SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher is impressive. The article "SUNY's outside advice," Nov. 3, appeared to be an attempt to find fault but came up empty.
Chancellor Zimpher is CEO of a huge organization including, according to SUNY's website, 64 campuses with more than 90,000 employees, a budget of $12 billion, and a $16 billion economic impact. So, she used a discretionary fund to pay for outside strategic advise to improve the system. Good, many of the most successful companies do the same thing.
The modest amount spent on strategic planning came from a fund specifically established to pay for such services. No impropriety exists there.
What was missing from the article was any information about the outcomes of the investments. I'm sure some may have had a better return than others, and you won't find any seasoned CEO who will be able to claim great success from every dollar of investment. The real question should be whether or not the chancellor is bettering SUNY.
The article did provide good insight into Chancellor Zimpher's cutting of excess, i.e. moving the Washington, D.C., office to reduce its expense, reducing lobbying expenses, and finding a less-expensive accommodations when traveling. It appears to me that Chancellor Zimpher is doing her job and working to make the SUNY system the best it can be.
Richard Straut
Voorheesville