The State University of New York announced Thursday that one of its top officials will be taking charge of SUNY Old Westbury as the institution continues its search for a permanent president.
SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said in a statement yesterday that Teresa A. Miller, who currently serves as SUNY’s senior vice chancellor of strategic initiatives and chief diversity officer, will serve as officer-in-charge of SUNY Old Westbury starting Sept, 1, after the school’s current President, the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, leaves campus following more than 20 years of service.
Prior to joining SUNY, Miller served as a professor of law at the University of Buffalo, also serving as that university’s first chief diversity officer and vice provost for inclusive excellence, establishing an Office for Inclusive Excellence during her term, and founding the university’s Inclusive Excellence Leadership Council.
As an academic, Miller, who attended Duke University for her undergraduate work and completed her J.D. at Harvard Law School, specializes in immigration law, criminal procedure, and prisoner law, having authored numerous journal articles on the subjects. Two of her most prominent projects include serving as a member of an American Bar Association task force that rewrote “The Standards on the Legal Status of Prisoners” in 2010, and “Encountering Attica,” a documentary short about mass incarceration that she produced and co-directed.
“Dr. Teresa Miller’s commitment to diversity and depth of experience as a professor and a leader on campus and at SUNY system administration will benefit the SUNY Old Westbury community during their leadership transition and as campus begins the fall 2020 semester,” Malatras said in a statement. “As a member of SUNY’s leadership team as campus reopening plans were reviewed, Dr. Miller is well aware of the planning that has enabled campuses to resume classes and is prepared to make additional changes to keep our students and the communities we serve safe.”
Miller’s official title at SUNY Old Westbury will be “officer-in-charge” as the university continues its search for a new president upon the retirement of sitting president Butts, who was originally scheduled to leave office in January.
“President Butts has led a rebuilding of SUNY Old Westbury both in growing enrollment with an increasingly diverse student body, and in renewing the campus infrastructure,” Malatras said. “More importantly, he has inspired a generation of students passing through Old Westbury to earn their degree and has created a culture of community service. We thank him for his years of service to SUNY.”
