James Sunser

Submitted photo and press release:

Earlier this week, James M. Sunser, Ed.D., president of Genesee Community College (inset photo), was elected chair of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The announcement came with a full roster of the Commission's Executive Committee and officers, as well as its standing and advisory committee chairs and vice chairs for this year's term Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.

MSCHE's Executive Committee is comprised of seven members elected by the Commission annually, including the Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer and its composition must include administrative, faculty and public representatives.

Sunser (a MSCHE Administrative Representative), has been President of Genesee Community College since August 2011.

He was elected Chair of the MSCHE Commission after serving as Vice Chair in 2019 and he began his service in 2017 as one of 26 commissioners.

During his service, he has helped MSCHE review its accreditation standards and recommended changes to the Commission's accreditation processes and cycle.

He has also served on the MSCHE Rebranding Committee that created a new messaging platform for the Commission.

The Executive Committee also includes Vice Chair Davie Jane Gilmour, Ph.D., (Administrative Representative), president of Pennsylvania College of Technology since 1998; Treasurer David E. Hollowell (Public Representative), who was appointed to the Commission in 2013 and is in his second term as a public member; and Secretary Alan D. Mathios, Ph.D., (Faculty Representative), professor at Cornell University. 

The Non-Officer Executive Committee members include: Katherine Conway-Turner, Ph.D., president of SUNY Buffalo State College; Carl Person, Ph.D., formerly a director at NASA; and Lloyd Ricketts, vice president and treasurer at The College of New Jersey.

In total, eight first-term and four second-term Commissioners were welcomed to the MSCHE. Additional details and photos of each are available on the MSCHE website.

MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation to accredit degree-granting institutions which offer one or more post-secondary educational programs of at least one academic year. To earn and retain accreditation through MSCHE, each institution of higher education undergoes a multi-stage accreditation review process that begins with an intensive self-study with a specially appointed steering committee and many working groups. Institutions usually engage campus-wide discussions to prepare the comprehensive Self-Study Report which focuses on specific accreditation standards.

This Report then frames a three-day site visit by an assigned evaluation team made up of members from peer institutions who compile an Evaluation Report to summarize findings and recommend any follow-up action for continued accreditation. GCC was successfully re-accredited by Middle States in 2018. 

Sunser joins the team of academic leaders who help define, maintain and promote educational excellence across many institutions with diverse missions, student populations and resources. Prior to his appointment as a commissioner and an officer, he also chaired or was a member of evaluation teams within the peer-review process on more than a dozen occasions in the past 20 years.

"It is my honor to continue serving Middle States in this new capacity," Sunser said. "The important work of this body impacts thousands of people every day, while continuing to refine and improve higher education in the Mid-Atlantic States."

Genesee Community College welcomes James Sunser, EdD, as the fourth president with inauguration ceremonies beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 5. They will be held in the Stuart Steiner Theatre on the Batavia campus, located at One College Road.

The keynote address will be delivered by Onondaga Community College President Debbie Sydow, with special remarks by State University of New York Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, and greetings by numerous dignitaries.

All this week, a number of events and activities that are free and open to the public are scheduled to welcome President Sunser.

For a complete list visit: http://www.genesee.edu/gcc/inauguration/events.cfm

Emphasizing all GCC has accomplished but noting there is work to be done in order to maintain a focus on excellence, President Jim Sunser delivered his first "state of the college" speech in the Stuart Steiner Auditorium on Thursday morning.

"You've heard me say I believe that all of us together are smarter than any one of us alone, and we have to talk with each other and work together if we are going to continue to be a great college," Sunser  said. "I encourage you all to bring your thoughts and ideas to those you are with with every day and help us make GCC an even greater place in 2012 and beyond."

Sunser said the college will continue working on a strategic plan, using data gathered from a strategic assessment to help inform planning and "support solid decision making" about the future.

He said the new executive VP of planning and institutional effectiveness will work with senior leadership to review practices and procedures to ensure they support access to learning.

The college will continuing to develop online opportunities.

A new student code of conduct is also being developed.

"This standardized code will serve students by providing clearer understanding of the expectations we have for them as members of this academic community," Sunser said.

A committee is also working on a complete facilities master plan that will set the course for the next five years and beyond for capital fund raising, facilities upgrades and environmental sustainability projects.

When James Sunser, Ed.D, starts his new job in August it will be with a sense of purpose and a lifetime of experience in community college.

Sunser replaces Stuart Steiner, Ed.D, as president of Genesee Community College in August.

Sunser told WBTA's Geoff Redick that his passion for education was instilled in him by his parents.

"Our parents ingrained in us from an early age that getting an education is really a big part of the American dream," Sunser said. "I was a first-generation college student. My sisters and I were the first generation in our family to go."

Sunser says that experience alone was enough to push him to work in education for the rest of his life, and see other people live that dream.

"It's very natural for me to be in (education)," he says.

Steiner is retiring after 36 years of leading GCC, taking it from what he's said was sometimes referred to as a "high school with ashtrays" to one of the most prestigious community colleges in New York, if not the nation.

"GCC really has an outstanding reputation in all the SUNY system -- and nationally, too," says Sunser. "Dr. Stuart Steiner, the board of trustees, the whole faculty and staff and administrative team...they're really among the best that I've ever had the chance to come across."

Sunser also praised Steiner

"He is absolutely an icon in SUNY," Sunser said. "What he's done has been fantastic."

The newly selected president has spent the past 23 years at Onondaga Community College, ascending to the position of Vice President for Continued & Extended Learning in 2004.

During that time, he oversaw the the construction of the Whitney Applied Technology Center, the addition of residence halls for 600 students, the creation of a Center for Workforce Development, and the development of new degree programs in Nuclear Technology, Sustainability, and Overhead Lineman Studies.

For the full interview, click here.

James Sunser, Ed.D, currently VP for Continuing and Extended Learning at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, has been named the new president of Genesee Community College.

He's expected to start his new job on Aug. 1 at a starting annual salary of $177,832.

The 51-year-old veteran educator replaces Stuart Steiner, Ed.D, who is retiring after 36 years as president and 44 years serving the college.

"We looked for all the qualities that Stu had given us over the years and tried to get a match," said Charles R. Ruffino, chair of the board of trustees. "No one is going to match Stu Steiner. He's one of a kind, but we were looking for a person is who is passionate, who lives and breathes community colleges, and who has financial experience."

Sunser is himself a product of community college education. According to a press release, Sunser graduated from Onondaga Community College in 1984, later obtaining a BS degree from Syracuse University, an MS degree from SUNY Brockport, a certificate of advanced study from the University of Rochester and his doctorate in 2010 from UR.

Neither of Sunser's parents attended college, but he told GCC's publicity office that his parents felt it was important for him and his sisters to attend college.

"My father was a very smart man and loved to learn," Sunser said. "Even though he didn't have a great deal of formal education, he was passionate about the importance of learning, and he urged me to get as much education as I could, and do as much good for other people as I could."

Sunser's family had limited financial resources, so he enrolled in Onondaga.

"A community college made all the difference in the world to me," he said. "My community college education gave me confidence, and opened up a world of opportunities."

His father, Carl "Sonny" Sunser, passed away in 1995 at 64 years of age.

"He would be very proud," Sunser said.

Prior to his current position with Onondaga, Sunser was was VP of finance, and it's that financial experience that was important to the search committee, said Ruffino.

"We’re looking at some difficult times, so we wanted a person who knows finances and would be able to cope with the possible problems coming up," Ruffino said.

Sunser's community activities in the Syracuse area include volunteering on the: YMCA of Greater Syracuse's Education Advisory Board; Syracuse City School District's Construction Advisory Council; Education Committee of Central New York Works; American Red Cross; and Onondaga Stop DWI.

Sunser and his wife, Roseann, a teacher, currently reside in Clay, a Syracuse suburb. They are parents of three children: Ryan, 23; Sean, 20; and Casey, 17. His hobbies include reading, especially books on leadership and history, golf, basketball and spending time with family and friends. The family plans to relocate to Genesee County this summer.