By Courtney Dentch
City University trustees appointed a University of Maryland administrator as the new president of York College in Jamaica.
Robert Hampton, associate provost for academic affairs and dean of undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland in College Park, was chosen through a yearlong nationwide search to serve as the permanent replacement for Charles Kidd, who resigned last year.
“The York College search has been extraordinarily successful,” said Jay Hershenson, vice chancellor for university relations at CUNY. “The finalists were all highly qualified professionals. Robert Hampton is a wonderful stroke of good fortune for the college.”
The CUNY board voted to appoint Hampton Tuesday, and Chancellor Matthew Goldstein was slated to officially introduce the new president at a news conference Wednesday morning. Hampton will take the reins from York Interim President Russell Hotzler this summer.
“Dr. Hampton's distinguished record of academic and administrative leadership makes him eminently suitable for appointment as president of York College,” Goldstein said in a news release. “I am delighted that he has joined the university in this important capacity.”
Hampton, 55, a retired Army reservist, comes to York College with 16 years of experience as a senior administrator. Aside from the nine years at the University of Maryland, Hampton also spent seven years as a dean at Connecticut College, according to his resume.
Hampton earned three sociology degrees, receiving his bachelor's degree from Princeton University and his master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Michigan. Hampton has written a number of books on family violence, particularly within black families.
Hotzler, who served as interim president at York College after Kidd's departure last June, was barred from seeking the permanent position by CUNY policy. The policy states that allowing an interim leader to vie for the permanent seat could be a conflict of interest, since his work at the school during his temporary stint could be seen as a form of campaigning.
Hotzler was expected to move into a position in CUNY's central administration, university sources said.
Before joining York College, Hotzler served as interim president at Queens College in Flushing for two years, and community leaders, including Borough President Helen Marshall, appealed to Goldstein to keep Hotzler there. After just a year at York, Hotzler has won fans there as well, said Adjoa Esinam Gzifa, an alumni representative on the presidential search committee.
“People at York wanted him to stay, too,” said Gzifa, who graduated from York in 1988. “He's a doer. He didn't just come in and sit on his hands even though he was only here for a short time.”
Hotzler has pushed York's public image to the forefront, adding more signs to the Jamaica campus and advocating for a pedestrian mall on 165th Street, which would intertwine the campus with downtown Jamaica. He also helped launch the Aviation Institute to tie the college to the air travel industry based out of Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.
“York College is really in an excellent position to build on what has been done under the leadership of Dr. Hotzler,” Hershenson said.
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
