| 506 Capen Hall |
| (716) 645-2901 |
| E-mail: wgreiner@buffalo.edu. |
The Position
William R. Greiner, UB's 13th president, has been in office for ten years, following his appointment to the position in September of 1991 by the SUNY Board of Trustees.
As president, Greiner's main responsibilities involve the role of leadership and organization. During times of crisis or confusion, the president is required to provide a strong image to the university and act as a role model to administrators, faculty and students. The president also functions as a liaison to universities, institutions and businesses outside of UB.
Within the university, 11 administrators report directly to the president: Provost Elizabeth Capaldi; Senior Vice President Robert Wagner; Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Michael Bernardino; Vice President for Research Jaylan Turkkan; Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Jennifer McDonough; Vice President for Public Service and Urban Affairs, Vice Provost for Education Extension and Dean of the School of Graduate Education Mary Greshamn; Vice President for Special Projects and Programs Dale Landi; Director of the Division of Athletics Robert Arkeilpane; Director of Equity, Diversity and Affirmative Action Loyce Stewart and Director of Internal Audit Gary Walters.
Of those eleven, Vice President Turkkan and Vice President Gresham report both to the president and to the provost.
Greiner's achievements during the past ten years include the restructuring of three separate colleges into one umbrella group, the College of Arts and Sciences; the establishment of a New York City admissions office; the move to Division I-A level in athletics; construction of on-campus student apartments; and capital improvements such as the Natural Sciences Complex, the mathematics buildings and the Student Union.
President Greiner was born in Meriden, Conn. in 1931. He and his wife Carol reside in Amherst and have four children and 12 grandchildren.
Greiner earned a bachelor's in economics from Wesleyan University, a master's in economics, a juris doctorate and a master's of laws (LL.M.), all from Yale University. Following graduation, Greiner became a faculty member of the University of Washington in Seattle. In law, Greiner's specialties include taxation and government finance, real property, real estate transactions, municipal law and municipal finance.
Greiner came to UB in 1967, as a faculty member in the School of Law. He was named chairman of the Legal Studies Program in 1968, associate provost of the school in 1970 and associate dean in 1975 when the school switched from a provostial administrative structure to a structure headed by a dean.
In 1980, Greiner became associate vice president for academic affairs. Three years later, he was named interim vice president for academic affairs. From the beginning of that appointment to mid-1984, Greiner also acted as the chief academic officer for the division of academic affairs. During that time, he helped the then-president to streamline the administrative structure, a move that lead to the creation of the position of the university provost as chief academic officer.
Greiner entered the position of provost in August 1984, where he remained until March 1991, when he was named interim president of UB. Greiner was selected as president in September of 1991.
