SUNY Rockland Community College names new president; no start date for William Mullaney

SUNY Rockland Community College has named a new president. The appointment comes six months after the last president and the college unexpectedly “parted ways,” as a college official said then.

William Mullaney was approved as the community college’s ninth president at a Dec. 2 special board of trustees meeting. SUNY approved the appointment Dec. 17.

A start date for Mullaney has not been determined.

RCC board Chair L’Tanya Watkins cited Mullaney’s academic credentials and deep commitment to equity. “We look forward to seeing his vision come to life,” Watkins said in a statement.

Brief and rocky tenure of last president

Mullaney technically replaces former SUNY Rockland Community College President Lester Edgardo Sandres Rápalo, who left the college June 6, less than a year after he became the college’s eighth president. Beth Coyle, who had retired in 2023 as RCC’s vice president of operations, was then made Officer in Charge.

Rápalo’s brief and rocky tenure included staff and faculty cuts and furloughs, and fee hikes and program cuts, to tackle a “recurring” deficit estimated around $4 million. Several college groups, including the faculty union and Student Government Association, issued “no confidence” statements.

College officials didn’t provide details about Rápalo’s swift and unexpected departure.

Documents obtained via a Freedom of Information request showed that Rápalo received lump-sum compensation that was roughly 70% of his $250,000 base salary.

The college launched a national search for a new president in the fall.

The Mullaney file

Mullaney, 60, most recently served as president of SUNY Corning Community College. There, he instituted the college’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan and launched an Education Opportunity Program and the Corning Prison Education Program.

During his tenure at CCC, the college’s enrollment and graduation rates increased, RCC officials said.

Mullaney had his own clashes at CCC. In 2021, a vote by full-time faculty garnered 82% declaring no confidence in his leadership. The vote came in the wake of pandemic-era staffing and faculty cuts, the Elmira Star Gazette reported.

Mullaney in 2020 said the CCC cuts were difficult and not made lightly. “Our priorities of serving students and remaining fiscally responsible are strong as we embark on the path to the future,” he said then.

Mullaney had previously worked at Bergen Community College in New Jersey, including as the New Jersey college’s vice president of academic affairs.

Mullaney represented community colleges at a White House roundtable in February 2024.

“Rockland Community College is an exceptional institution, and I am deeply honored to serve as its ninth president,” Mullaney said in a statement. “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Board of Trustees for placing their trust in me to lead RCC into the future. I look forward to collaborating with the Board, faculty, staff, and community leaders to build on the college’s proud legacy while ensuring that our students have the tools, opportunities, and support they need to succeed. Together, we will continue to advance RCC’s mission of academic excellence, innovation, and service to our community.”

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: SUNY Rockland taps Corning Community College leader as new president

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