SUNY makes a move to oust NCC head

Daily Point

Will August mark the end of Nassau Community College chief administrator's tenure?

The fight between SUNY and Nassau Community College has reached a boiling point.

And while the SUNY trustees seem intent on moving toward attempting to oust Maria Conzatti, who currently leads the college as its administrator-in-charge, NCC and its trustees seem equally intent on keeping her at her post.

The question now is just how much Conzatti will stand her ground, and who will stand with her, especially come August, when, according to new SUNY rules, the state could move to oust her.

The SUNY board of trustees approved a resolution Tuesday that could change the leadership dynamic at Nassau Community College and ultimately end Conzatti's controversial tenure.

The resolution, which emerged out of a process that included two public comment periods and five public listening sessions, changes the rules for temporary leadership at all community colleges across the state.

Under the new rules, when a community college has a vacancy in the president position, the college trustees are allowed to appoint an "administrator-in-charge" to fill a gap in leadership until a permanent president is approved. That term is limited to one year, although the SUNY board is allowed to grant extensions as necessary.

Then came the change that directly impacts NCC, which has been butting heads with SUNY. If the SUNY board votes to "disapprove" an administrator-in-charge during his or her tenure, the new rules say, that person's tenure "shall automatically be revoked 60 days following disapproval, and such candidate shall be ineligible to serve as an administrator-in-charge or to otherwise assume the duties of the presidency" without further approval from the state trustees.

What does that mean for Conzatti? The SUNY board disapproved Conzatti's appointment to be president of NCC in November. But the new rules apply "prospectively only," so the 60-day clock won't start until the rules take effect.

The resolution allows SUNY Chancellor John King to adopt the rules "to take effect no earlier than June 1." November's disapproval will remain in effect, so the 60-day period will start when the rules kick in. Conzatti's term could end over the summer and she'd be ineligible to serve in NCC's top position after that point.

"SUNY community colleges are essential engines of upward mobility, and the SUNY Board of Trustees is responsible under the law for approving the appointment of all community college presidents," a SUNY spokeswoman said in a statement to The Point. “[The] Board action continues SUNY's transparent commitment to ensuring excellent leadership on every community college campus on behalf of the students we serve."

In the commentary attached to the resolution, the SUNY board specifically pointed to "recent events at several SUNY community colleges" that "highlighted the need to update the process."

"This lack of stability and permanent leadership poses accreditation risk and leads to other campus challenges," the supporting documentation stated.

Since the November disapproval, NCC officials have pushed back against SUNY's actions, saying Conzatti would stay. The college board of trustees even voted in November to give the board chairman the authorization to file a lawsuit protesting the disapproval move. They didn’t sue in the months that followed. But on Wednesday, a day after SUNY trustees passed their new resolution, the college trustees sued SUNY, asking for the disapproval to be stopped and for Conzatti’s leadership to be upheld.

"We have the SUNY action taken last night under examination and at first blush, it is very troubling," said Jerry Kornbluth, NCC's vice president for community and governmental relations.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

SAVE U.S.

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Final Point

Betting on politicians? Yeah, it's a thing.

Follow politics closely? Why not make a few extra bucks. The prediction markets are where anyone can belly up to an online smorgasbord of bets that includes political races.

Take the will or won't he run fan dance of former congressman and current Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito. For months, rumors swirled that D'Esposito would seek a rematch against incumbent CD4 Laura Gillen, but he now seems tied up with the misconduct investigation of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Back on Nov. 9, the odds of D'Esposito being the Republican nominee candidate on Election Day for CD4 were just 10% while State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R-Malverne) was the front-runner at 71%. Former Hempstead Town Supervisor and current state Supreme Court Justice Donald X. Clavin Jr. was listed at 8%.

On Monday, according to Kalshi, D'Esposito had an 86% chance of being the nominee while Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick dropped to just 8.5%. Clavin is no longer listed. By Thursday morning, D'Esposito's chances jumped to 93% while Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick remained at 8.5%. Hey, it's a betting site, not an MIT math lab. Only $4,057 has been wagered so far.

The betting bonanza doesn't stop with politics. Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi allow eager fans to bet on just about anything — from the Iran war to sports — even what will be said at this year's Oscars.

And if you thought Gov. Kathy Hochul would mention the word "Buffalo," her hometown, during a Feb. 17 news conference, you could have cleaned up. Kalshi reported more than $225,000 wagered.

Critics contend prediction markets — which are governed by the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission unlike sportsbooks, which are overseen by states — are rife with insider trading.

Government oversight or not, prediction markets are wildly popular. Over $60 billion was wagered in 2025, and more than $1 billion has been wagered on the Iran war already. The Associated Press is sharing its "gold standard elections data" with Kalshi for federal primaries and the general election.

Whether you're betting on war, sports or politics, the money's still green. And if you have an inside connection with someone who knows D'Esposito, a few bucks on Kalshi might be considered. #IYKYK

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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