The University at Buffalo (UB) invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of dean of the School of Management (SOM). A member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a flagship and the largest and most comprehensive public research university in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, UB is an internationally renowned center for academic excellence.
Consistently ranked among the top 10% of business schools in the nation, SOM is nationally and internationally recognized for its outstanding faculty and its excellent academic and leadership development programs that prepare students for success in today’s ever-changing global marketplace. SOM is critically important to UB. It delivers the third largest undergraduate program in the university, and it is a key partner with other schools on interdisciplinary research and education efforts. The new dean has an exciting opportunity to create a strategic direction for the school, building upon SOM’s strengths and enhancing its impact.
Impactful research, scholarly distinction, transformative student experiences, and far-reaching service to local, state, national, and international communities define UB’s mission as one of the nation’s leading public research universities. UB was founded in 1846 as a private medical college located in downtown Buffalo and joined the SUNY network in 1962. SUNY is the largest state university system in the United States, and UB is a flagship campus and the largest and most comprehensive public research university within the system. In 1989, UB was among the first public universities in the Northeast to be admitted into the AAU. Over the years, UB’s scope and mission have expanded significantly as it has grown into a world-renowned research university that is the thriving heart of the regional community, a national leader in public higher education, and a global hub for excellence in research and education.
UB enrolls more than 32,000 students (approximately two-thirds undergraduate and one-third graduate and professional students), and offers more than 500 degree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional, and doctoral levels across its 12 decanal units. UB is a global community of scholars, ranking among the nation’s top 30 universities for the enrollment of international students in the Open Doors census for nearly two decades. International students currently represent 18% of total enrollment at UB. The university enjoys a strong presence abroad, maintaining affiliation agreements with 100 universities in Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa. UB’s more than 280,000 alumni live in 150 countries worldwide.
UB has a distinguished faculty of over 1,500 full-time and 970 part‑time members. UB is home to more than 80 research centers and institutes; its current annual research expenditures, including those in affiliated institutions, exceed $400 million. The University Libraries hold more than four million volumes and provide access to an exceptionally wide array of digital information resources.
UB’s academic programs and facilities are located on three distinct campuses in the Buffalo metropolitan area. UB’s North Campus, located in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, is the university’s main undergraduate campus, and home to the School of Management and the university’s primary athletics and cultural facilities. Three miles to the south, on the northern edge of the City of Buffalo, is the university’s historic South Campus, home to many of the university’s professional schools. UB also has a rapidly developing third campus center in downtown Buffalo. The focal point of UB’s downtown presence is the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, on which UB’s new Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences facility is located in proximity to the university’s health and life science partners.
Recognizing the key role that a vibrant 21st-century physical campus environment plays in enhancing education, research, and learning, UB is realizing a long-range Master Plan for enhancing its North, South, and Downtown campus spaces and connecting them more effectively to their surrounding communities.
With a strong central and decanal leadership team, UB has built a culture of collaboration, transparency and innovation in the pursuit of our institutional vision and goals and is in a very strong financial position. The university employs an annual resource planning process that allows academic and administrative units to plan for the future. This process promotes resilience, maintains appropriate reserves, enables UB to operate effectively and efficiently, and aligns investments with advancing our institutional priorities. With an annual operating revenue of $826 million (2019-20) and continued revenue growth driven by robust enrollment, UB will exceed $850 million in the current year’s annual operating budget report. State operating funds constitute approximately 66% of total revenue and comprise 2/3 tuition and fees and 1/3 state tax support. Further information about UB’s finances is available at http://www.buffalo.edu/administrative-services/managing-money/key-budget-financial-information.html.
UB and its affiliated entities generate an estimated economic impact of $1.7 billion annually in New York State. The university’s total workforce of over 7,400 full-time equivalent employees makes it one of the region’s largest employers. UB is also a leader and an active partner with the more than 20 public and private colleges and universities in the Buffalo-Niagara region.
Established in 1923, the UB School of Management has built an impressive reputation as one of the best schools of business in the world, renowned for the comprehensive range of its academic portfolio, the expertise of its faculty, and the worldwide success of its graduates. The school is consistently ranked in the top 10% nationally across various major school and MBA rankings, including Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, and U.S. News & World Report. Since 1930, SOM has been continuously accredited by the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). SOM was reaccredited in 2021 and will undergo its next accreditation review in 2025-26.
The mission of the school is to discover and deepen the understanding of management concepts and applications that drive effective organizations and use them to produce principled and insightful leaders who create positive change in the world. SOM aspires to advance its standing as a leading, comprehensive school of management through furthering its global reputation for defining the future of management through thought leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation; making a positive impact on business and society; forging highly capable, engaged and ethical leaders through exceptional educational programs, global learning, hands-on learning experiences, and career connections; and creating a school with world-class capabilities through enhancing research and communications. These goals provide a prominent focus for five key strategic initiatives—leadership, entrepreneurship, health care management, social innovation, and global programs—and the school’s emphasis on sustainability. The SOM Faculty Committee for Diversity and Inclusion provides guidance on issues pertaining to diversity, inclusiveness and access within the curriculum, student body and faculty to ensure that the school is fostering a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment.
SOM encompasses six departments—accounting and law, finance, management science and systems, marketing, operations management and strategy, and organization and human resources. SOM employs 125 faculty members and 137 talented full-time staff members. Current enrollment is approximately 4,000 students.
With an emphasis on experiential learning, SOM programs prepare graduates for leadership roles across a wide range of industries and functional areas. Programs include nationally regarded undergraduate, MBA, master’s and PhD degrees, as well as a variety of dual and collaborative MBA programs and advanced certificates. SOM also offers collaborative degree programs in Singapore and India, as well as global leadership programs in Africa. In addition to credit-bearing programs, SOM provides innovative education and professional development programs for executives, professionals and organizations through custom corporate training, micro-credentials and a variety of non-credit-bearing offerings.
The School of Management is located in the Jacobs Management Center and the adjacent Alfiero Center on UB’s North Campus. These facilities offer a complete home for management students, faculty and staff. Together, they are among only a few buildings at UB that co-mingle classrooms and offices, creating an interactive community of professionals, students and scholars.
The Jacobs Management Center serves as the primary academic and professional building for the School of Management. Designed in the early 1980s, the 81,000-square-foot building is located on UB’s North Campus and features three tiered classrooms, several computer and specialty labs, the Undergraduate Learning and Community Center, administrative and academic offices, and five conference rooms.
Adjoining the Jacobs Management Center, the Alfiero Center serves as the hub of student life at the School of Management. An architectural masterpiece of glass, brick, space and light, the center serves a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate student needs and houses the SOM academic and career development offices. It also features high-tech lecture halls, a café, a suite of offices for student organizations, and multiple breakout rooms for student team meetings and group projects. Most recently, Paula’s Plaza was unveiled in late 2021, a donor-supported project refreshing the exterior spaces of the school.
The SOM faculty are renowned for their outstanding teaching and research and are among the most experienced and knowledgeable instructors in the classroom. SOM employs 125 faculty members, including 71 full-time faculty (45 tenured/tenure track) and 54 part-time faculty. The SOM faculty currently includes one professor who has been promoted to the SUNY Distinguished Ranks—the highest academic rank in the State University of New York system—and two who hold the title of UB Distinguished Professor. The school has eight endowed chairs/professors, four of which are currently filled.
Members of the SOM faculty have received numerous awards and honors that recognize the strength and impact of their scholarship, teaching, and service. Among other national and international awards, in the last five years, SOM faculty have received a Fulbright Scholar Award, Academy of Marketing Science-Parasuraman Award for Long-term Impact, Financial News-Korea-America Finance Association Eminent Scholar Award, Deloitte & Touche Arthur J. Londe Award, and fellowship in the TIAA Institute. In addition, they have been visiting scholars at universities and organizations around the world including National Taiwan University; Carleton University in Ottawa; the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research; and Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo. For more examples of the SOM faculty’s myriad accomplishments and recognitions, see the school’s news website.
As leading scholars in their fields, SOM faculty frequently publish in the top academic journals and textbooks of the field, and their expertise and advice is regularly sought by the business community and mainstream media, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes and Time. In 2020-21 alone, SOM faculty published 90 articles and book chapters—including more than 35 papers in the top journals in their respective fields. In addition, faculty held 36 editorial positions at scholarly and scientific journals.
The University at Buffalo’s long-range strategic vision to be recognized among the Top 25 public research universities in the nation is focused on continually pursuing academic and research excellence, and expanding the university’s engagement and impact locally, nationally and globally. A key UB effort has been to promote and support collaborative, cross-disciplinary research dedicated to addressing the most critical issues, ideas and challenges of our time. SOM faculty members are integral partners and participants in a variety of innovative campus-wide and multi-school initiatives, including:
In addition, SOM hosts two unique centers that support the generation of knowledge, education and engagement with the business community:
UB’s Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development and its constituent units and programs guide and support faculty research, technology transfer and entrepreneurial activities.
Among the leading business schools in the nation, SOM consistently attracts talented students from around the world. SOM enrollment for Fall 2021 is approximately4,000 students, including more than 3,000 students in its undergraduate programs; over 400 students enrolled in full-time, professional and executive MBA programs; approximately 300 students in Master of Science programs; and 40 students in its PhD programs. Women make up 34% of SOM students, while 10% of SOM students are from underrepresented minority backgrounds, and 24% are from international backgrounds. In 2021, SOM conferred 852 undergraduate degrees, 183 MBAs, 218 MS degrees, 3 PhDs, and 15 advanced certificates. Among undergraduates, SOM has a student retention rate of 84.9%, a four-year graduation rate of 67.6% and a six-year graduation rate of 77.5%.
In an increasingly global business environment, the diversity of the school’s programs and its international reputation help ensure that a SOM degree is a credential that opens doors for its graduates at any business anywhere in the world. Across its six departments, SOM offers 12 degree programs that prepare students for a wide variety of meaningful professions in management and business. At the undergraduate level, SOM offers bachelor’s degrees in accounting, business administration with an array of concentrations, and information technology and management, as well as combined BS/MS programs in accounting, finance and management information systems. SOM students have exclusive access to the Undergraduate Learning and Community Center, featuring academic support services and opportunities for personal development and community building.
SOM’s MBA programs have been preparing students for leadership positions in management since 1931. Options include a full-time MBA, featuring award-winning programs like LeaderCORE™ and Corporate Champions; a part-time Professional MBA offered in a hybrid format for working professionals; a 16-month Executive MBA for the area’s most talented and experienced executives; and an online Mini MBA certificate. SOM also offers a variety of dual and collaborative MBA programs.
The school’s Management PhD program, with concentrations in each department, is the premier doctoral management program in the SUNY system and recruits students worldwide. Graduates accept positions at major universities throughout the U.S. and at leading consulting and research firms. In addition, SOM offers Master of Science degrees in accounting, business analytics, finance, and management information and systems; several advanced graduate certificates and micro-credentials; and a variety of executive education, professional development and corporate training opportunities.
With the health care industry facing growing challenges in cost, efficiency and access, SOM has strategically focused on this changing field with a robust and growing portfolio of programs and partnerships in health care management. These include dual degrees combining a health-related professional degree with an MBA, an MBA healthcare management concentration, an accelerated MBA program for medical residents, among others. Health-focused SOM students participate in UB’s nationally recognized interprofessional education program, through which students in professional health sciences programs, as well in law, management and social work, train together to become collaborative-practice ready.
SOM students benefit from a leading-edge internship program, which includes traditional credit-bearing opportunities, as well as non-credit-bearing, virtual and micro internships. The internship program is coordinated by SOM’s Career Resource Center. The Career Resource Center provides comprehensive experiential learning and career development programs exclusively for SOM students and alumni, with extensive business, community and philanthropic partnerships supporting signature offerings such as Career Passport, MBA Advantage, Network New York, the Wow Fund, and the GEICO Interview Challenge. These partnerships contribute to robust recruiting and employment results for all SOM programs. In 2021, 91% of MBA graduates, 100% of accounting MS and 94% of management information systems MS graduates were employed within six months of graduation and 93% of BS graduates were employed or in graduate school. Top employers of SOM students in recent years include M&T Bank, Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, KPMG, Citi, and Amazon, to name just a few.
Through a variety of global programs, SOM students become citizens of the world, developing the skills and perspectives to meet the demands of the international business market and make the world a better place. Short-term experiences abroad prepare students to lead in an increasingly global world through a variety of faculty-led programs in Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe and across North America. In addition, SOM offers international collaborative degree programs, including a BS in Business Administration in partnership with Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) and an MS in Management Science: Business Analytics and Systems in Bangalore, India in collaboration with Amrita University.
SOM is committed to advancing and supporting entrepreneurship throughout UB, WNY and beyond. The school provides an array of opportunities for SOM students and entrepreneurs across UB and the region through innovative programming and strategic partnerships. These include initiatives like the Entrepreneurship Lab (eLab) course and the Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition, as well as UB’s Blackstone LaunchPad powered by TechStars and collaborations across the Buffalo Niagara region. In addition, area entrepreneurs hone their skills through a variety of programs offered by SOM’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.
The School of Management’s nearly 45,000 alumni represent one of the school’s greatest resources. SOM alumni live and work in 88 countries throughout the world. More than 50% of SOM graduates remain in the region following graduation, making the school the predominant provider of talent driving the regional business economy. With the first business program in China, SOM boasts a strong base of highly committed Chinese alumni, as well as strong alumni bases in India, Singapore, South Korea and Canada. The school’s alumni share their knowledge, experience and insights with students, faculty and other alumni in myriad ways and their financial support provides funding critical to the continued progression and success of SOM.
Engaging alumni in the school’s academic programs and in the services that support the recruitment, satisfaction and success of students is critical to the school’s ranking and reputation as a top business school. Opportunities for student interaction with alumni and the business community are a strong predictor of overall program effectiveness and student satisfaction, as reflected in benchmarking surveys of UB MBA student satisfaction with opportunities to engage with alumni and the business community.
Advisory councils and boards comprised of alumni and other members of the business community bring outside perspective and resources to the school:
SOM participates in a wide variety of engagement activities that benefit the region and beyond. The contributions of faculty, staff, students and alumni expand the school’s community outreach through a continued focus on its public service mission. These programs include:
SOM recognizes that solving systemic societal problems and strengthening mission-driven organizations require social innovation. SOM collaborates with the School of Social Work to enable students to work with faculty from both schools, learn from students with different specialties and help to impact the social and economic future of local and global communities. As part of this effort, SOM students have the opportunity to participate in the unique Social Impact Fellows program, which brings MSW, MBA and College of Arts and Sciences graduate students together to address pressing social issues at local mission-driven organizations. In addition, the Nonprofit Board Fellowshipprogram introduces MBA students to the intrinsic value of board service, through a foundational curriculum that blends the concepts of board governance, servant leadership, and diversity and inclusion with an academic year of service as non-voting board members with local nonprofit organizations.
The SOM dean is a member of the university’s senior leadership team, working with the president, provost, deans and other senior leaders to advance the university’s mission of excellence in teaching, research, and engagement. As the chief academic and administrative officer of the school, the dean reports to the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and is responsible for providing overall leadership to the school to promote academic excellence, foster an inclusive environment, and advance its national and international prominence in research, education, and engagement.
UB seeks an accomplished scholar, educator and visionary leader with a broad understanding of the distinctive issues currently faced by business schools at public research universities around the nation and the ability to meet these opportunities and challenges with new ideas and optimism. The ideal candidate will be an individual of integrity, an intellectual leader among the faculty, an advocate for the school and the university, a creative problem solver with excellent strategic planning skills and an entrepreneurial mindset, a facilitator of interdisciplinary work within the school and across the university, an energetic and engaged partner in building and enhancing relationships with the school’s many constituents and the larger community, and a skilled and conscientious administrator.
The dean should have substantial experience in a distinguished academic or comparable setting and the capacity to formulate and articulate a shared vision and academic plan, persuade a wide range of audiences of its value, and engage others in its implementation. The dean will have distinguished academic credentials in a management discipline—accounting and law, finance, management science and systems, marketing, operations management and strategy, or organization and human resources—including a record of significant scholarly accomplishment, excellence in teaching and mentorship, and service record appropriate to appointment at the rank of full professor at a research university.
The successful dean will address the following Opportunities and Challenges that are central to the school’s future success:
Recruit and retain world-class faculty and foster faculty excellence and recognition in scholarship, education, and service
The successful candidate will have a vision and plan in place for the recruitment, retention and advancement of a diverse and excellent faculty in the school utilizing school, university and SUNY resources. The dean will invest in promising new faculty, enable the promotion and advancement of faculty, ensure the integrity and clarity of tenure and promotion processes, increase the presence of accomplished senior faculty, and provide incentives and encouragement to retain the distinguished scholars who are already within the school. As an academic and administrative leader, the dean must provide visionary, collaborative, and inspiring leadership in the ongoing support and development of all faculty members in their roles of teaching, research, and service. In addition, the dean will enhance faculty visibility by encouraging faculty to produce scholarship with high impact on business practices and seek prestigious awards and honors, and developing strategies to support and increase this kind of recognition.
Develop and implement innovative academic and academic support programs aligned with school strengths and an effective enrollment strategy
The dean provides leadership to all aspects of the school’s varied educational programs, and must maintain the high caliber of those programs while also exploring opportunities for curricular change and innovation. The dean will have a deep understanding of the nature of competition in business education and the ability to manage a portfolio of educational programs in response to that competition. The dean will work with faculty to develop processes to continually evaluate academic programs to ensure these programs equip students with the knowledge, skills, professionalism and networking necessary to be tomorrow’s professionals, researchers and leaders. The dean will ensure that SOM offers academic support programs that enhance student retention and success while at UB and beyond.
The school is facing a rapidly changing marketplace. The dean will increase and leverage resources to optimize enrollment opportunities, grow enrollment in high needs areas, and work with faculty to develop innovative and distinctive programs that are attractive to national and international student markets. This includes, but is not limited to, increasing experiential learning, interprofessional, and international opportunities; developing interdisciplinary programs with other units on campus; increasing online and hybrid programs; and launching innovative programs that may expand beyond existing academic structures and that are tailored to market opportunities and the competencies students currently need in the workplace.
Foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive community
The new dean must demonstrate a vision for, as well as a record of success in, recruiting, supporting, mentoring and retaining faculty, staff and students from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. Diversity, inclusion, and respect are core values of the UB and SOM communities. UB recognizes that a diverse, equitable and inclusive community is an essential foundation for achieving academic excellence and success. One of the university’s top priorities is to improve the hiring and retention of faculty members from diverse sociocultural backgrounds, and our goal is to at least double the number of faculty from underrepresented backgrounds at UB by 2025.
Enable impactful faculty scholarship
The dean will extend the portfolio and impact of faculty scholarship, especially in interdisciplinary collaborations that address current challenges in management fields. In alignment with UB’s goal to be recognized among the Top 25 public research universities in the nation, elevating the research and scholarship profile of SOM will be important to organizational success. The dean will promote a culture of excellence related to academic productivity, actively pursue new external and internal partnerships in support of SOM research, and work with faculty to identify additional opportunities.
Encourage and support interdisciplinary connections across departments, schools and the entire university
The dean will highlight unique features and accomplishments of individual programs in a way that encourages collaborations and advances the school as a whole. The dean will guide and collaborate with the faculty to identify places where the school’s departments can work together and excel. While the central responsibility is the success of the School of Management, the dean is also a leader in the UB community at large. UB is committed to using its strengths and comprehensiveness to address grand challenges facing humans across the globe through transdisciplinary research and education. SOM faculty members are currently integral partners in a variety of innovative and collaborative campus-wide and multi-school research, education, and engagement initiatives. We seek a dean who will continue to be supportive of UB’s interdisciplinary research and educational programs, promote faculty participation in them, and actively engage in advancing and developing new opportunities for future partnerships for the mutual benefit of the units involved and to advance the overall strategic priorities of UB.
Maintain and enhance the school’s partnerships and engagement with local, national and global business communities
SOM is a vital partner in the economic resurgence of Buffalo and Western New York (WNY). SOM faculty, staff and students participate in a variety of partnerships, entrepreneurship and other activities that make an impact in the Buffalo-Niagara region and around the nation and world. The dean will be the public face of the school, enhancing the school’s engagement with alumni and the WNY business communities to inform curricula and program formation and engage support for the school. This engagement will include strengthening connections between the SOM faculty and the business community, such as creating mutually beneficial experiential learning opportunities for students making use of both faculty and business leaders. The dean will build and maintain relationships in order to support programs that enhance student outcomes and produce a quality workforce that benefits our community and its stakeholders. The dean will promote impactful research, scholarship, educational opportunities, and entrepreneurship and engagement activities.
Leverage the diversity of the School of Management community and distinguish the school as a campus exemplar of internationalization
The dean will inspire increased faculty and student involvement in international programs in which UB has long been a leader among U.S. universities. The dean will continue to support current cooperative degree programs with international institutions and will explore new partnerships as part of the process of developing new programs for the school. The school will take advantage of its international student body by remaining engaged with international alumni in different countries as a means to promote opportunities. The dean will foster the process of regularly reviewing and updating the international components of the SOM curriculum to reflect recent changes in globalization at all levels—political, social, cultural, and economic.
Advance alumni relations and philanthropic support
Now more than ever, universities engage alumni and friends as strategic partners. Alumni represent one of the school’s greatest resources, impacting its efforts in recruitment, community engagement, research, education, career services and placement, advocacy, and philanthropy. SOM alumni and friends of the school serve on the Dean’s Advisory Council, which provides external perspective, advocacy and financial support for the school's programs and strategic priorities. In cooperation with the university development and alumni groups, the dean will serve as a leader and active champion for alumni engagement for SOM. As part of the Boldly Buffalo campaign and beyond, the dean will be an energetic, enthusiastic and convincing advocate with alumni, corporate and other donors to broaden and deepen the school’s fundraising efforts.
Applications and nominations should be submitted as indicated at the end of this profile.
Internationally recognized as an accomplished researcher and transformative higher education leader, Satish K. Tripathi, PhD, was appointed the 15th president of the University at Buffalo on April 18, 2011.
Dr. Tripathi, who served as UB’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs from 2004-2011, was one of the principal creators of the UB 2020 strategic plan to achieve academic excellence and has led the university to achieve significant growth in research and scholarly activity, enhanced student quality and diversity, and an expanded international presence. Building on this strong foundation, Dr. Tripathi has a vision for UB’s future that focuses on moving the university into the highest ranks of the nation’s leading research universities through expanding its reach and impact locally as well as globally.
The first international-born president in UB’s history, Dr. Tripathi served as dean of the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California-Riverside prior to coming to UB. Previously, he was a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, where his 19-year tenure as a faculty member included serving as chair from 1988-1995. A fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he holds honorary degrees from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad, and Brock University in Ontario, Canada. In 2009, he was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by Banaras Hindu University.
An active leader in the national higher education community, Dr. Tripathi is chair of the Mid‑American Conference Council of Presidents and serves on the boards of the NCAA Division I, NCAA Board of Governors, College Football Playoff Board of Managers and Internet2. He has also served on the board of directors for the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Among his numerous community leadership roles, Dr. Tripathi serves on the boards of directors of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and Great Lakes Health. Appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2011 as an inaugural co-chair of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council, he served in this position until 2017.
As Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, A. Scott Weber, PhD, serves as the university’s chief academic officer, responsible for leading the development and implementation of the university’s academic vision. Dr. Weber provides leadership across the academic enterprise including research, scholarship and creative activities; undergraduate, graduate, professional and international education; faculty development; diversity and inclusion initiatives; and university libraries.
A member of UB’s faculty since 1983, Dr. Weber is an innovative scholar and teacher and former chair of UB’s Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, where he helped establish UB’s transportation engineering program and oversaw the department’s significant rise in national rankings among U.S civil engineering programs.
Dr. Weber has held progressively responsible administrative roles at UB, including senior vice provost for academic affairs, where he provided leadership for graduate and undergraduate education, centralized enrollment services, student-support services and transformative extracurricular programs. He led efforts to ensure that students have an outstanding educational experience with opportunities to engage in truly distinctive research, creative and public service activities that are hallmarks of a top-tier university education. He was instrumental in the creation of the UB Curriculum and the nationally recognized Finish in 4 program. In addition, Dr. Weber served as vice president for student life, where he focused on providing UB’s students with exceptional programs and services that offer opportunities to build communities, encourage discovery, promote wellness, and allow students to grow and prosper.
Dr. Weber’s research focuses on biodegradation of chemicals in water and soil and the reclamation of environmentally impacted sites known as brownfields. He earned bachelor’s and master’s of science degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Tech and a PhD in civil engineering from the University of California, Davis.
The State University of New York is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive state university system, consisting of 64 campuses including major research universities, health science centers, comprehensive and technical colleges, and community colleges, all committed to providing a broad range of outstanding academic programs for students within New York and from around the world. It enrolls more than 394,000 students annually, employs more than 67,000 faculty and staff, and connects more than three million alumni around the world.
UB acknowledges that our campuses operate on land that is the traditional territory of the Seneca Nation, a member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the region remains the home of the Haudenosaunee people. Further, we responsibly acknowledge the continuing impact of settler colonialism on the Haudenosaunee and their territories.
Our scholarly community values Indigenous cultures, histories, traditions, knowledge systems, and political entities and deeply appreciates the important role of Indigenous people in the history, the present and the future of our region, this country and the world.
As a world-renowned research university, UB’s intellectual capital and innovation are playing a vital role in Buffalo’s resurgence as a thriving city that is a magnet for talented professionals, artists, entrepreneurs, and innovators who recognize the tremendous energy and momentum gathering here. Home to one of the nation’s fastest growing populations of college graduates, the Buffalo-Niagara region, with 1.2 million residents, is the state’s second largest major metropolitan area, exceeded only by New York City. The region includes a diverse blend of communities, each with its own distinct personality, yet commonly characterized by a distinctly neighborly way of life, an unpretentious nature and spirited loyalty among residents. Buffalo’s own strong sense of community, easy lifestyle, and affordability regularly place it in top ten lists from a variety of national publications for its overall quality of life.
Buffalo offers an impressive array of cultural and recreational opportunities uncommon for a region of its size. Buffalo’s rich cultural resources reflect its distinguished history and commitment to sustaining the arts, including the Grammy Award-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; the world-class collection of modern painting and sculpture at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery; an extensive array of historic architectural treasures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, H.H. Richardson, Louis Sullivan, and Eero and Eliel Saarinen; and an expansive park system (including Delaware Park), considered to be the very best work of designer Frederick Law Olmsted. The city is home to the state’s largest concentration of theaters outside of New York City. Buffalo is a family friendly, livable and affordable city, with Niagara Falls, one of the major tourist attractions of the world, a short drive away. Buffalo is close to two significant wine growing regions—Niagara Escarpment and the Finger Lakes region. In addition, the Adirondack Mountains are half-day’s drive from Buffalo.
Rich in natural resources and beauty, the Buffalo-Niagara area is a four-season region that offers the best for seasonal sports enthusiasts. University at Buffalo fans enjoy a full complement of NCAA division I sports with the UB Bulls, as well as the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, Triple-A baseball’s Buffalo Bisons, and the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits.
Less than a two-hour drive from Buffalo across the United States-Canada border is Toronto, the cultural, entertainment, and financial capital of Canada. Buffalo is also ideally located for easy access to many of America’s greatest cities. The Buffalo-Niagara International Airport offers direct flights to more than 20 cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington, DC, all only an hour’s flight away.
UB has played a central role in the creation of a strong, sustainable knowledge economy and thriving entrepreneurial culture that are driving Buffalo’s revitalization. Exemplified and driven by the centrally located Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences facility, Buffalo is experiencing a period of tremendous progress and momentum as well as unprecedented regional investments in the industries of the future and in the assets that ensure a satisfying quality of life for all its citizens.
UB and the School of Management are vital participants in Buffalo’s economic resurgence and the business and education communities, and the dean will be a visible representative of the school and university. Within the local business community, UB has well-established ties with major partners such as Praxair, Lockheed Martin, Moog and Integer (formerly Greatbatch) and is also making a mark in the areas of health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, informatics, and renewable energy. The dean will encourage and support faculty, student, and staff research, education, entrepreneurship and engagement activities that make an impact in Buffalo and around the world.
Additional information about UB’s School of Management can be found at https://management.buffalo.edu/ or at the search website: www.buffalo.edu/leadership-searches/current-searches/school-of-management-dean-2022.html
Interested individuals should provide an electronic version of their curriculum vitae (Microsoft Word or PDF strongly preferred). A letter describing interest in, and qualifications for, the position is recommended, but not required. All inquiries, nominations and applications should be sent electronically via email to:
Dr. Jett Pihakis
Consultant to the Search Committee
Russell Reynolds Associates
UB.Management@russellreynolds.com
To ensure full consideration, materials should be received as soon as possible but no later than March 7. Review of nominations and applications for the position will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. To assure sensitivity toward the positions presently held by nominees and applicants, the search will be conducted in strict confidence until finalists participate in campus visits. References will not be contacted without the prior knowledge and approval of the candidates.
Compensation for this position is highly competitive. It is anticipated that the dean will begin service by the start of the 2022-23 academic year. Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until a dean of the School of Management is appointed.
The University at Buffalo is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic university community committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. Potential applicants who share this goal, including veterans and individuals with disabilities, are encouraged to apply.
