The State University of New York board of trustees appointed Deborah Flemma Stanley as Oswego's 10th president on Aug. 1, 1997. She was interim president from 1995 to 1997. Before that time, she held the office of vice president for academic affairs and provost and served as executive assistant to the president.

President Stanley pledged a commitment to a new level of academic excellence for SUNY Oswego in her first months in office, forging the course for a truly learner-centered academic environment as a catalyst for campus renewal. Her initiatives have led to innovative programs for first-year students — including First Choice classes with enrollment capped at 19 for all newly admitted students; a new first-year advisement strategy for each new student; and the Oswego Reading Initiative, a focused experience designed for incoming students, now embraced by the entire campus.

Among President Stanley's many significant accomplishments are the Oswego Guarantee covering costs, class sizes, and time-to-degree matters, and an unprecedented merit scholarship program that includes the Oswego Presidential Scholar Awards, providing almost $2 million annually to high performing high school seniors. Oswego State has grown by almost 1,000 students during her presidency, enrolling greater percentages of highly qualified students who persist in significantly higher rates. Under President Stanley’s leadership, both the number of awards and the total dollar amount of grants awarded to the campus have more than doubled. In 2001 the School of Education achieved NCATE accreditation, and the School of Business earned AACSB International accreditation in 2002.

The college is currently seeing the fruits of President Stanley's ambitious campus-wide renewal project. The project, encompassing more than $200 million of renovations, included the October 2006 opening of the Campus Center, the first new building in 35 years. January 2006 saw the college's signature building, Sheldon Hall, reopen to hold classes for the first time in more than 20 years, while a renovated Poucher Hall now serves as the college's humanities center. Previous renewal successes include transforming Rich Hall into a state-of-the-art home of the School of Business, Johnson Hall into a welcoming home of the First-Year Residential Experience and part of Penfield Library into the cozy Lake Effect Café. The most recent good news is a $100 million-plus capital project to renovate the college's science facilities.

To help to transform the college's academic and residential spaces, President Stanley aligned the campus renewal plan with Inspiring Horizons: The Campaign for Oswego — the college's first comprehensive fundraising campaign. Launched in 2005 with an ambitious goal to raise $17 million dollars, the college greatly exceeded expectations by raising $23,857,114 by June 2008 while generating unprecedented support and new opportunities for current and future generations of students, faculty and scholars.

President Stanley is responsible for a massive upgrade of campus technological capabilities. Following the most recent strategic plan, the college has installed wireless laptop environments across campus and significantly upgraded "smart" technology in many classrooms.

President Stanley has served on the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Presidents Council and as a Commissioner for the American Council on Education. She is a member of American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Women Presidents group. President Stanley is a founding board member of the New York State Campus Compact. She is on the board of directors of Alliance Bank, a board member of Metropolitan Development Association and vice president of the Metropolitan Development Foundation of Syracuse. She has made presentations on many contemporary issues in higher education.

President Stanley is tenured in Oswego's School of Business. She earned a baccalaureate degree with honors in English and a juris doctor degree from Syracuse University, which presented her its Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000. She is admitted to the practice of law in New York state.

President Stanley is married to attorney Michael J. Stanley and has four children.