NEWS

SUNY chancellor search to cost $207K

Jon Campbell
@JonCampbellGAN
State University of New York Chancellor Nancy Zimpher delivers the State of the University address on Jan. 11, 2016 in Albany.

ALBANY - The State University of New York system will pay a private search firm more than $200,000 to round up candidates to replace Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, who will step down next year.

Isaacson, Miller, a Boston-based executive search firm, has been contracted to lead the hunt for a new chancellor to lead the 64-campus system, SUNY board of trustees Chairman H. Carl McCall announced Monday.

The contract, which runs through July 2017, will pay the company up to $207,500, according to state records.

"This well-established executive search firm is a leader in higher education, having worked with many SUNY campuses over the years and leading us to the appointment of Nancy Zimpher in 2009," McCall said in a statement. "I have the utmost confidence in their ability as we call on them once again.”

►Previously: SUNY chancellor to leave next year

Along with the 2009 search for Zimpher, SUNY campuses have frequently hired Isaacson, Miller over the years to lead searches for presidential candidates or high-ranking positions.

Since mid-2014, state records show the firm has received five contracts from SUNY and its individual campuses, including SUNY Geneseo.

Collectively, those five contracts — three of which are still current — are worth up to $768,500, which includes the latest chancellor agreement.

In 2009, the Binghamton University Foundation paid the firm $108,333 to lead an initial search for a new president. But the search was restarted after some candidates withdrew their names from consideration and Zimpher rejected the remaining ones.

Ultimately, BU hired Harvey Stenger, who had been provost at the University at Buffalo.

Isaacson, Miller has set up a website for the chancellor search, which allows potential candidates to apply or for others to nominate someone for the job.

In May, Zimpher announced her plan to step down on June 30, 2017.

JCampbell1@Gannett.com

Jon Campbell is a staff writer with USA TODAY Network's Albany Bureau.