Dean's Office Reorganization
As we look toward the future and UB’s top 25 ambitions, the College is reorganizing the Dean’s Office structure in an effort to better support departments, programs, centers and institutes and to improve and streamline processes and procedures.
Goals of the reorganization:
- Emphasize a culture of collaboration and not competition across sectors and among departments
- Respond to recommendations of the PhD Excellence Committees to reduce investment in the Dean’s Office
- Create greater capacity for strategic thinking and to approach work proactively rather than reactively
- Improve service delivery for departments
- Create more space for the Dean to engage with alumni and donors to raise philanthropic dollars
- Reduce the duplication effect of the current structure and clarify reporting lines within and outside the structure
New Structure
- Associate Dean for Social Sciences: Sean Bennett, Department of Geography
- Senior Associate Dean for Research: Jerry Koudelka, Department of Biological Sciences
- Associate Dean for Academic Affairs: Peter Pfordresher, Department of Psychology
(will begin at the end of the spring 2021 semester) - Associate Dean for Natural Sciences and Mathematics: Kris Tjaden, Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences
- Associate Dean for Arts and Humanities: Ewa Ziarek, Department of Comparative Literature
(David Johnson is serving as interim associate dean until fall 2021.)
Sector Administrative Directors
The Sector Administrative Directors, a position developed as part of the College’s reorganization, are vital administrative support roles for each sector. The administrative directors will work closely with the Associate Deans in their respective sector as a strategic partner and advisor. The Sector Administrative Director will assume responsibility for key administration functions and management of processes for the sector.
- Karen Sausner, sector administrative director, arts and humanities
Karen will work with David Johnson in the interim and Ewa Ziarek beginning in the fall.
ksausner@buffalo.edu - Carol Ciaciuch, sector administrative director for social sciences
Carol will partner with Sean Bennett.
ciaciuch@buffalo.edu - The search for the Sector Administrative Director for Natural Sciences and Mathematics is closed.
Academic Portfolio by Sector
Arts and Humanities
- Africana and American Studies
- Art
- Art Galleries
- Arts Management
- Asian Studies
- Center for the Arts
- Classics
- Comparative Literature
- Confucius Institute
- English
- Global Gender and Sexuality Studies
- History
- Humanities Institute
- Jewish Thought
- Media Study
- Music
- Romance Languages and Literatures
- Theatre and Dance
Natural Sciences and Mathematics
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Communicative Disorders and Sciences
- Geology
- Math
- Materials Design and Innovation
- Physics
- Psychology
Social Sciences
- Anthropology
- Communication
- Economics
- Environment and Sustainability
- Geography
- Linguistics
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
- Sociology
Faculty Advisory Committee
Representing the range of disciplines from across the College, a committee of full professors met with candidates for the five associate dean positions and served as advisors to the dean.
- Susan Cahn, Department of History
- Cecil Foster, Department of Africana and American Studies
- Mark Frank, Department of Communication
- Paul Gollnick, Department of Biological Sciences
- Lynne Koscielniak, Department of Theatre and Dance
- Jennifer Read, Department of Psychology