Dr. Roger A. Ramsammy is Inaugurated as College’s Seventh President
October 30, 2019
Hudson Valley Community College celebrated the inauguration of Dr. Roger A. Ramsammy, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, with a formal Installation Ceremony.
A native of Trinidad, Dr. Ramsammy is a first-generation college student who has enjoyed a successful career as a researcher, professor and academic leader at some of the nation’s most prestigious community colleges. His teaching and leadership are guided by his own experience as a student who found a path to a brighter future through higher education.
Dr. Ramsammy joined Hudson Valley Community College as president in July 2018, with nearly four decades of higher education experience, including academic and administrative positions at three of the nation’s largest colleges. Most recently, he served as president of Miami Dade College’s West Campus.
Dr. Ramsammy’s inaugural address looked back to the successful 60-year history of the college and also touched on the need to keep higher education relevant in the face of ongoing technological changes.
“To remain relevant, we must start planning now for the student who will need us in 18 years. We must embrace the fact that technology will continue to impact our lives and the way we deliver education. We must recognize that demographic shifts and economic changes will continue to define our landscape. And we must adapt to a changing generation of students who will invariably re-shape our workforce,” he said.
During his first 15 months at Hudson Valley, President Ramsammy has worked to establish relationships in the greater Capital Region community and lead positive campus-wide change and strategic planning efforts that will set the college on the path to continued fiscal, academic and student success.
Prior to a post-doctoral fellowship at Georgetown University's Lombardi Cancer Center, President Ramsammy earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and a master's degree in Genetics from Howard University. He holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of the District of Columbia.
Attendees of the inauguration ceremony included New York State officials; members of the state Senate and Assembly; SUNY leadership; county and city leaders; business and non-profit executives; and delegates from multiple public and private colleges and universities. Hudson Valley Community College students, academic leaders, faculty, staff and alumni were part of the ceremony. Several of President Ramsammy’s family members, friends and mentors, some of whom traveled from Trinidad, were also in attendance.