Presidents Gerald Lynch, left, and Robert Hampton.

As the academic year concluded, milestones at two colleges were announced. At York College, Dr. Robert L. Hampton, the University of Maryland’s associate provost for academic affairs and dean of undergraduate studies, has been chosen as president by the Board of Trustees on the recommendation of Chancellor Matthew Goldstein after a national search. At John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Dr. Gerald W. Lynch, whose tenure as college president—he was named acting president in 1975 and made permanent in 1977—is the longest ever at a CUNY senior college, announced he would retire next year.

Hampton earned his B.A. in sociology at Princeton University and his advanced degrees from the University of Michigan, where he also taught. He taught at Connecticut College and was a lecturer in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School for 14 years. He was a senior official at Maryland for nine years. He has held fellowships from the Woodrow Wilson, Ford, Mellon, Danforth and Rockefeller foundations and the National Research Council. Hampton has published extensively on the subject of family violence, and has been lead editor of six books on the subject.

“Dr. Hampton’s distinguished record of academic and administrative leadership makes him eminently suitable for appointment as president of York College,” Chancellor Matthew Goldstein said.

During Lynch’s presidency, John Jay has grown from a small police-science college to an internationally-recognized center of research, education and training in criminal justice and public safety. When he arrived, the city was in severe fiscal crisis and the College’s very survival was in doubt. Lynch launched a successful campaign to persuade public and University officials that the College’s mission was vital.

Lynch is stepping down as John Jay’s freshman class, the graduating class and enrollment totals are at all-time highs. The College boasts a Master’s program in public administration ranked first nationally by U.S. News & World Report. Since 9/11, the College has developed training programs in counter-terrorism, cybercrime and intelligence analysis. “Human Dignity and the Police,” an innovative course to improve relations between police and public, was developed under Lynch’s supervision. It is taught throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as to police from more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe

In a joint statement, Trustees Chair Benno C. Schmidt Jr. and Chancellor Goldstein commended Lynch for “his exemplary leadership. From his pioneering work in establishing support for the College during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, to his success in bringing about consistently higher academic program rankings, President Lynch has provided invaluable service to the people of our City and State.”