By CRAIG FREILICH

SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Canton are planning to hire a joint chief financial officer instead of one for each campus, following State University orders that the two campuses start sharing resources to cut costs.

The two colleges are searching for a vice president for business affairs to take over most of the responsibilities of Canton’s Vice President for Administrative Services Christine Gray and Potsdam’s Vice President for Business Affairs Mike Lewis, who are retiring.

The move follows controversy that erupted this summer after State University officials demanded SUNY Canton Pres. Joseph L. Kennedy resign so both campuses could be headed by one president to reduce costs.

Following protests from unionized SUNY Canton staff and local politicians, the SUNY Board of Trustees backed down and allowed Kennedy to serve out this academic year. But the mandate to reduce non-instructional expenses at many smaller SUNY campuses remains and trustees instructed the presidents of SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Canton to work together to increase the percentage of funds devoted to instruction and academic services.

Lewis had announced his plan to retire and SUNY Potsdam had begun the search to find a replacement when Gray’s plans to retire became known.

SUNY Potsdam Pres. John Schwaller and SUNY Canton’s Kennedy appointed a joint search committee to fill the one position for both campuses.

In a “campus alliance update” to the college community earlier this month, Schwaller said candidates are expected to visit the campuses in March so a selection can be made by April.

SUNY Potsdam spokeswoman Alexandra Jacobs said the effort is in response to SUNY Provost David Lavallee’s statement that the two schools “should look into sharing administrative functions,” but that if for some reason the “campus alliance” program doesn’t work out, the position will become that of VP for Business Affairs at Potsdam.

The two schools began fencing with SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and Provost Lavallee last summer when plans emerged that would have had Canton’s Pres. Kennedy step down while Potsdam’s Pres. Schwaller would assume the leadership of both campuses.

Zimpher's plan calls for sharing between nearby SUNY campuses, such as Potsdam and Canton, to save expenses while improving efficiency and programs at both institutions. This is part of a larger statewide plan called Campus Alliance Networks. Since the colleges in Potsdam and Canton are only a dozen miles apart, they are among the first in the system to be asked to take advantage of their closeness in the new scheme.

SUNY Canton in particular reacted badly when they thought their well-liked and highly regarded president would be forced out without any input from either college or their boards of trustees. Various campus organizations came out in opposition to the plan, and representatives in the state Legislature took up the matter to see if they might arbitrate some accommodation to SUNY’s cost-cutting plans while smoothing relations with the St. Lawrence County colleges.

The two schools are also cooperating on hiring a veterans/military coordinator, to help vets and active duty personnel navigate the military rules and regulations as they pursue a college degree, and to get sorted out the frequently scattered college records from the many places where they may have taken courses during their careers.