Kirwin and Buckley to Take Over Presidential Responsibilities During Search Process
By ZACHARY OLSAVICKY
Opinion Editor
Last October, nearly 1,000 members of the College of Saint Rose community descended upon the Empire State Plaza for the inauguration of David Szczerbacki as president of the College. The celebration marked the both end of a lengthy search to fill the position and the beginning of a new era in the leadership of the school.
That era came to an abrupt end on June 14, as Szczerbacki, citing personal reasons, stepped down from the office of the presidency. In a press release from the College, Daniel P. Nolan, chair of the College’s board of trustees, announced that Szczerbacki would not renew his contract as president for the upcoming year.
“It was a shock, and an emotional shock,” said Margaret Kirwin, dean of the Thelma P. Lally School of Education and interim president of the College. Kirwin, who is wrapping up a stint as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, will share duties of the office of the presidency alongside Marcus Buckley, vice president for finance and administration and newly-minted chief operating officer. Serving in an advisory role is R. Mark Sullivan, who preceded Szczerbacki as president of the College from 1996 until 2012.
Kirwin has served in a number of roles during her 38 years at the College, among them the roles of a faculty member and the dean of studies. Buckley joined the College in July of 2005 in his present administrative role. In sharing the office’s role, Kirwin described her role as encompassing the “ambassadorial functions” of the office, while Buckley will focus on the daily financial operations overseen by a chief operating officer.
Buckley said the leadership structure was established because of the college’s needs and both his and Kirwin’s strengths. When first discussing the shift with Kirwin and Nolan, he felt it would be “really important… to have somebody with some serious academic stature in the presidency,” which Kirwin brings to the table. Kirwin and Buckley had to create a written plan for the board of trustees explaining how tasks would be delegated and communication would take place.
“The model that we put together here has its analogues elsewhere in higher education,” said Buckley. “We’re not the first school who lost a leader very quickly and had to do something to fill the gap.”
Kirwin stated that while neither she nor Buckley know how to do each other’s normal jobs, they know how to communicate about each other’s jobs. And because it is such a busy time of year for college administrators, communication between the two has been high.
“What we have here is an unexpected event during a naturally busy season for administrators, and so in that sense, it’s been quite intense.”
Kirwin and Buckley also credited the leadership style of Presidents Sullivan and Szczerbacki as helping the transition process. Because they “allowed people to do their jobs,” Kirwin said, herself and Buckley had already experienced much of the tasks involved with the office.
The outgoing president, Szczerbacki, first joined the College in August of 2004 as provost and vice president for academic affairs. Prior to arriving in Albany, he spent 14 years at Alfred University serving in a variety of roles, including that of provost. At Saint Rose, Szczerbacki served as acting president of the College from October 2010 until January 2011 while then-president Sullivan took his medical leave of absence. Following a search process, Szczerbacki was announced as the ninth president in The College’s history in February of 2012 and began serving in the role in July of that year.
Nearly all of Szczerbacki’s online presence with the college has disappeared. His Twitter account, @strosepres, was deleted, and blog posts about his book club have been taken down from the College’s blogging website. The College’s page for the Office of the President was re-titled “Office of the Presidency,” and boilerplate information about Saint Rose greets visitors. When asked about the changes, Lisa Haley Thompson, vice president for strategic communication and public relations for the College, said that it was to clarify that a change occurred.
“We wanted to be clear in the communication that this had taken place,” she explained.
The initial press release issued by the College announced that a national search for a new president will commence immediately. In the meantime, Kirwin and Buckley will continue to follow the College’s strategic plan, which includes an initiative to draw students from around the country and internationally, a “game plan” for institutional advancement issues, and an initiative to have donors make long-term commitments.
For Buckley, the challenges he will face alongside Kirwin will be a matter of applying past lessons in a new light.
“You have to draw upon your other experiences when confronted with a new situation.”
