MEGAN KIDBY
Scallion Editor
Chancellor John B. King. Image via the State University of New York
By all accounts, State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor John B. King Jr. is an incredibly busy man.
As the leader of the SUNY system, King oversees 64 campuses, hundreds of thousands of students and countless initiatives aimed at improving higher education across the state.
He is a former U.S. Secretary of Education, a respected policymaker and a nationally recognized advocate for educational equity.
He is also, apparently, very committed to not answering my email.
Despite my best efforts to secure an interview for this profile—an endeavor that began so long ago, the email was sent in the Jewett Hall parking lot—King has remained steadfast in his dedication to mystery.
My email, once full of hope and journalistic ambition, now drifts somewhere in the digital void, perhaps buried beneath unread newsletters, meeting reminders and other emails from Leader E-board members long past.
I have received what experts in communication refer to as “absolutely nothing.”
No reply. No acknowledgement. Not even the courtesy of a vague AI generated “Thank you for reaching out.”
Still, I need an article for the paper because I’ve been traumatized by past editors who would cut my section, so below is a complete transcript of my interview that DEFINITELY happened with Chancellor King:
Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in education?
A: No response
Q: What are your goals for the future of SUNY?
A: No response
Q: What message would you like to share with SUNY students?
A: No response
Q: How do you balance the responsibilities of leading such a large university system?
A: No response
Q: Did you see my email?
A: No response
Q: Be honest—was it sent directly to spam?
A: No response
In fairness, leadership at this level likely requires managing countless responsibilities, and perhaps my humble request for comment simply could not compete with the demands of overseeing one of the nation’s largest public university systems.
Or perhaps he read my email, whispered “not today,” and moved on.
Either way, Chancellor King remains an influential force in higher education, a transformative administrator and living proof that even the most persistent student journalists cannot win them all.
Though I may never know his favorite part of working for SUNY or his preferred coffee order, I can confidently say this: John B. King has left an impression on me—primarily in the form of waiting for a response.
Hopefully, my next profile idea of the Fredonia police chief will go better.
It’s been three months, but I’m sure he’s just busy with…stuff.