SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras steps down over Cuomo sex harassment scandal fallout

Jim Malatras resigned Thursday as chancellor of the State University of New York, bowing to growing pressure over his role in disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s efforts to aggressively fight back against victims in his sexual harassment scandal.

The embattled ex-top Cuomo aide said he was stepping down after just 16 months in the post because his reported role in trashing the ex-governor’s accusers had made him a “distraction.”

“The recent events surrounding me over the past week have become a distraction over the important work that needs to be accomplished as SUNY emerges from COVID-19,” Malatras said in a letter to the chair of the board, Merryl Tisch.

His resignation is effective Jan. 14.

Malatras, a staunch supporter of Cuomo, became embroiled in the sexual harassment scandal when a recently published report from Attorney General Letitia James mentioned his support of vigorously attacking Lindsey Boylan, one of the governor’s accusers.

“Malatras to Boylan: Go f— yourself,” one of his messages to colleagues read.

“Let’s release some of her cray emails,” said another, suggesting a blame-the-victim strategy aimed at Boylan.

The State University of New York Board of Trustees had said last week they supported Malatras, a former top aide to Cuomo, citing his stewardship of the 64-campus system during the ongoing pandemic and his contrition. But some state lawmakers and organizations, such as the SUNY Student Assembly, said it was time for Malatras to go.

Criticism of Malatras intensified after the Times Union of Albany reported this week that when he led the Rockefeller Institute of Government in 2017, he called a female employee “a misery” and “goddamn impossible.”

Critics have said the board should have conducted a national search for a chancellor, as they had done previously, before tapping Malatras.

“I think that with the resignation, it’s an opportunity to hit the reset button and do the appropriate broad search that will give us a true academic leader with whom the Legislature can work,” said Assembly Committee on Higher Education chair Deborah Glick.

The New York City Democrat, who had called this week for Malatras’ departure, said a broad search would send a signal that SUNY “takes seriously the issues of harassment and bias.”