CANTON -- SUNY Canton President Joseph L. Kennedy will retire following the conclusion of the 2011-2012 academic year to accept an appointment as special advisor to the SUNY Chancellor.

State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher and Kennedy today jointly made the announcement after nearly a week of rumors that Kennedy had been forced to resign and was not permitted to speak about it.

Kennedy and SUNY Potsdam President John F. Schwaller will work collaboratively with the goals of implementing broad shared services while trying to enhance the academic resources and opportunities for students at both campuses, the announcement said.

Beginning next summer, Kennedy will advise SUNY in implementation of shared services throughout the 64-campus SUNY system.

Assemblywoman Addie Russell, a Democrat whose district includes Canton and Potsdam, said the shared services exercise “will become a model for other SUNY collaborations.” It had been rumored that SUNY Potsdam’s Schwaller would be running both campuses as soon as Kennedy left.

“President Kennedy has done an outstanding job raising SUNY Canton’s profile and reputation over the last 18 years, and he is a shining example of the leadership we want our presidents to provide at SUNY campuses,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “President Kennedy has advocated for the types of administrative savings we must consider at this time, while SUNY seeks to uphold its obligation to use taxpayer and tuition dollars as efficiently as possible and to the maximum benefit of students.

“As a longtime president, Dr. Kennedy’s extensive knowledge of the system and campus perspective will prove invaluable as we realign SUNY’s administrative resources now and in the future. I commend him for accepting this challenge and thank him for his continued leadership.”

Kennedy said: “I’m excited about the opportunity to work collaboratively on plans to implement shared services here in the North Country and throughout the State, as well as finish several important projects here at SUNY Canton. I am proud of the remarkable progress of this campus and look forward to helping thousands of students across New York State. It’s an extraordinary opportunity that I greatly appreciate.”

SUNY Canton has experienced great growth and progress since Kennedy arrived in 1993, including moving from a two-year to a baccalaureate-granting college and making the jump to four-year athletics.

Since then, enrollment at the college has almost doubled, and several new construction projects and building renovations have enhanced educational opportunities provided SUNY Canton students.

Kennedy was instrumental in the placement of a federally supported Small Business Development Center on campus, which provides counseling, training, and other resources to current and would-be entrepreneurs, and the college has become the program agency for North Country Emergency Medical Services, which serves 85 fire departments and ambulance agencies in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.

A public discussion around shared services has been ongoing since January, when Chancellor Zimpher said in her state of the university speech that SUNY must address the inefficiencies associated with 64 campuses replicating 64 sets of activities by consolidating backroom operations and administrative infrastructure, as well as eliminating unsustainable financial models.

On June 15, the SUNY Board of Trustees passed a resolution directing the chancellor to promote collaboration among the system’s state-operated campuses and improve efficiency, cut costs, build capacity, and expand student services through the use of shared administrative functions, procurement, and realignment of academic program offerings.

About President Kennedy

Kennedy is personally involved in several community organizations. He is a member of the of the St. Lawrence County Workforce Investment Board of Directors and also serves on that body’s Youth Council. He serves on the board of directors of several local organizations, and he and his wife co-chair the capital campaign for the Traditional Arts in Upstate New York.

Prior to 1993, Kennedy was vice president for academic affairs at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. From 1984 to 1990, he was dean of academic affairs at Vermont’s Johnson State College. From 1978 to 1984, he was director of liberal studies at Western Montana College of the University of Montana. He served earlier as director of the Pyramid Lake Ecological Studies in Reno, Nevada, and as assistant professor of biology at North Georgia College in Dahlonega, Georgia.

Kennedy received his bachelor of science in biology from North Georgia College, his master of science in entomology from Clemson University in South Carolina, and his Ph.D. in wildlife resource management from Utah State University.

Kennedy and his wife, Dine, have two adult children, John and James, and two grandchildren. Both of the Kennedys’ sons are SUNY Canton alumni.