The State University of New York Board of Trustees has appointed a new SUNY-ESF president, who will enter office on Jan. 2.

SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher announced at a Board of Trustees meeting on Friday that the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s new president will be Quentin Wheeler, who currently serves as the founding director of the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University. Wheeler was also the former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU.

“We have met with Dr. Wheeler and we on the executive team have every confidence that he is an excellent leader for SUNY-ESF and will build on the great work already accomplished by that institution,” she said at the meeting in New York City, which was webcast online.

The Board of Trustees quickly and unanimously motioned to appoint Wheeler. His salary will be $275,000 a year for his new position as ESF president.

Wheeler is an entomologist specializing in beetles, who has previously worked in London’s Natural History Museum, the National Science Foundation and Cornell University. He received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University.

“It’s an honor and a pleasure to accept this appointment. I really look forward to joining the fantastic community of faculty, students and staff at ESF and tapping into the power of SUNY to advance the diverse programs there,” he said.  “I really think the 21st century will be defined, primarily by environmental issues and how society decides to respond to those. I look forward to being part of crafting the solutions for New York State and the world.”

In December, current president Cornelius Murphy announced that he would be stepping down at the end of this semester.

The search process began more than a year ago, said the ESF Board of Trustees chair, Vita DeMarchi, at Wheeler’s appointment.  She added that the ESF campus community became increasingly engaged in the search process as it continued, improving the school’s relationships both internally and externally, with the SUNY program as a whole.

“Our community voiced that we wanted a president who values the SUNY system, who values the ESF culture, and I believe we have found that in Dr. Quentin Wheeler,” DeMarchi said. “Dr. Wheeler has a keen sense of humor, an engaging energy and a commanding presence, and he is the kind of leader that we are looking for.”

—Asst. News Editor Maggie Cregan contributed reporting to this article.

Published on November 15, 2013 at 2:32 pm

Contact Alfred: alng@syr.edu

@alfredwkng