Greiner Announces Plans to Retire as UB President

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- William R. Greiner announced today that he is stepping down as president of the University at Buffalo, a position that he has held since 1991.

In a message to the university community, Greiner said he will retire as UB's chief executive officer effective June 30, or at a later date if requested by State University of New York Chancellor Robert L. King, depending on the appointment of his successor.

Greiner will begin his 13th year of service as the 13th president of UB, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the SUNY system, on March 1.

His message to the university community follows:

"I have informed Chancellor Robert King and the chairs of the UB Council and the UB Foundation that I will be retiring as the 13th President of UB effective June 30, 2003 or at such later date as the Chancellor may request, depending on the timing of the appointment of UB's 14th president.

This decision follows from professional and personal judgments made by Carol and me, and from a commitment made when I was appointed president in 1991, namely that I would plan to serve up to 13 years. My 13th year of service will begin on March 1, 2003; in May, for the 13th time, I will preside over UB's several commencements.

Carol and I came to UB and Buffalo/Niagara in 1967, full of anticipation and hope for a bright future for us, our children, and UB. We had no inkling how wonderful and rewarding our life here would be. As newcomers, we were told Buffalo is the city of good neighbors, and that has proven to be true for us both in the city and throughout the region. UB has been our special neighborhood, our special family. And what a wonderful family, composed as it is of an extraordinarily diverse community of scholars, students, staff, alumni and volunteers. The UB community has, in good times and trying times, worked together to preserve and advance our university. This communal commitment to the welfare of the institution is, in my view, one of the hallmarks of UB.

The accomplishments of any research university are the product of the work and interactions of the members of the university community. We all can be very proud of the many outstanding advances made during this time that I have had the honor and privilege of serving as faculty member and university administrator and leader. All of us have benefited from the work of present and former colleagues and we built and are building on that foundation. As Provost and President I have done my best to support and supplement the work of the UB family so that we might leave UB a better place for those that will follow.

But it is your efforts that have advanced UB on all important dimensions. The indicators speak for themselves:

* extraordinary advances and achievements in research, scholarship, and creative activities;

* quality of faculty and students;

* advances in teaching methods and the delivery of instruction;

* broadening of academic programs to provide education appropriate to the needs and opportunities of the 21st century;

* academic program quality improvement;

* improved transfer of technology to the marketplace;

* diversity and amount of on-campus student housing;

* recruitment of exceptional senior faculty and senior administrative leadership;

* enormous growth in the use of information technology for research, teaching and administrative purposes;

* continuing growth in the diversity of our UB community;

* exceptional public service;

* and our ability to provide the resources for many of these improvements through growth in non-tax revenues and added financial/administrative flexibility.

My thanks to you all for all that you have done to make UB what it is today. Special thanks as well to the chairs of the Council and UB Foundation, the Council and UB Foundation members, Chancellors, SUNY Trustees, and administrative colleagues who made it possible for me to serve as your president. Carol and I feel blessed and privileged to have worked with you in service to UB. Now it is time for us to move to a different role, but still in service to UB, we hope for years to come.

A new chapter in our 157 year history is about to begin. Look forward to it, as I do, with enormous pride in our accomplishments and with a clear sense that the best is yet to come."