From the South Bronx to Staten Island College President

The first new president of the College of Staten Island in 14 years, Tomas Morales, plans to hire 40 new full-time faculty members, raise admissions standards, and construct a $50 million residential hall and a new science center on the 204-acre campus. Mr. Morales, 54, who is in his first month on the job, also said he would consider recognizing sororities and fraternities on campus, and separating students by the degrees they are pursuing.

"Curriculum and instruction are a faculty prerogative," Mr. Morales, a husky, silver-haired Puerto Rican with a short mustache, said in an interview. "I want to eliminate any situation where we have varying degrees of students in the same classroom."

With 320 full-time faculty and 12,500 students, the College of Staten Island is one of the larger senior colleges in the city's public university system. Its campus is the largest in New York City.

Mr. Morales, who will oversee the college's $60 million operating budget, will also be fund-raising for the college's major expansion projects, which he said would be funded through private-public partnerships. In addition to the new science center and student dorms, Mr. Morales said he wants to explore building faculty housing on campus.

Mr. Morales was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in the South Bronx. His father worked in a Farberware factory, and his mother was a school crossing guard. "We grew up lower-middle class, but I never realized I was lower-middle class," Mr. Morales said. He and his two brothers were the first members of his family to attend college. His starting salary as president of the college is $220,000 a year.

Mr. Morales attended New York City public schools, and then earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Albany.

Mr. Morales is expected to serve as a liaison between the college, the second largest employer in Staten Island, and the community. So far, the new president said he is juggling his time between campus meetings with faculty and students, and community events, such as a gala for the Staten Island Hospice and a visit to the local Tibetan Museum. He said he plans to partner with low-performing high schools in the community to improve their rate of college admissions.

In his first three weeks on the job, he has also had to avert several crises. Mr. Morales barred a repeat sex offender from enrolling at the college, and had to handle a major flood that buckled the gymnasium floor.

Mr. Morales is returning to the New York City school system after working as provost at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, for six years. Before that, he was a dean of students at the City University of New York. The College of Staten Island is unique in that students pursuing bachelor's degrees study side by side with students working to attain associate-level degrees, which are awarded by community colleges.

Its double mission — to award associate and bachelor's degrees — dates back to its founding in 1976 after a merger of Staten Island Community College and Richmond College. Today, the college is known for offering strong teacher education and nursing programs.