Two SUNY Campuses to Have New Women Presidents

The board of trustees of the State University of New York has named women to lead the campuses of Empire State College and SUNY Canton.

Meg Benke was named acting president of Empire State College in Saratoga Springs. The college enrolls about 12,000 students and women make up 61 percent of the student body.

Dr. Benke joined the administration at Empire State College in 1991. Since 2010, she has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs. She previously was an assistant professor at Antioch College and assistant dean of students at Ohio University.

Dr. Benke is a native of Pennsylvania and a graduate of Youngstown State University in Ohio. She holds master’s and doctoral degrees from Ohio University.

Carli C. Schiffner was named interim president of the State University of New York at Canton. Dr. Schiffner was appointed an assistant professor of history at SUNY Canton in 2003. Two years later, she was named chief of staff to the university’s president. In 2007, Dr. Schiffner left SUNY Canton to become dean of arts and sciences at Yakima Valley Community College in Washington State. In 2011, she returned to SUNY Canton as provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Dr. Schiffner is a graduate of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. She earned a master’s degree at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, and a Ph.D. at Washington State University.