R. Nils Olsen, Jr., a professor of law who currently serves as vice dean for academic affairs, has been named dean of the University at Buffalo School of Law. Lewis Mandell, currently serving as dean of the College of Business Administration and professor of finance at Marquette University, has been named dean of the University at Buffalo School of Management. The appointments were made by Provost Thomas E. Headrick.

The deans will have overall responsibility for the development of academic programs, faculty recruitment and advancement, and for maintaining standards of teaching, scholarship and creative activity.

They also will have chief responsibility for planning and budgeting, equipment and space allocations, and personnel, and will oversee development activities.

Olsen will succeed Barry B. Boyer, who has served as the school's chief academic and administrative officer since 1992. Boyer will remain a member of the law faculty, resuming full-time teaching responsibilities and overseeing the law school's continuing technological development.

"The law school will benefit from Nils' exceptional credentials, academic achievements and administrative experience," said Headrick. "The positive, unanimous recommendation from his colleagues and external constituencies is an affirmation of his ability to serve the school as dean.

"Nils brings his insightful and understanding leadership to a school that is one of UB's major assets," Headrick continued. "He will fill the law school's most significant needs in the coming years for continuity in such critical endeavors as the new curriculum, student recruitment, faculty development and a capital campaign."

Olsen joined the UB law faculty as an associate professor in 1978 after serving as a lecturer of law and clinical fellow at the University of Chicago School of Law. Prior to that, he was judicial law clerk to Chief Judge Thomas E. Fairchild of the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago.

As vice dean since 1994, Olsen has overseen the implementation of the school's new curriculum, designed to help bridge the gap that has existed historically between law school and practice. He also has been responsible for long-range planning, evaluation and self-study, enrollment targeting and faculty recruitment, promotion and tenure.

In addition to his duties as vice dean, Olsen has served as director of clinical education for the law school, maintaining administrative responsibility for the in-house clinical program comprised of nine clinical instructors who provide closely supervised, legal experience in diverse areas of practice to about 100 students each year.

He also has continued his research in the areas of federal post-conviction remedies and environmental policy.

A 1974 graduate of the Columbia University School of Law, Olsen received a bachelor's degree with honors from the University of Wisconsin.

He is a member of the Lewiston-Porter school board, and has served as a member of the boards of directors of New York State Environmental Advocates, the Youngstown Free Library and Great Lakes United.

As dean of the School of Management, Mandell will succeed Frederick W. Winter, who left UB last July to head the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and the College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh.

Provost Headrick, noted that Mandell "brings to UB extensive experience as an academic administrator, teacher and scholar, and has demonstrated success in working with faculty and business leaders to expand the resource base of a management school.

"Dr. Mandell is committed to leading the School of Management to greater distinction and broader recognition," Headrick said.

While at Marquette, Mandell established an executive MBA program, a fully funded Family Business Center and a National Institute for Church Management. He also funded and built a high-technology Executive Education Center.

Prior to his work at Marquette, he served as associate dean and professor of finance and political science in the School of Business Administration at the University of Connecticut.

His specialty areas include banking, commercial lending, credit cards and consumer credit.

Mandell has authored 16 books and more than 30 articles in such scholarly journals as the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking and The American Economic Review. He is a founding editor-in-chief of Financial Services Review.

Mandell earned a bachelor's degree from City College of New York, a master's degree from Northwestern University and a doctorate from the University of Texas.