SUNY Old Westbury is becoming a university, effective July 1, the institution said in a news release on Monday.
The announcement was made on Friday, during the inauguration of Timothy Sams as the institution’s sixth president.
The campus’s official name will change from “State University of New York College at Old Westbury” to “State University of New York at Old Westbury.” Still, most will refer to the institution as SUNY Old Westbury, as it is known now.
“SUNY Old Westbury is proud to be recognized formally as a university, a recognition that is reflective of our rigorous, high-quality academic offerings at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,” Sams said in the news release.
“This new designation rightly represents the type of institution that we are today,” he added. Even so, while our legal name changes, our mission remains the same. SUNY Old Westbury is a campus committed to powerful, liberal arts education and dedicated to preparing its students for career and life success while empowering them to be change-makers for social and environmental justice.”
During his inaugural address, Sams shared his vision for SUNY Old Westbury.
“My vision for SUNY Old Westbury is to be known as a premiere ‘predominantly diverse institution,’” Sams said. “By premiere, we mean that Old Westbury will provide liberal arts excellence by leading within the diversity, equity, inclusion and justice space; hosting a transformational student experience; sponsoring class leading programs in STEM, social justice, and sustainability; managing with distinction; and we will be responsive to the dynamic needs of our region, our country, and the world.”
At the inauguration, SUNY Chancellor John King, Jr., described Sams “the kind of educator who is committed to building a community of support where every young person feels a sense of belonging and a sense of being seen – that’s an Old Westbury tradition he represents.”
Sams, King said, “is a leader in the tradition that is the best about our democracy, a democracy that is not fully formed. Generation after generation have stood up to fight for civil rights, to fight for the right to vote, to fight to expand the circle of democracy, the circle of freedom, the circle of justice – that is a tradition in which I know Tim has already led and that he will continue to lead.”
Sams was appointed president of SUNY Old Westbury two years ago, amid COVID-19. During the height of the pandemic, part of the campus had served as a vaccination center. The inauguration, at Sams’ urging, was held off as the campus began to return to full swing, including the celebration of class graduates in May of 2022.
Last week’s inauguration included the participation of more than 20 delegates representing academic institutions throughout SUNY and from across the nation.
“We will be a go-to institution for diverse, brilliant, and skilled leaders who apply ethical intelligence to human and planetary conditions,” Sams said, in closing his inaugural address. “This vision pays homage to our heritage, and keeps us true to our mission, our prophetic voice, and our calling as a public liberal arts institution.”
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Adina Genn
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