Published June 26, 2018 This content is archived.
Dear University Community:
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Despina Stratigakos as Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence, effective July 1, 2018. Professor Stratigakos has served as Interim Vice Provost since February 2018 and succeeds Professor Teresa Miller who joined SUNY as Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff to Chancellor Kristina Johnson.
As Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence, Professor Stratigakos will focus on UB’s efforts to create a culture of inclusive excellence and enhance diversity, equity and inclusion across the campus community. She will oversee the implementation of “Our Commitment to Inclusive Excellence: UB’s Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan” and, as one of the top priorities of the plan, work with deans and faculty members to significantly enhance the recruitment and retention of faculty from underrepresented groups. Professor Stratigakos will also serve as chair of the Inclusive Excellence Leadership and Advisory Council.
Professor Stratigakos, an architectural historian and professor in the School of Architecture and Planning, is an internationally recognized and prolific scholar on issues of diversity in architecture. Her books, including A Women’s Berlin: Building the Modern City (2008), Hitler at Home (2015), and Where Are the Women Architects? (2016), explore the intersections of power and architecture. Her scholarship addresses barriers to equity and diversity in the building professions, including stereotypical representations of architects in history books, the lack of diversity among elite architecture prize winners, and the absence of female architects and architects of color in Hollywood films.
Professor Stratigakos is the recipient of many prestigious awards and honors including membership at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University fellowship, the Marie Curie Fellowship from the Gerda Henkel Foundation and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the German Academic Exchange Service/German Studies Association Book Prize, and the Milka Bliznakov Research Prize from the International Archive of Women in Architecture.
Professor Stratigakos served as Interim Chair of the Department of Architecture and Deputy Director of the Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender. She participated on Buffalo’s municipal Diversity in Architecture taskforce and was a founding member of the Architecture and Design Academy, an initiative of the Buffalo Public Schools to encourage students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds to pursue degrees in architecture.
I would like to extend a personal thanks to Rajan Batta, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and all of the members of the search committee for their outstanding service, which was critical to the successful outcome of the search.
Please join me in congratulating Professor Stratigakos and welcoming her to this important leadership role within our campus community. For more details on this appointment, please view the full announcement here.
Sincerely,
Charles F. Zukoski
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs