The Pinch-Hitter President: Dr. Stanford A. Roman, Jr.

By Rob Wallace

With the resignation/dismissal of Yolanda Moses as president July 1, City College needed an interim president--and fast--for the upcoming academic year. The CUNY's Board of Trustees asked Dr. Stanford A. Roman, Jr. to shepherd City while the Board convened a search committee for a new CCNY president.

Roman has been Dean of the CUNY Medical School and the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at CCNY since 1990. As interim president he will retain his medical school positions. That calls for long days for Roman if he does it right.

According to CCNY's Office of Public Relations, Dr. Roman is a native Harlemite, raised not far from the City College campus. Roman attended Dartmouth for college, majoring in psychology. Back in New York, Roman obtained his medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. As a medical student he documented the inadequacies of Harlem school health requirements. He continued research on the disparities of health care during his residency at Harlem Hospital Center.

Thereafter followed a long and impressive list of appointments including Associate Director of Ambulatory Care at Harlem Hospital, Director of Ambulatory Care at Boston City Hospital, Medical Director at DC General Hospital, Assistant Dean of the Boston University School of Medicine, Deputy Dean of Dartmouth Medical School and Dean and Vice President of the Morehouse School of Medicine. His stints included concomitant appointments to the schools' faculties.

In 1989, Dr. Roman returned to New York as Senior Vice President for Medical and Professional Affairs in New York City's Health and Human Corporation. Roman currently serves on a laundry list of panels and committees. If you're interested, check out the CCNY website at www.ccny.cuny.edu/pr.

In 1990 Roman took the Sophie Davis and CUNY Medical School positions. Underfunded and underserved, the Medical School hasn't been able to receive full accreditation. Still, it serves as an important gateway for minority students into full medical schools. About 40% of Sophie Davis students are black or Latino, an unheard of proportion. Medical school students attend Sophie Davis for two years. Thereafter they are enrolled in one of six medical schools in New York. Part of the students' requirements involves serving in underserved inner-city neighborhoods.

The Messenger attempted to interview President Roman, but was told by Charles DeCicco of Public Relations that Roman's schedule was too tight for an interview at such short notice. The Messenger is scheduled to interview Roman November 1. We will ask why he was chosen as Interim President, whether he wishes to be CCNY's permanent president, whether, as CCNY's governance charter indicates, students and faculty will have a hand in choosing the next president, about his thoughts on the Moses era, and the political and fiscal attacks on City College.

If you have any questions you wish us to ask Roman, e-mail them to the Messenger at [email protected]