Prominent CUNY figure passes

When playing a weekly basketball game each Sunday, Ernesto Malave would never shy from challenging himself, covering the biggest opponent on the court. That philosophy didn't stop with basketball though, according to his close friend, Dr. Ben Corpus.

Their relationship extended past the court as he mentored Corpus, explaining the intricacies of CUNY's budget. Baruch's vice president of student affairs wasn't the only one to be exposed to Malave's expertise on CUNY's money trail. The vice chancellor for budget and finance was known for his passion towards transparency.

"I've never met anyone who could break complex budget issues down so everyone could understand them," said CUNY Trustee Joseph Lhota in a statement. "The new buzzword is ‘transparency'. Well, everyone could learn from Ernesto, because he made it as transparent as anyone could."

While attending the "We Are The Future" conference in Puerto Rico, Malave passed away on Nov. 22nd.

The 51-year-old's CUNY career spanned over three decades, beginning with his tenure as Borough of Manhattan Community College's student president in 1980. Following his graduation, the vice chancellor accepted the position of admissions advisor in 1983, and then worked in government relations before settling into the Budget and Finance Office for 20 years.

"The entire community of The City University of New York deeply mourns the passing of our beloved Vice Chancellor for Budget and Finance Ernesto Malave," said Chancellor Matthew Goldstein in a statement. "He was an extraordinarily gifted colleague and friend, devoted to his family and to his university in every conceivable way."

In 2002, Goldstein appointed Malave as the interim vice chancellor of budget and finance. He was then named to the full position in 2003.

Entirely dedicated to CUNY and its mission, Malave, who hailed from the South Bronx, advocated for underrepresented students and was always doing everything in his power to help those individuals, according to Corpus.

"He never forgot where he came from," Corpus added.

During his tenure, Malave championed several major initiatives, such as the CUNY Compact, the CUNY Financial Management Conference, money saving initiatives and campus investment.

Perhaps the most impacting item was the Compact. It injected millions of dollars over several years into each CUNY campus, thanks to state support.

"It added millions to the academic core and student support services at the toughest economic time in history," Corpus said

His conference, which ran for seven years, brought some of the highest levels of executive leadership together to discuss student and academic affairs, technology, fundraising and ways to navigate around challenges facing the university.

Perhaps his greatest role was being a source of inspiration. From his first stint as an advisor to vice chancellor, Malave always had an impact on those he spoke to.

"I had the opportunity to visit many New York City high schools to instill the value of higher education in 16-year-old high school juniors, as well as serving as an advisor to incoming students," said Malave in a statement following his appointment to vice chancellor. "It was a very rewarding position."

His impact didn't stop with high school children. It continued with even his peers.

"He gave me dramatic hope that the highest levels (of executive management) are not bureaucratic," said Corpus," but actually advocate the values we all hold."