SUNY trustees name new chancellor with ties to Beacon; gets nearly a million dollar contract

December 6, 2022
3:18 pm

SUNY Chancellor Dr. John King Jr.
(Photo provided)

ALBANY – The SUNY Board of Trustees has named Dr. John King Jr. to serve as Chancellor of the 64 colleges and universities in the SUNY system. He is the 15th chancellor and is replacing Deborah Stanley who took charge as interim chancellor in January 2022.

Dr. King’s compensation package is worth a total of $960,000 of direct salary and reimbursements. His base salary of $750,000, is $250,000 more than his predecessor, Chancellor Stanley.

The new chancellor will maintain his Maryland residence and receive travel reimbursement of up to $4,000 for trips between New York and Maryland. He is also slated to receive $12,500 to rent an apartment in New York City and he will also have use of the “Chancellor’s” apartment in Albany. Dr. King will also have use of a SUNY-owned vehicle or receive a $1,000 monthly automobile allowance. The chancellor will also be provided with a SUNY-employed driver for official business.

Chancellor King was a student teacher at Beacon High School for the 1995-1996 school year. King eventually served as the New York State Commissioner of Education from 2011 to 2014 and was heavily involved in the implementation of Common Core. The controversial educational program resulted in the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) passing a vote of “No Confidence” in King and calling for his termination.

Chancellor King resigned from his state position and relocated to Washington DC where he served as a Deputy Secretary of Education. He eventually became the Secretary of Education under President Obama from 2016-2017, leaving the position when President Trump took office.

Earlier this year Dr. King, a resident of Silver Springs, Maryland, was unsuccessful in his primary bid to get the Democratic nomination to run for governor of Maryland.

“As we work to continue to transform SUNY to meet the needs of the next generation of students and New York’s economy, we need a leader who understands how to balance striving for both excellence and equity. John King has a proven record of doing both,” said SUNY Chairman Dr. Merryl Tisch.

Chancellor King holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Harvard University, a Master of Arts in the teaching of social studies from Columbia University’s Teachers College, a law degree from Yale Law School, and a Doctor of Education degree in educational administrative practice from Columbia University’s Teachers College. He was a 1995 Truman Scholar and received the James Madison Memorial Fellowship for secondary-level teaching of American history, American government, and social studies.