The Daily Bulletin

When I retired from Buffalo State in 2018, I left with a wealth of positive memories. During my career serving as the chief of staff under five presidents and as a faculty member in the Higher Education Administration Department, I witnessed so much progress and so many amazing accomplishments on campus, primarily fueled by the faculty and staff’s devotion to Buffalo State students.

I wasn’t planning to emerge from a very busy retirement filled with volunteer commitments and time spent with family; however, when SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr., along with leaders from the Western New York community, encouraged me to apply for the officer in charge position, I accepted the challenge. I was thrilled to receive notice from Dr. King last week that I was the chosen candidate. After the SUNY Board of Trustees meets on Tuesday, June 6, I anticipate officially becoming Buffalo State’s interim president. I feel honored to serve the campus in this role during the nationwide search for Buffalo State’s next permanent president.

During the months ahead, I know I cannot address all the challenges many of you have identified in recent surveys and forums; however, I do plan to work with the cabinet to focus on three key priorities:

• Enrollment — I envision a three-pronged approach to this crucial area: student recruitment, retention, and graduation. With the help of constituents in Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Admissions, we will review best practices for an institution such as Buffalo State, one that serves students from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, geographic areas, and cultures. Improving ways in which we retain and graduate students is just as important as how we recruit them.
• Improving standards and collegiality — After reading through the Campus Culture and Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey, it’s evident that campus constituents need to develop a higher level of trust in one another. This will require greater transparency from the administration, a deeper commitment to shared governance, and more frequent communication. I plan to work with the cabinet on all those strategies. Meanwhile, I know many positive things are happening every day on campus, thanks to the work of all of you. Let’s highlight those accomplishments as well.
•  Additional revenue — Considering our financial situation and enrollment numbers, I believe it would benefit the university to explore additional forms of revenue outside of tuition dollars. For instance, we will look at opportunities to increase public use of our esteemed facilities, including the athletic complexes and fields, the Burchfield Penney Art Center, and the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. We’d also like to increase attendance at events hosted by all our campus facilities.

While we can’t accomplish everything during this interim period, I am committed to making progress in the identified areas during my time as your interim president. I welcome input from the campus, and plan to host open forums and department meetings over the coming months to encourage feedback. Also, I welcome one-on-one meetings. Please contact Tom Gwitt, secretary to the president, if you’re interested in meeting with me.

I look forward to seeing those of you I had the pleasure of working with during my first 22 years at Buffalo State, as well as meeting faculty and staff members who have joined the university since my retirement. Together, I know we can work toward making Buffalo State the best university it can be for our students, faculty, and staff.