MIDDLETOWN – Dr. Kristine Young takes over as SUNY Orange’s
ninth president on June 8, but she was in Middletown on Thursday to meet
with faculty and staff and have lunch with retiring President Dr. William
Richards.
Young said she has one goal in mind when she starts her new job next month,
and that is to “listen, listen, listen” to students, faculty
and the community.
But she knows New York has its act together when it comes to community
colleges.
“The nation has seemed to have realized what community colleges
do, the potential of what community colleges can do more and they are
kind of inviting us to do that more, so what a huge time to walk into
this role. Then you are in a state, then you are in New York, which already
knew this about community colleges, with the SUNY system,” she said.
Young will be moving to Goshen when she settles in next month. She has
spent the last 17 years at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois, where
she most recently served as vice president for academic services.
