The State University of New York headquarters in downtown Albany will be renamed in honor of Carl McCall, the former chairman of the SUNY Board of Trustees, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced. 

“Carl McCall is a friend and a true public servant who has graced this great state with more than 50 years of distinguished service and leadership, and all New Yorkers are better off for it,” Cuomo said. 

“While his achievements are beyond count, his legacy will be as a champion for those in need, and for helping restore faith in the ability of government to make a positive difference in people’s lives. It is a worthy tribute we pay to one of New York’s greatest trailblazers by awarding him the Governor’s Medal of Public Service and renaming the SUNY Administration Building in his honor.”

The announcement came on the eve of caucus weekend, when lawmakers from the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus gather in Albany. 

McCall is the first black statewide elected official in New York and the first black candidate for governor from a major party. MCall ran for governor in 2002 against then-Gov. George Pataki. 

The race also featured a contentious and sharp-elbowed primary campaign between McCall and Cuomo. The two have since buried the hatchet, and Cuomo appointed McCall to the SUNY board chairmanship in 2011.