SUNY Oswego’s Kay named to lead SUNY-wide faculty

OSWEGO — SUNY Oswego history faculty member Gwen Kay, director of the college’s Honors Program for the past four years, was recently sworn in as president of the SUNY University Faculty Senate. She is also a member of the SUNY Board of Trustees.

Kay is the first woman to serve as president of the University Faculty Senate since Karen Markoe of SUNY Maritime from 1987-91, and the first president from SUNY Oswego. She will serve a two-year term, with an option to run for a second term, according to a SUNY Oswego news release.

Formerly VP and secretary of the organization for three years, Kay now will serve as the top SUNY-wide representative for some 30,000 faculty members across more than 30 four-year SUNY campuses. 

“I represent all faculty, so I want to, within System Administration, be the voice for faculty,” Kay said in the release.

Though she is a non-voting trustee of member of the SUNY Board of Trustees, Kay will participate in policy discussions, speak to faculty issues and concerns, and participate in searches for positions such as a new provost for SUNY. She also chose to serve on four board of trustees committees that have a “strong impact” on faculty across the SUNY system, SUNY Oswego said.

As part of her agenda, Kay plans to visit all of the campuses of SUNY-operated, four-year schools, including the four university centers, two medical universities, three doctorate-granting colleges, 13 university (comprehensive) colleges, five statutory colleges, and seven technology colleges. The faculty of SUNY’s 30 community colleges have a separate governance group, called the Faculty Council of Community Colleges.

SUNY Oswego has named chemistry faculty member Casey Raymond the acting director of the university’s Honors Program, replacing Kay. The university has also appointed Chris Lalonde of English and creative writing as the acting associate director.

Kay formerly served as SUNY Oswego’s University Faculty Senate representative. The college now has two reps: sociology faculty member Evelyn Benavides Clark and history chair Frank Byrne.

Specializing in the history of medicine and science, Progressive Era America, and women’s history, Kay has a doctorate in the history of medicine and science from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree in biology and history from Bowdoin College. Her current research project is focused on gender and science in higher education in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.