DAN QUAGLIANA
Managing Editor
On March 1, SUNY Fredonia’s faculty and staff members were sent an email from President Kolison that detailed how Dr. David Starrett had left his position as Fredonia’s executive vice president and provost.
“Due to an administrative transition, I am writing to inform you of a temporary coverage in the Division of Academic Affairs,” the email said. “Effective immediately, please direct all Academic Affairs matters to Dr. Judy Horowitz, Vice Provost.”
The email further detailed how, “Additional planning regarding this transition is underway, and I will update you as soon as possible. In the meantime, I want to express my thanks to Dr. David Starrett for serving our university for the last 3.5 years as Provost and Executive Vice President.”
The email concluded with, “I appreciate your commitment to SUNY Fredonia, to our mission, and to our students. I will be in touch with you soon.”
Starrett will be remaining at Fredonia as a tenured professor in the biology department, a position he has held concurrently with the provost position for the last three and a half years. According to the university’s course schedule, he is teaching three courses next semester.
Regarding Starrett’s departure in the administrative sphere, President Kolison said that “…it is not appropriate … to publicly discuss personnel matters,” and, “I do not anticipate any short- or long-term negative effects as a result of the transition of the former Provost to the faculty.”
Dr. Judith Horowitz, Fredonia’s vice provost, has been appointed as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs in Starrett’s place.
Regarding her new position, Horowitz said, “Right now, I’m thinking about building a team with the deans, making sure the [department] chairs feel supported in their work and making sure that teaching and learning happen the way they need to happen.”
According to Kolison, “No projects or initiatives that were assigned to, or led by the former provost will be affected by his transition to the faculty. [Dr. Horowitz] is very capable and knowledgeable about the functions of Academic Affairs, including the current initiatives in the division.”
On the process of selecting a new provost, the president said that “academic leadership positions tend to follow an academic calendar,” similar to filling faculty positions. “Timing is important for achieving a successful search for positions like those. Hence, I am seeking advice from executive search experts regarding the best time to launch a national search for our next provost and chief academic officer.”
Horowitz explained how, “At some institutions, positions are filled immediately. At [other] institutions, a stabilization occurs, so things are filled two or three years down the road. I think it’s very context-specific, and I think it’s also specific to the culture of a campus … Usually when we have a vacancy at the [vice presidential] level, we have often had an interim in there for a year or two.”
For comparison, when former Vice President for Finance and Administration Michael Kelly left the university in April 2024, the position was permanently filled in February 2025.
“I have a pretty good relationship with a number of folks on this campus and in the local village and community, and I think that that helps when you’re trying to move initiatives forward,” Horowitz said. “My intention is to pick up the threads that have, sort of, been handed to me, and really do a good job with them … I have an excellent team that I work with, and together, I think we’ll make sure that everything that needs to get done is going to be done.”
Kolison expressed a similar sentiment, saying that, “The administration consists of very capable individuals who are committed to the success of this institution — its students, faculty and staff. We are all bound together by our desire and the goal to successfully deliver on the mission of this university. We will always endeavor to achieve that.”
“We’re here to make sure that we make this institution a better institution for those that we leave it to than when we got it,” Horowitz reflected. “And that’s what I’m committed to doing.”