V.S. resident to step down as Farmingdale president

After almost a decade as the leader of Famingdale State College, which included the largest growth the state college has ever experienced, Valley Stream resident W. Hubert Keen will step down as president of the school.

Keen, 70, will end his term as president in 2016. He is credited with presiding over “phenomenal” growth, according to the school, and he said he was proud of the work he did there.

“Everyone has his or her time, and now it is my time,” Keen said. “I’m very proud of what Farmingdale has become, very proud of our excellent faculty and staff, and very proud of what our students achieve. I have a great deal of satisfaction in what we all have accomplished. Our institution is thriving in every imaginable way. It’s been a wonderful journey. And I’ve had a ball.”

Keen began his teaching career as an assistant professor of biological science at SUNY Cortland nearly four decades ago, where he remained for twelve years, serving as an associate professor, a professor, coordinator of the environmental science program, chair of the department of biological science and, finally, dean of arts in sciences.

After leaving Cortland, he served in leadership roles in various public colleges in New York before beginning his time at Fordham in 2007. He was interim president at SUNY Old Westbury, special assistant to the system provost in the State University of New York system, and provost and vice president for academic affairs at York College, part of the City University of New York.

Keen said that he would remember his time at Farmingdale with fondness and pride. He said that the growth the campus experienced was some of the proudest work of his career. During his tenure, the school’s enrollment rose by 31 percent, including an increase of more than 2,000 students in the full-time population. The admissions department also became more selective, raising its average incoming GPA for high school students from 86.6 to 88.2. The college’s faculty grew with its student body, increasing by 27 percent during his tenure.