ITHACA, NY (WSKG) -- SUNY Chancellor James Malatras announced today Alberto José Cardelle will take over as president of the system’s Oneonta campus at the start of the fall semester.
Cardelle will replace Barbara Jean Morris, who stepped down in October 2020 after SUNY Oneonta became a hotspot for COVID-19 cases. In June, Morris accepted a position as the president of a private college in Prescott, Arizona.
During the transition, SUNY Oneonta had been under the leadership of Dennis Craig, the vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.Craig will return to his former role at the university once Cardelle begins his new post this fall.
Cardelle currently serves as provost of Fitchburg State University in western Massachusetts, where he headed efforts to improve diversity and inclusion, particularly for bilingual and first generation college students.
“As a first-generation American, Dr. Cardelle knows what it means to make one’s own way, striving to better oneself as our students do every day,” said SUNY Board Vice Chairman Cesar Perales.
Cardelle will be the first Cuban-American to head a SUNY campus. In addition to his experience in higher education, Cardelle holds degrees in public health, international studies and biology.