Reynolds Named to Head City University of N.Y.

W. Ann Reynolds, who was ousted from her post as chancellor of the California State University system in a controversy over secret pay raises, was named Friday as head of the City University of New York, the third-largest higher educational system in the nation.

Reynolds’ appointment was announced by James P. Murphy, chairman of CUNY’s board of trustees, who said the Cal State administrator is “uniquely qualified” to head the 21-unit New York educational system, which has been beset in recent months by a series of student protests over programs for minorities and proposed budget cuts.

“She has an outstanding record of scholarship, extensive administrative experience, a commitment to access and quality, and a proven track record in developing and implementing programs of pluralism and diversity,” Murphy said in a prepared statement.

But CUNY trustees and administrators may be in for a confrontation with student leaders over Reynolds’ appointment. Sean Mason, the University Student Senate’s vice president for senior colleges, contended that the board of trustees violated an agreement to discuss the appointment with the student governing body before making the decision.

“We feel it (Reynolds’ appointment) was done in bad faith,” Mason said. “She’s not our choice. She’s their choice. The board acted preemptorily in naming the chancellor before meeting with us.”

Mason said the student senate was “not attacking the person but the process.” However, he added, “We know nothing of the person. All we know is that she was forced to resign (in California), which doesn’t put her in a good light.”

The student member on the 17-member board of trustees abstained from voting on Reynolds’ appointment.

Trustees met with student leaders after the board vote and, in efforts to ease tensions, promised amnesty for students involved in the takeover of buildings in recent weeks. Jay Hershenson, vice chancellor for public affairs, said the meeting with the students went well.

But Lolita Randolph, public relations director for the student senate, said there still “may be some repercussions” from Reynolds’ appointment. “We want to make sure that she outdoes her previous track record in hiring of black and Latino professors and administrators,” Randolph said.

Reynolds, in a telephone interview from her office in Long Beach, said she was delighted by her new appointment and was looking forward to the opportunities and challenges at CUNY.

“I think the student issues there are very serious--and appropriate ones” for the students to raise, she said. “The students are concerned about the hiring of more minority administrators, they’re concerned about child care, they’re concerned that budget cuts don’t hurt student programs.

“These are not students complaining about the cafeteria food or having rowdy parties. They’re concerned about very serious issues related to their success in higher education. I respect that.”

Reynolds, 52, who came to the California state system as chancellor in 1982, was forced to resign her post recently as a result of 21% to 43% salary increases arranged in secret last year with university trustees for her and other top school officials. The raises provoked an outcry from faculty members and state legislators.

Reynolds had originally intended to remain at Cal State through October, but the trustees placed her on immediate vacation through July 31, when her resignation takes place. She is scheduled to take up her new post at CUNY in mid-September, replacing Chancellor Joseph S. Murphy, who announced his intention to resign last November.

Reynolds’ current salary is about $142,000 a year. CUNY will be paying her about $160,000, plus providing her with a home in a brownstone.

Administrators and faculty at CUNY praised Reynolds’ appointment.

Immanuel Gonsalves, executive assistant to CUNY’s president at predominantly black Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, said that she would give a big boost to efforts to promote minority educational programs and hiring.

Robert Picken, head of the University Faculty Senate, said that he found her “an extremely impressive educator” with a “distinguished academic and administrative career.”

Reynolds, who is white, is the first woman to head CUNY, which has an enrollment of 194,000 students at 21 different institutions around the city. The student population is about 65% black, Latino or Asian. About two-thirds of the students are women.

Researcher Lisa Phillips in New York contributed to this report.