Dear Members of the SUNY Oswego Community-
It is with great sadness that I share news of the passing of former SUNY Oswego President Stephen L. Weber. Dr. Weber passed away on Sunday, March 17, 2024. He enjoyed a long and remarkable career in higher education administration; his first presidency, in 1988, was at SUNY Oswego. He then went on to serve as interim provost for the SUNY system and later as president of San Diego State University (SDSU). In every role he took on, he served with distinction and a deep commitment to expanding access to higher education for all students.
Dr. Weber served as SUNY Oswego’s president from 1988 to 1995; these years were transformative to the institution. Dr. Weber’s efforts led to a sizable increase in enrollment and in academic offerings for those who attended. Moreover, he championed accessibility and diversity, and the results were a sizable increase in the percentage of students, faculty, and staff of color.
One of the most significant changes during Dr. Weber’s administration was the creation of the School of Business and the School of Education as standalone entities with distinct identities. Previously part of the Division of Professional Studies, the establishment of these schools in 1992 allowed these academic areas to develop and thrive with their own identities, as they continue to do more than 30 years later. He also focused on other ways to reach those who could benefit from a college degree, establishing evening classes in 1989 as part of a wider effort to support part-time and non-traditional learners.
Dr. Weber also supported greater investment in research for faculty in all areas of the institution, realizing that innovation and ideas were key to making Oswego increasingly competitive in the field of higher education.
In addition, Dr. Weber saw the institution’s potential for leadership in the business community as both an economic engine as well as a place that could support skills development for the workforce. He spearheaded the launch of the Business and Industry Center, the forerunner of the university’s Office of Workforce Innovation and External Relations.
“It is a great job and a wonderful privilege to be president of SUNY Oswego,” he told The Oswego Palladium-Times upon his move to become SUNY’s interim provost in 1995. In truth, SUNY Oswego was blessed for the leadership, vision, and enthusiasm he provided us.
In his kind and personal congratulatory message to me shortly after I was named president last year, Dr. Weber described SUNY Oswego as “a strong, healthy, and promising place, thanks in large part to the magnificent work” of his successor, Deborah F. Stanley. “It was an honor/privilege,” he added, “to be her predecessor.”
To the members of our community who knew Dr. Weber and to his large circle of family and loved ones, I express my deepest condolences. His life’s work was bringing the promise of opportunity to thousands of young people and his many achievements will not soon be forgotten.
Remain well,
Peter O. Nwosu, Ph.D.
President