After nearly two years of sharing Candace Vancko with SUNY Delhi, SUNY Cobleskill will be getting its own president again.
State University of New York Trustees last Tuesday named Debra Thatcher, vice president for academic affairs, SUNY Cobleskill's acting president effective June 1.
Dr. Vancko, who's been heading both SUNY Cobleskill and Delhi since 2011, will return to Delhi fulltime, also June 1.
Dr. Vancko said Dr. Thatcher's appointment is the first step in a search for a new president for Cobleskill, expected to be in place by the summer of 2015.
The announcement "demonstrated that SUNY recognizes the tremendous strides we have made through shared services," said Dr. Vancko in a written satement.
"By working together, we've made impressive progress toward achieving our goals of positioning Cobleskill for enrollment growth, improving the campus appearance and infrastructure, and securing Middle States re-accreditation...
"We are fortunate Dr. Thatcher has agreed to serve as acting president. I look forward to watching Cobleskill grow under her guidance."
Dr. Thatcher has served as chief operating officer, provost, and vice president of Academic Affairs at SUNY Cobleskill since January 2011.
From 2006-10, she served as provost and dean of faculty at Lees-McRae College, and from 2001-06, as director, School of Education, and associate dean of the School of Professional Studies at Northern Michigan University.
She is a graduate of the University of Wyoming, and holds a M.Ed and PhD from the University of South Carolina.
In a prepared statement, Dr. Thatcher said she looks forward to continuing the momentum initiated by Dr. Vancko.
"I love SUNY Cobleskill and the future is very bright," she said. "We are entering an exciting era marked by hiring new faculty and staff and building modern facilities to support academic and student life programs that will move SUNY Cobleskill to the forefront as the Northeast's leading college of agriculture and technology."