A top administrator at Fort Lewis College has been named the new president of State University of New York Oneonta just as FLC begins a search for a new president and conducts budget exercises aimed at identifying possible cost savings.
Barbara Morris, vice president and provost, joined FLC in 2011. She has also worked with the Colorado Commission of Higher Education on its Academic Council and has worked on the Colorado State Remedial Education Task Force.
“Among the accomplishments I’m most proud of is that research and grants have increased dramatically at Fort Lewis College, thereby increasing the institution’s reputation, especially in STEM,” Morris said in a news release issued Tuesday by FLC. “We have patent applications in which our students are involved, and we have faculty that are both nationally and internationally recognized.
“I am very proud that we have been focused on student success and now have illuminated pathways for students. We have substantially increased graduation rates for all students, including underrepresented minorities.”
During Morris’ service, FLC established its first graduate program, a master of arts in education, in 2012. In 2016, the school earned its re-accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission.
In a prepared statement, FLC President Dene Thomas thanked Morris for her service to FLC and wished her well in her new post.
“As provost, she helped move the college through a number of difficult challenges,” Thomas said.
Mitch Davis, spokesman for FLC, said Morris will serve as provost through the current semester, so he doesn’t foresee any impact on the search to replace Thomas, who is retiring at the end of the academic year.
Davis said the school’s Budget Committee will discuss how, if at all, the provost’s departure affects the budget process.
FLC is undergoing a budget study to try to identify $4.5 million in cuts, about 8 percent of the school’s budget, to be able to prioritize cuts in anticipation of a budget shortfall for the 2018-19 academic year. In addition, the school is examining possible layoffs and has buyouts on the table offered to employees, both faculty and staff, who have more than six years of service with the school.
At SUNY Oneonta, Morris will earn an annual salary of $255,000. She will begin her new position on or about July 1.
Morris will replace SUNY Oneonta President Nancy Kleniewski, who will retire in July after 10 years at the school. She was the school’s first female president.
SUNY Oneonta has about 6,055 students and 433 full- and part-time faculty. Twenty-two percent of its students are minorities.
In comparison, FLC has about 3,585 students from 49 states, including students from 167 Native American tribes and Alaskan villages. It also has students from 22 countries.
“Dr. Morris is a dedicated higher education professional who constantly strives to ensure that colleges and universities foster learning communities based on shared governance and respect, and that students’ needs are put at the forefront of every college’s mission,” said SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman H. Carl McCall in a news release issued Tuesday by SUNY Oneonta.
Morris, in the SUNY Oneonta news release, said: “I was impressed with the faculty and staff, how much they cared about the students and the community. It’s a special place.”
She was one of six finalists for the job.
Before joining FLC, Morris worked for 16 years at the University of Redlands in Southern California. She served in several roles at Redlands; she left the school as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
