Rockland Community College Has Announced the Selection of the College’s Ninth President
Rockland Community College announced the selection of the College’s ninth president, Dr. William P. Mullaney. At a special board meeting on December 2nd, the RCC Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Dr. Mullaney. He was then approved by the State University of New York, on December 17th. The date he will begin serving as President has yet to be determined.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Mullaney to Rockland Community College as our ninth president. We are confident he will lead RCC toward an exciting and promising future. His impressive academic credentials, deep commitment to equity, understanding of the significance of community engagement, and his leadership experience align perfectly with our goals for the college. We look forward to seeing his vision come to life,” said L’Tanya M. Watkins, Esq., Chair of the RCC Board of Trustees.
The announcement concludes a national search that launched this Fall with a Presidential Search Advisory Committee, and with the assistance of search firm Isaacson Miller. The final three candidates recently visited the RCC campus and met with the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and students.
“Rockland Community College is an exceptional institution, and I am deeply honored to serve as its ninth president. 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,” stated Dr. Mullaney.
About Dr. William P. Mullaney
Dr. William P. Mullaney assumed leadership of SUNY Corning Community College as the College’s seventh president on July 1, 2019. He came to SUNY CCC from Bergen Community College, where, as the Vice President of Academic Affairs, he worked with stakeholders to increase the graduation rate by seven percent over three years, collaborated with area high schools to open Bergen’s first early college on campus, and facilitated the development of several new academic programs, including fashion design, paramedic science, and sports management. Dating back to his time as an English faculty member in Arizona, his experience is rooted in the belief that community colleges are integral to access, equity, social justice, and economic development. Student success is a hallmark of Dr. Mullaney’s mindset and the initiatives he develops, supports and promotes.
In Dr. Mullaney’s first presentation to the college community, “Embracing Equity,” he spoke about how CCC’s work must be seen through a lens of equity. His equity-minded actions have included developing and implementing “Building the Baseline for Equity,” the College’s first comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan, launching an Education Opportunity Program (EOP) with SUNY support, as well as the Corning Prison Education Program (CPEP), and increasing the College’s African-American student population by 3%. With the Chancellor’s support, Dr. Mullaney and Dr. Adiam Tsegui, president of Erie CC, recently developed the new PRODiG+ Program to hire and retain diverse community college faculty across the SUNY system.
Due to the successful implementation of a Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, the College experienced its first increase in enrollment over a decade under his leadership (+2.3% in 2023-24). During the same year, the College was excited to learn that its three-year graduation rate reached 40%, ranking it the highest among all of the SUNY community colleges. New programs under his tenure include Mechatronics, Digital Design, Automotive Technology, Battery Technology, Medical Administrative Assistant, Medical Clinical Assistant, and Pharmacy Technician with programs in Optical Technology and Surgical Technology scheduled to open in 2025.
Dr. Mullaney understands the importance of community engagement and partnerships and serves on many local boards, including the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, Corning Hospital, Incubator Works, and the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development Board and the Southern Finger Lakes (SoFLX) Workforce Committee. In February 2024 Dr. Mullaney participated in a roundtable at the White House with thirty community college presidents from across the country and members of the Biden administration, where he advocated for community colleges as engines for the nation’s workforce.
An experimental chef and budding triathlete, Dr. Mullaney and his wife Marianne live in Corning and have three children, Nathan, Katie, and Julianna.
Search Committee
Three members of the RCC Board of Trustees chaired the presidential search committee; Vice Chair Dana Stilley, Community Outreach Liaison Elana Yeger, and Trustee Grant Valentine.
The Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) charged the committee with conducting a thorough and transparent search. To ensure that our process adhered to the highest standards of fairness and inclusivity, all committee members were required to complete an unconscious bias training session.
RCC Presidential Search Committee
The search committee included the following members, representing a cross-section of the College’s key constituencies:
- Sabrina Charles Pierre, East Ramapo School District Board
- Julian Goldstein, Student Government Association, Chief of Staff
- Howard Hellman, RCC Foundation Board of Directors
- Nicole Hines, NAACP
- Michael Hoblin, Deputy County Executive
- Gina Liberti, RCCAFA-Adjunct Faculty Association
- Burton Louis-Charles, ASA-Administration and Staff Assembly
- Carlos Martinez, BRIDGES
- Eric Magaram, Faculty Senate
- Greg Merriweather, Clergy for Social Justice
- Meghan Nolan, RCCFT-Federation of Teachers
- Janine Scaglione Paredes, CSEA
- Al Samuels, Rockland Business Association
- Melissa L. Roy, RCC, Chief Diversity Officer
- Elizabeth Troutner, RCCFA-Federation of Administrators
- Aron Wieder, County Legislator
Press Releases
Communication Archive
November 12, 2024 - Presidential Search Update – On-Campus Interviews and Open Forums (Faculty and Staff)
Dear Faculty and Staff,
We are pleased to announce the next steps in our presidential search process. During the week of November 19-22, 2024, from 3:00-4:00pm, in Academic I, Room 1106, four finalists will visit campus as part of their on-site interviews called Open Forums.
As Rockland Community College employees, you can RSVP for the Open Forums by selecting each date of attendance using the following link.
Each candidate’s name, bio, and photo will be shared approximately 48 hours before their scheduled visit.
We look forward to your participation and input in this important selection process. Further event details, including the release of candidate information, will be shared soon.
For more information about the Presidential Search process at Rockland Community College, please visit sunyrockland.edu/presidential-search
Thank you for your engagement as we continue our journey toward selecting the next leader of our college.
Sincerely,
Trustee Dana G. Stilley, Vice Chair
Trustee Elana L. Yeger, Community Outreach Liaison
Trustee Grant Valentine
November 12, 2024 - Presidential Search Update – On-Campus Interviews and Open Forums (Students)
Dear Students,
We are pleased to announce the next steps in our presidential search process. During the week of November 19-22, 2024, from 12:30-1:15pm, in Academic I, Room 1106, four finalists will visit campus as part of their on-site interviews called Open Forums.
As a Rockland Community College student, you can RSVP for the Open Forums by selecting each date of attendance using the following link.
Each candidate’s name, bio, and photo will be shared approximately 48 hours before their scheduled visit.
We look forward to your participation and input in this important selection process. Further event details, including the release of candidate information, will be shared soon.
For more information about the Presidential Search process at Rockland Community College, please visit sunyrockland.edu/presidential-search
Thank you for your engagement as we continue our journey toward selecting the next leader of our college.
Sincerely,
Trustee Dana G. Stilley, Vice Chair
Trustee Elana L. Yeger, Community Outreach Liaison
Trustee Grant Valentine
October 2, 2024 - Update on RCC Presidential Search Process
Dear RCC Community,
On behalf of the Rockland Community College Board of Trustees, I am writing to provide you with an update on our search for the College’s next president. We are fully committed to identifying an exceptional leader who will carry forward RCC’s mission of serving our diverse student body and continuing to offer transformative educational opportunities. This email marks the first of several updates you can expect in the coming months as we move through this important process.
Presidential Search Committee and Process
Three members of the RCC Board of Trustees are chairing the presidential search committee; Vice Chair Dana Stilley, Community Outreach Liaison, Elana Yeger, and Trustee Grant Valentine. The Board has reengaged the search firm Isaacson, Miller (IM) to assist us in this process. The search committee includes the following members, representing a cross-section of the College’s key constituencies:
- Sabrina Charles Pierre, East Ramapo School District Board
- Julian Goldstein, Student Government Association, Chief of Staff
- Howard Hellman, RCC Foundation Board of Directors
- Nicole Hines, NAACP
- Michael Hoblin, Deputy County Executive
- Gina Liberti, RCCAFA-Adjunct Faculty Association
- Burton Louis-Charles, ASA-Administration and Staff Assembly
- Carlos Martinez, BRIDGES
- Eric Magaram, Faculty Senate
- Greg Merriweather, Clergy for Social Justice
- Meghan Nolan, RCCFT-Federation of Teachers
- Janine Scaglione Paredes, CSEA
- Al Samuels, Rockland Business Association
- Melissa L. Roy, RCC, Chief Diversity Officer
- Elizabeth Troutner, RCCFA-Federation of Administrators
- Aron Wieder, County Legislator
I am also pleased to share that the Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) has formally charged the committee with conducting a thorough and transparent search. To ensure that our process adheres to the highest standards of fairness and inclusivity, all committee members were required to complete an unconscious bias training session.
Timeline and Next Steps
The position announcement has been posted, and IM is currently screening candidates. While the timeline remains fluid, we want to inform you of next steps. It is expected that the Semi-Finalist Interviews with the RCC Search Committee will be conducted in October with final interviews by November/early December.
We are committed to keeping the RCC community informed at every stage of this process. For continuous updates, please visit this Presidential Search webpage.
As always, we appreciate your ongoing support and engagement as we work to select the College’s ninth president. Please join me in thanking the members of the search committee for their time and dedication to this critical process.
Sincerely,
L’Tanya M. Watkins, Esq.
Chair, Board of Trustees
Rockland Community College