Office of the President

Message from the President

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Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Dear Purchase College Community,

This afternoon, I was proud to address my colleagues at Convocation to celebrate the accomplishments of our faculty and staff and to discuss the state of the college.

I also made a personal announcement that I am now sharing with the full campus community.

It has been an honor to serve as President of Purchase College over the past four years. After considerable reflection and discussion about what is best for me and my family, I informed Chancellor King over the summer that this 2024-2025 academic year will be my last year as President. I have mixed emotions about my decision to retire as president after the spring semester, because, though we still face challenges as a community, we have accomplished a great deal together and our shared mission of providing access to a high quality, transformative public education is as important as ever.

We are now beginning to see the early fruits of our work toward financial stability, and the timing is appropriate to pass the torch. I am confident that our leadership will continue to work diligently in the best interest of our students, faculty, staff, and the wider community.

After my time here at Purchase College, I look forward to retiring from administration, but not from academia. I started my career as a sociologist focusing on social movements and I’m eager to finish a book I started writing several years ago. I will continue to give invited talks and lead workshops to support organizations and efforts that have been dear to my heart as an advocate for diversity at all levels of higher education. I also will continue to live close by as a member of the local community and I will proudly support Purchase and the SUNY system that launched my own career.

We still have a lot to do before I step away, and I look forward to working together to ensure that Purchase College continues to thrive.

Thank you for all that you do. While there are challenges ahead, I feel confident that we have the flexibility, the skills, and the determination to continue to provide an excellent education for our students and to make progress as an institution that is continually evolving, while safeguarding our community and living up to our values during this extraordinary time.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King shared this message for the campus, “I want to thank President Peña for her dedicated leadership and her service to SUNY Purchase. Since becoming Purchase College’s sixth president, Milly has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the liberal arts and arts that are at the heart of the campus’s mission, and to furthering the excellence and diversity of the student body. When we spoke at the beginning of the summer and Milly shared her decision to step down as president, we discussed the progress the campus has made and Milly’s excitement about the next phase of her academic life.”

Thank you again for everything you do in support of our students and each other.

Milagros (Milly) Peña, PhD (She, Her, Hers)
President
Purchase College, S.U.N.Y.