Lloyd Holmes named new SUNY Niagara President

Robert Creenan , Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·2 min read

SANBORN — SUNY Niagara’s eighth president has been hired.

Lloyd A. Holmes, currently the president of De Anza College in Cupertino, Calif., will succeed William Murabito as the community college’s president as of July 1. The SUNY Board of Trustees approved the pick at its monthly meeting Tuesday.

Murabito, who served as the school’s interim president from 2017-2019 and as the full-time president since then, previously announced he’s retiring at the end of June.

Over the past year, the school’s 19-member Presidential Search Committee conducted a nationwide search for Murabito’s replacement. In March, the school hosted four finalists in an open forum.

Holmes beat out Jason Adsit, a special consultant to the Mount Saint Mary College Board of Trustees, Andrew Bowne, who held leadership positions at several midwest community colleges, and Rai Kathuria, the provost and senior vice president of Academic and Student Affairs for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system.

“Dr. Lloyd A. Holmes is a strong leader with a proven track record of removing barriers to student success and an unwavering commitment to prioritizing academic excellence,” reads the SUNY board’s approving resolution.

Holmes’ starting salary will be $225,000, the amount Murabito was granted with his first three-year contract in 2019.

Holmes grew up in Mississippi where he earned an associate degree from Itawamba Community College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi, both in accounting. He later earned a master’s degree in higher education and student personnel services and a Ph.D. in educational leadership, both from the University of Mississippi.

Prior to joining De Anza, Holmes was the vice president of student services at Monroe Community College in Rochester for six years. He served as chief diversity officer there for two years, mentored other colleges for student success, and served on a task force on student hunger.

He also worked as an administrator at North Shore Community College in Massachusetts, Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, and the University of Mississippi.