#SUNY names an interim chancellor to replace Cuomo-tainted Malatras

ALBANY – The State University of New York’s Board of Trustees has tapped SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley to replace Jim Malatras as chancellor, following his forced resignation due to his longstanding ties with disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The board unanimously approved Stanley’s installment as interim chancellor by a 14-0 vote during a special meeting just before 9 a.m. Monday morning.

“This is an important day for SUNY…I know Deborah to be a bold, inclusive, moral and very significant and dignified leader who has led her campus with a lot of pride,” said SUNY board Chairman Merryl Tisch during the meeting, which was held remotely.

“She doesn’t avoid controversy. She is a steady hand for this very, very significant challenge before us. It should not come as a surprise that we are staring down the face of the next wave of COVID.”

Stanley starts Jan. 15 – the same day Malatras is slated to step down – and in the meantime, the board will start a national search for a new chancellor.

She will make a $500,000 annual salary heading the 64-campus public university system, according to a copy of the resolution approving her appointment.

“When I see SUNY now asking for my participation and getting back on track and moving toward a permanent chancellor and perhaps addressing some of the challenges that are present at this moment – I then am happy to put aside some personal plans and devote myself to that endeavor, because it’s so worthy,” Stanley told the trustees.

She had previously announced she would retire as upstate’s SUNY Oswego’s president — a post she’s held for 25 years – at the end of the year.

But SUNY trustees obtained an emergency waiver to fast-track the announcement, circumventing the state’s open meetings law as normally the board needs to give public notice at least seven days in advance.

The swift move signifies the urgency of the decision.

Malatras announced he would step down earlier this month following revelations that he assisted in smearing the reputation of Cuomo-accuser Lindsey Boylan.

New interview transcripts released as part of State Attorney General Letitia James’ bombshell Aug. 3 sexual harassment report showed text messages from Malatras targeting Boylan in 2019.

“Malatras to Boylan: Go f–k yourself,” the SUNY boss wrote in one text.

“Let’s release some of her cray emails!” he said in another.

Although he apologized, noting the messages came before Boylan first made her sexual harassment complaints against Cuomo in Dec. 2020 – Malatras faced an avalanche of pressure from state lawmakers, SUNY students and officials and eventually Gov. Kathy Hochul to relinquish his position.

SUNY trustees and Tisch stood by him until the end, praising his leadership during his short-lived appointment – as Malatras served just a year of his intended five-year appointment term, expected to expire in 2025.

Malatras served as a close confidant to Cuomo throughout the pandemic, appearing at many press conferences and serving on his COVID-19 task force. He previously served as director of state operations under the former gov, and even worked for Cuomo when he was state Attorney General.

SUNY trustees meanwhile are reviewing his contract and exit package, as The Post exclusively reported Malatras could be eligible for a $450,000 salary next year.