CUNY Taps New Interim Queens College President

The City University of New Yorks crown jewel has a new king to sit atop its throne. Dr. Russell K. Holtzer, who has served as University Dean for Academic Affairs at CUNY since 1996 has been appointed by CUNYs Board of Trustees as the new Interim President of Queens College.
The acting president previously served as Vice-President and Dean of Academic Affairs at Queensborough Community College from 1984 to 1996. He served on the QCC Mechanical Engineering Technology and Design faculty in 1971.
Effective September 1, Holtzer will take over the position left by outgoing President Allen Lee Sessoms. Chancellor Matthew Goldstein said the board would create a presidential search committee this fall to find a permanent president.
Sessoms five-year reign came to an abrupt halt last April, when amid pressure by CUNY officials, he resigned from his post. The walls seemingly closed in on Sessoms last spring as he came under fire for failing to raise sufficient funds for a $30 million AIDS research center, despite making public statements to the contrary. At the time of his resignation, CUNY auditors had begun a full review of the colleges financial records.
Holtzer, who did not issue a statement has served as University liaison to the State Education Department, the Commission on higher Education of the Middle States Association, to the New York City Board of Education, and two professional accreditation bodies that oversee college programs. In addition, the life-long educator has served as Co-Principal Investigator of the New York City Urban Systematic Initiative programa $15 million National Science foundation Award for the development of performance based K-12 mathematics and science standards for the Board of Education.
One of CUNYs flagship institutions, Queens College boasts nearly 16,000 students along with nearly 1,000 staff and faculty members.