Oswego native will serve as SUNY Oswego’s first female vice president for administration and finance
By Steve Yablonski
From her office window, Victoria L. Furlong has a panoramic view of the changes unfolding on the SUNY Oswego campus. Her career, in many ways, has mirrored the progression at the college.
In September, Furlong was named as the college’s vice president for administration and finance; the first woman to serve in this role.
She earned her Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Sciences degree in business administration from SUNY Oswego.
Furlong began her career at SUNY Oswego more than 26 years ago and has had progressive leadership experiences on campus.
“I am a native Oswegonian, born and raised here in Oswego,” she said. “I went to St. Mary’s elementary school and then Oswego Middle School and Oswego High School before enrolling at SUNY Oswego. I am married to my husband, Patrick, for 22 years. We have three daughters, Laurin (21), Hailey (19) and Emilie (14).”
“As a graduate and proud alum, I came here for school…and never left,” she said. “I started working in 1995 as an account clerk in the accounts payable office and mailroom.”
It is a pleasure to serve her alma mater, she said.
Over her tenure at Oswego, she has advanced through the finance division serving as principal account clerk, director of accounting, campus budget director and most recently associate vice president for budget and finance before being named the vice president for administration and finance this year.
“In the summer of 2019, I also served as the interim director of undergraduate admissions as a temporary assignment for about 18 months,” she added.
“Vicki has an abiding commitment to sound financial stewardship for our campus,” President Deborah Stanley said in announcing the appointment. “The depth of her experience here, particularly deploying her insight into our needs relative to New York state funding and our role as part of the SUNY system allow us to strategically manage our financial resources in alignment with our mission and institutional priorities.”
In her new role, Furlong oversees the administrative areas of the campus such as facilities operations, facilities construction, university police, human resources, environmental health and safety, budget, accounting, accounts payable and purchasing.
She also serves as a member of the President’s Council, a senior leadership team that reports directly to the president.
“In affiliate roles, I have the pleasure of serving as the treasurer to the College Foundation, Inc., the philanthropic arm of the campus and as the operations manager for SUNY Oswego Research Foundation,” she added. “As the chief financial officer, I am responsible for the stewardship of the campus budget and all fiduciary matters related to the college.”
As the new vice president, Furlong said she is “excited to be working collaboratively with senior leadership and taking on this new opportunity.”
“Therefore, I am not necessarily looking toward retirement, yet,” she added. “Obviously, as I embark on this last professional appointment of my career, the ‘retirement’ conversation will come up eventually. But not for many years.”
“I love that SUNY Oswego is such a diverse community with many opportunities to engage with faculty, staff and students daily,” she said. “Our focus at SUNY Oswego is student-centric, so leading and empowering my division to assist students on their journey through higher education and beyond is very rewarding.”
“I tell my staff that there is a unique opportunity to learn each day at SUNY Oswego, whether formal or informal. I encourage them all to embrace learning with excitement and fervor and actively participate in the exchange of ideas and knowledge,” she continued.
“As a family, we love to travel and are huge Disney fans. Many of our fondest vacation memories involve Disney in some way,” she said. “In addition, we attend as many local sporting events as possible, including events at SUNY Oswego, particularly ice hockey and basketball. I enjoy golfing during the summer months and taking advantage of Lake Ontario with boating and other water activities.”
“On a side note, my three daughters along with my three nieces own and operate Six Scoops Ice Cream Shoppe in Oswego. So, I am a regular patron during the summer when they are open,” she added.
Lifelines
Birth Date: Aug. 18, 1971
Birth Place: Oswego
Residence: Oswego
Education: Bachelor’s of Science in business administration from SUNY Oswego, 2008; Masters of Business Administration from SUNY Oswego, 2010
Affiliations: Boards of Oswego College Foundation, Inc. (treasurer), Oswego Health (secretary).
Personal: Husband, Patrick Furlong Jr. Three daughters, Laurin (21), Hailey (19) and Emilie (14). Laurin is a first-year graduate student earning her doctorate in physical therapy with a BS in health sciences, psychology and a minor in developing childhood and families. Hailey is a sophomore at St. John Fisher majoring in biology, with a chemistry minor on a pre-veterinary medicine track. Emilie is a freshman at Oswego High School.
Hobbies: Traveling, golf, attending local sports events.
