JOHN NADER NAMED

COLLEGE PRESIDENT

He’ll Lead Farmingdale State

As It Becomes 4-Year Campus

ONEONTA – John S. Nader, former Oneonta mayor and SUNY Delhi provost, today was appointed the ninth president of Farmingdale State College on Long Island by the SUNY Board of Trustees.

Nader will succeed W. Hubert Keen, who has served as president of Farmingdale for the last nine years, effective July 15, 2016.

SUNY Board Chairman H. Carl McCall said, “As provost at SUNY Delhi and a former mayor, the Board has every confidence that Dr. Nader can step seamlessly into the leadership role at Farmingdale State College and continue the campus’ world-class service to its students, faculty, and staff.”

Nader, son of another former mayor, Sam Nader, has been provost at SUNY Delhi since 2009. He directly supervises all academic programs, as well as the library and learning center, career and business services, grants and sponsored programs, and partnerships with the community colleges and local high schools. From 2012-2013, he was president of the SUNY Chief Academic Officers organization.

“Dr. Nader has been an instrumental member of the SUNY Delhi leadership team for several years, helping to make the college a national leader in online education and ensure the implementation of its performance improvement plan. He is going to make an excellent president for Farmingdale State College,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “We are deeply grateful to President Keen for his outstanding leadership over the last nine years and commend him on a widely successful 40-year career in higher education in New York State.”

 Nader was instrumental in developing Delhi’s strategic plan and monitors implementation of its smart growth strategy, focused on expanding selected academic majors, enhancing online capacity and building partnerships with community colleges. He has led the College’s program development and academic review process.

Patricia Hill Williams, chair of Farmingdale’s College Council and chair of the Presidential Search Committee said, “I commend Chancellor Zimpher for her swift action in selecting Dr. John Nader to serve as Farmingdale State College’s Ninth president.  His familiarity with SUNY and the college of technology sector will serve to ensure a smooth leadership transition and continue the College’s remarkable success in meeting its goals.”

With 8,694 students, Farmingdale has the second largest undergraduate enrollment among all Long Island colleges and expects to offer its first graduate degree program within a year. In this period of exponential growth, Farmingdale has added a new School of Business building, a new Campus Center, an expanded library, renovated athletic facilities, and will soon open a new building for student activities.

“Farmingdale appears to be in an exceptional position to strengthen and broaden its rather enviable reputation. Farmingdale epitomizes the spirit of what a public college education can be,” said Dr. Nader.

In a town hall held at Farmingdale as part of the interview process, Dr. Nader emphasized that he is a strong supporter of colleges like Farmingdale and Delhi, pointing out that public higher education is the great equalizer, providing access to quality education for all.

Dr. Nader was instrumental in obtaining approval to develop a fully online RN to BSN degree at Delhi, which continues to receive national recognition. Dr. Nader spearheads the college’s fully online summer school, which serves over 1,000 students. As Farmingdale seeks to offer its first graduate degree, this expertise should prove valuable.

Previously, Nader was Delhi’s dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, overseeing the introduction of new degree programs in Environmental Studies and Criminal Justice. As both provost and dean, Dr. Nader focused on promoting student success through improving advisement, expanding scholarship support and promoting community engagement and service learning opportunities for students.

When asked about building bridges between the academic and student affairs divisions, Nader agreed that the totality of a student’s experience depends on both student life and academic affairs, since students grow in ways not related to the classroom and labs.

As Oneonta mayor in 2006-2010, Nader worked to revitalize a long-dormant downtown property and guided the creation of a veteran’s memorial walkway. He also served a dozen years as an Otsego County legislator and as chair of the Opportunities for Otsego Board, where he worked to establish a homeless shelter.

Nader is an avid sports fan whose family owned a minor league baseball team long affiliated with the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. He and his family live in Oneonta. One of three children has graduated from a SUNY college, one attends a SUNY college, and the third is in high school.

He received a BA in Politics from Ithaca College and an MA and a PhD in Economics from the New School for Social Research.