Members of the SUNY New Paltz College Council, past and present, joined faculty, staff, friends and family in celebrating Council Chair Kenneth J. Abt, as he prepares to step down after 23 years of service to the College.
“This hasn’t been a job; it’s been a real pleasure in my life,” said Abt, formerly of Middletown, N.Y. “I was an engineer originally, and then got into banking. To get involved with higher education with a public college was something I never really expected, but it’s turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.”
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Each state-operated SUNY campus has a College Council, an advisory body to the College President consisting of 10 community members: nine appointed by the Governor and one student, the elected Student Association president. Council members serve seven-year terms.
Since Abt was first appointed to the Council by Governor Mario Cuomo in 1994, he has been an enthusiastic and steadying presence at New Paltz, connected to the College not only through his own work here, but also because his wife, Peggy, and daughter, Lisa, are alumnae.
From l: George Morton, Michael Catalinotto, Kenneth J. Abt, Eleanor Venables
His service spanned the tenures of four SUNY New Paltz Presidential administrations (those of Alice Chandler, Roger W. Bowen, Steven G. Poskanzer and Donald P. Christian), and the fact that he was appointed by Governor Cuomo and reappointed by Governors George Pataki (in 2001) and David Paterson (in 2008) suggests a body of qualifications for the role that earned respect from policy makers on both sides of the aisle.
“Over the years, through phone calls, one-on-one meetings, Commencements, galas, museum exhibition openings and many other campus events, Ken has been present, providing guidance and support to me and to other campus leaders,” President Christian said.
“At Council meetings, Ken demonstrated a steady hand in guiding councilmembers in their support of the College. His thoughtful questions about our strategic planning, budgeting and programming have given us food for thought and contributed to our decision making, and he always took a special interest in our student leaders who sit on the Council, modeling professionalism and leadership for each of them.”
Abt became Chair of the College Council in 2008. He served on several presidential search committees for New Paltz and chaired the search that led to the hiring of current President Christian. Abt’s term expired in 2014, but when no replacement was immediately appointed, he stayed on and continued to serve as a dependable ally to New Paltz.
Among Abt’s many lasting contributions to the SUNY New Paltz community is his work to establish the College Council Student Retention Fund, for students who encounter unforeseen changes to their financial circumstances and who are put at risk of not completing their degrees.
“These are students for whom a gift of just a couple hundred dollars can make the difference between ‘crossing the finish line,’ and dropping out,” President Christian said. “Through their generosity, Ken and other councilmembers have helped many students in their times of need.”
Kenneth Abt currently lives in Sarasota, Fla., and has a summer home in Vermont. President Christian has appointed current Council member, Eli Basch of Kingston, N.Y., to serve as interim chair until the Governor’s Office appoints a replacement for Abt.
Visit this page to learn more about the SUNY New Paltz College Council.
