SUNY Potsdam names new president after national search

POTSDAM, New York (WWNY) - SUNY Potsdam has named a new president.

The university’s board of directors has selected Dr. Suzanne Smith following a national search.

Dr. Smith is currently provost/vice president for academic affairs at Georgia Southwestern State University.

She will begin her new job at SUNY Potsdam around April 17.

Dr. Smith received a Ph.D. in child and family development from the University of Georgia in 1996; an M.S. in family and child development from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1992; and a B.A. from Erskine College in behavior science in 1990.

She also completed the Management Development Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The SUNY Potsdam has been without a president since November 2021. That’s when the last president, Dr. John Graham, died unexpectedly.

Dr. Philip Neisser, a SUNY Potsdam dean, has been serving as the school’s officer-in-charge since January 2022.

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