Black, Gresham to succeed Palmer, Sheffer; Winter to leave UB for Pitt

By SUE WUETCHER
News Services Associate Editor

The two associate vice presidents will step up to replace Robert L. Palmer, Jr., and John B. Sheffer, II, respectively.

Palmer is leaving UB to become vice president for student affairs at California State University at Fullerton. Sheffer is assuming new duties as director of UB's new Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth (see story above).

In another administrative change, Frederick W. Winter, dean of the School of Management, will leave UB next month to become dean of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and the College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh.

Provost Thomas E. Headrick said he will consult with faculty in the School of Management, members of the Dean's Advisory Council and other interested parties on the appointment of an interim dean and on the search process to identify Winter's successor.

UB President William R. Greiner said national searches will be conducted for both vice presidential positions.

A UB administrator since 1975, Palmer served as associate provost and vice provost for student affairs, and assumed the helm when the Division of Student Affairs was enlarged to a vice presidential office in 1991.

Palmer cited for leadership

Greiner said Palmer has made the units responsible for student services "vastly more responsive to students' needs," has helped redirect the university's approach to admissions, has guided the Department of Public Safety through "significant transitions" and has helped to increase the effectiveness of auxiliary services, such as dining and vending operations

He also has provided leadership for a number of campus-wide committees and initiatives, including the University Bookstore Task Force, the Calendar Commission, the Task Force on Intolerance and the annual SEFA campaign, Greiner added.

"Bob Palmer has contributed immensely to the University at Buffalo and to our Western New York community," Greiner noted. "We will miss him, and we will miss his leadership."

Black joined UB in 1978

Black has held a variety of student-services positions since joining UB in 1978 as executive director of Sub Board I, Inc., a UB student-service corporation. He has been dean of students since 1988 and was named associate vice president for student affairs in 1991, having served as associate vice provost for student services since 1987.

He also is an adjunct assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education.

As associate vice president, Black has overseen such areas as student life, health and wellness centers, counseling, career planning and placement, multicultural affairs, student judiciary, child care and student insurance.

Editor of Perspective: The Campus Legal Monthly newsletter with a national circulation of more than 1,700 colleges and universities, he also speaks, writes and consults on student service-related issues and legal concerns at conferences and institutions nationwide.

"Dennis has a familiarity with the whole range of student affairs concerns and priorities that few people could match," Greiner said. "He also has a very deep and genuine commitment to serving UB's students, as well as a thorough understanding of their needs for service and support."

Gresham has served as associate vice president for public service and urban affairs since the division was created in 1993.

"She has a very keen sense of the key issues and priorities for Public Service and Urban Affairs," Greiner noted, "as well as a genuine personal commitment to public service, urban and regional outreach, and diversity initiatives‹all of which are central to the division's mission."

Gresham at UB for more than 20 years

An adjunct assistant professor of counseling and educational psychology at UB, Gresham has been affiliated with the university for more than 20 years. As associate vice president, she serves as the initial point of contact for requests for university assistance from the Western New York community.

She also supervises minority-focused campus initiatives such as Cora P. Maloney College, the Educational Opportunity Program/Center for Academic Development Services, Underrepresented Minority Graduate Fellowship Programs and the Office for University Preparatory Programs (OUPP).

Gresham also has served as executive director of the OUPP and as assistant to the vice president for student affairs.

Winter, appointed dean of the School of Management in 1993, cited professional and personal considerations in announcing his resignation.

He said he was attracted to the Katz business school because of its reputation as one of the 50 best in the country, and the University of Pittsburgh's status as a "state-related" institution, whereby only one-fifth of its budget is provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania‹a budget formula that allows the university more autonomy in decision-making, tuition structure and program development than institutions within the SUNY system.

Made numerous improvements

During his tenure, Winter was responsible for numerous improvements and innovations within the school, including a reformation of the MBA program, creation of an Executive MBA (EMBA) program, implementation of the only U.S.-accredited EMBA program in Singapore, development of an agreement with Renmin University in China to launch an EMBA program at the Beijing institution and advocation of a customer-service philosophy for all management-school programs.

Winter also has helped to rebuild the school's external connections with the business community, alumni and donors, and sought to make the school more competitive with business schools throughout the country.

Provost Thomas E. Headrick said that the school has made "significant strides" under Winter's leadership. "He leaves the school well-positioned to continue providing excellent programs in management education.

"His leaving also underlines UB's recurrent message to state officials and the state Legislature: flexibility and freedom from ill-designed state oversight are absolutely essential if UB is to prosper and continue to nourish the state's economy," Headrick said.