more accurately describes the school’s offerings.
Sams laid out priorities for the college, which he said he chose based on its history of diversity and commitment to social justice. He was most recently vice president of student affairs for Prairie View A&M University in Houston.
He said Old Westbury’s new Social Environmental Justice Institute will advance the ethically-based liberal arts curriculum “to prepare students to be scholar activists, which is a hallmark of SUNY Old Westbury education.”
Sams said his goal is to make SUNY Old Westbury better recognized for the diversity of students it serves, and to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice. It has more than 51% enrollment of Black, Indigenous and people of color.
He noted similarities to the college’s creation in 1965 through social unrest, facing issues of systemic racism, hate, economic disparity and inadequate health care and bodily autonomy.
"The looming challenges facing higher education also provide context for our vision. Among them are financial development needs and the attacks against Black studies, critical race theory, books…,” Sams said. “If you know a student in one of these states, who cherishes their right to choose, or cringes over the idea of studying in the Dark Ages, please send them to SUNY Old Westbury.”
The state Board of Regents eliminated a requirement for universities to offer doctoral programs and instead include a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs in at least three of the state’s 10 major academic programs: agriculture, biological sciences, business, education, engineering, fine arts, health professions, humanities, physical sciences and social sciences.
State officials said New York was the only state requiring doctoral programs to qualify as a university.
Regents said the doctoral programs can cause a financial strain on universities and designated colleges, and can cause confusion for students, particularly internationally. Regents also said the separate college and university designations can pose a marketing challenge to SUNY schools seeking to attract students.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
