Hamilton College Trustee Thomas Schwarz '66, who served as acting president of the College in 1999, has been nominated to serve as interim president of Purchase College of the State University of New York by Robert L. King, SUNY chancellor. SUNY's board of trustees is expected to act on the nomination at its meeting on November 26.
Bill Lacy, current president of SUNY-Purchase has announced his intention to step down, effective December 31, 2001. Schwarz was nominated to fill the post until December 31, 2002 or until a permanent president is appointed. He is a member of the New York City law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom.
SUNY Chancellor King said of Schwarz's nomination: "Mr. Schwarz was earlier identified as a potential campus president through our ongoing search efforts. My colleagues and I in system administration have met with him and have concluded that his past service as an acting college president, combined with his legal career and involvement in a range of voluntary organizations, make him a great fit for this post."
King said that he has asked Schwarz to ensure that the momentum that Purchase has attained in recent years continues. He will also be responsible for reviewing the financial, administrative and academic plans of the college to help ensure a solid foundation for the future.
Schwarz was elected to Hamilton's board of trustees in 1987, and is chairman of the planning committee overseeing the completion of the first long-term plan in the college's nearly 200-year history.
"From a faculty perspective he is receptive, responsive and analytical," said Dr. Tim Elgren, Hamilton's associate dean of faculty and associate professor of chemistry. Elgren has worked with Schwarz both in Schwarz's capacity as acting president and in his role as chair of the trustee committee drafting Hamilton's strategic plan.
Schwarz has served as a trustee on the Citizens Research Foundation, which is studying campaign finance and is supported in turn by Princeton, the University of Southern California and the University of California at Berkeley. He is currently a trustee of The Arts Connection, which provides supplementary arts education in New York City public schools, and is a member of the New York State Preservation League. He is also active in the legal profession, and in 1998 received the Pro Bono Award from the Legal Aid Society.
Schwarz earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Hamilton and a J.D., cum laude, from Fordham Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Review.
