SUNY Old Westbury President To Retire

SUNY Old Westbury President Rev. Calvin O. Butts III announced today he will retire from his post after 20 years.

Butts told Newsday he will "go on study leave for the spring semester of 2020 and at that point will not be responsible for the college's day-to-day operations."

Butts, 69, is also the pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. He plans to be a professor and teach American Studies.

Butts was named president in 1999 after teaching Urban Affairs and serving as an Adjunct Professor in the African Studies Department at City College. A native of New York City, he also taught Black Church History at Fordham University, and has been a guest speaker at many other universities and colleges.