POTSDAM – The SUNY Potsdam College Council has told SUNY authorities in Albany that they cannot find one chief financial officer for both the Potsdam and Canton campuses as SUNY had wanted, but will need one full-time officer for themselves.

The college’s Vice-President for Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer Michael Lewis is scheduled to retire at the end of June. Shortly after his plans were announced, SUNY Canton’s Vice President for Administrative Services Christine Gray said that she, too, was planning to retire.

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

At the time, Schwaller said candidates were expected to visit the campuses in March so a selection could be made by April.

The effort to appoint one person for the two positions was in response to SUNY Central Administration and Provost David Lavallee’s statement that the two schools “should look into sharing administrative functions.” That was an extension of SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher’s stated desire that the two colleges look into sharing one president and other administrative staff, to save money.

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

Potsdam’s College Council said in its resolution that, as the search committee went about its work, it became clear that, in spite of a pool of talented candidates, no one was thought to be able to do both the jobs at Potsdam and Canton at the same time.

The resolution approved last night said that the job “cannot be adequately and successfully fulfilled by one single individual” but that the council “fully recognizes, supports and applauds the efforts and the initiatives of SUNY Chancellor Zimpher, of SUNY Central Administration” to seek out ways to share work and programs between the two colleges, and that SUNY Potsdam would continue to try to find areas where that policy can be implemented.