Dr. Timothy G. Lynch Named President of the College of Staten Island

The Board of Trustees of The City University of New York last night voted to appoint Dr. Timothy G. Lynch as President of the College of Staten Island. Dr. Lynch has served as the College’s interim president since January 2022, and his permanent appointment is effective July 1.

The Board also appointed Dr. Lisa R. Braverman, who is the assistant vice president of workforce credentialing and community impact at Mercy College, as the new dean of CUNY School of Professional Studies, and the Board approved the selection of the Bronx Community College’s interim vice president of administration and finance, Dr. Milton Santiago, as interim president, effective August 21.

“Lisa Braverman, Timothy Lynch and Milton Santiago will bring strong records of leadership in higher education administration to CUNY,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “Dr. Lynch is one of our own who we know will continue to advance the mission of CUNY at CSI with the same passion and results he brought to the interim role. Dr. Braverman’s successes in pioneering programs for adult and online learners will help strengthen our leading school for New Yorkers who want to begin or change their careers. And Dr. Santiago’s experience is well-suited to keep Bronx Community College moving forward while we work to find a permanent leader.”

The appointments of Lynch and Braverman, which followed comprehensive national searches, bring to 16 the number of permanent leaders of CUNY colleges or professional schools placed since May 2019, when Chancellor Matos Rodríguez began his tenure. They add to the University’s senior leadership continuing to fully reflect the diversity of the CUNY student body and of New York.

A distinguished historian and accomplished higher education administrator, Dr. Lynch will assume the permanent role leading CSI after 18 months as its interim president. CSI serves over 10,000 students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in the only public institution of higher education in Staten Island. He is a first-generation college graduate who earned both his baccalaureate and doctoral degrees from CUNY colleges.

“I am so honored to have been chosen as the eighth president of the College of Staten Island,” said incoming President Lynch. “Over the past year and a half, while serving as interim president at CSI, I have truly enjoyed working with the wonderful faculty, staff, students and community who make this College so special and am looking forward to the great work that we are going to do together in the years to come. There are endless opportunities here and I have seen firsthand how CSI can change the lives of our students. I am so thankful for the opportunity to continue to lead this institution as we propel forward on the path to reach its full potential.”

As interim president of CSI, Lynch increased diversity among the college’s faculty and staff, and established a new role on his cabinet overseeing diversity, equity, inclusivity and belonging. He also reduced the college’s structural deficit by 75% in a one-year period, closing a $12 million budget shortfall, and worked with local elected officials and community leaders to secure funding for campus improvements, including an overhaul of the campus track and field complex.

Lynch came to CSI from CUNY’s Queensborough Community College, where he was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. He also served as QCC’s interim president from 2018 to 2020. Before joining QCC, Lynch served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at SUNY Maritime College, with prior teaching and administrative experience at the California Maritime Academy, a specialized campus of the California State University system.

A native New Yorker, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College and his Ph.D. from the CUNY Graduate Center, both in history.

Lynch succeeds William J. Fritz, who retired in 2022 after 13 years of service to the University.