E-mail this pageAbout President John Ettling
Dr. John Ettling became the 10th president of the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh on June 15, 2004 after serving as vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of North Dakota for six years.
President Ettling began his academic career in 1978 as a visiting faculty member in the History Department at Northwestern University. From 1979 to 1995, he served as a faculty member in the Honors College and History Department at the University of Houston and as chair of the History Department for five years during the mid 1980s.
President Ettling served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Dakota (UND), the oldest and largest institution in the eleven-campus North Dakota University System from 1995 to 1998. He was appointed interim vice president for academic affairs and provost at UND in July 1998 and was selected for the permanent position in March 2000 following a nationwide search. He also has held visiting faculty appointments at Northwestern University, Union College (Schenectady, N.Y.) and Rice University.
When President Ettling arrived at SUNY Plattsburgh in 2004, the college was struggling with a declining enrollment, a stalled capital campaign, and a slowed accreditation effort for its education program. Since then, the faculty and staff have risen to the challenges under President Ettling's leadership and are confronting these and other issues.
Enrollment of new undergraduate, transfer, and graduate students has increased dramatically. An aggressive effort toward accreditation of the College's largest program is underway, and President Ettling has taken a very active role in SUNY Plattsburgh's first ever-major capital campaign to raise $15 million. He also established the Office of First-Year Programs and Retention Efforts to oversee programs designed to educate, comfort, and entertain freshmen who may be away from home and their parents for the first time.
President Ettling believes the college along with its faculty, staff, and students should be engaged in the community. As part of his public service, President Ettling is a member of the board of directors of:
- Canada-U.S. Fulbright Foundation
- CVPH Medical Center
- William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute
- Plattsburgh - North Country Chamber of Commerce
- The Development Corporation
- Mountain Lake PBS
During his academic career, President Ettling has worked to advance honors and international programs and to increase diversity among students, faculty, and staff. An accomplished scholar, President Ettling has lectured throughout the country, presented research papers and served as a commentator and panelist on issues ranging from public and social policy to the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. He is also an author of one book and co-author of another. President Ettling wrote The Germ of Laziness, which was reviewed by the New York Times and other prestigious publications and received national prizes. In addition, he has contributed articles and chapters to scholarly journals and books.
President Ettling has numerous awards, including the University of North Dakota's President's Medal. He was also awarded the Allan Nevins Prize by the Society of American Historians for the best-written doctoral dissertation, nationwide, in American history in 1979.
Originally from Houston, Texas, President Ettling served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force from 1966 to 1971 and was a B-52 crewmember.
President Ettling holds a B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Virginia. He received his A.M. and Ph.D. from Harvard University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He is married to Lisa Lewis and has two daughters, Sarah and Rachel.
Contact Information
Office of the President
Office: 159 Hawkins Hall
Address: 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, New York 12901
Phone: (518) 564-2010
Fax: (518) 564-3932
E-mail: president_office@plattsburgh.edu