Last week, the SUNY Board of Trustees approved University at Buffalo Interim Provost Harvey Stenger as the next president of Binghamton University, one of UB's three peers as a SUNY "university center." His term will begin on Jan. 1.
On Monday, The Spectrum scheduled an in-person Tuesday interview with Stenger via the Office of the Provost, hoping to discuss Stenger's new position and issues at UB, as it may have been the students' last chance to speak with him.
But an office employee quickly canceled the in-person interview, informed The Spectrum that Stenger actually wasn't available at the previously scheduled time, and said she hoped to arrange a Tuesday afternoon phone interview between Stenger and The Spectrum. On Tuesday afternoon, she told The Spectrum that Stenger was too busy for the phone interview.
A subsequent email from The Spectrum to Stenger was not returned.
The Office of the Provost, and a former Spectrum reporter who saw him in a Capen hallway, confirmed that Stenger was on campus on Tuesday afternoon.
The office provided a statement from Stenger.
"I am honored to have been chosen as Binghamton University's next president," the statement reads. "On a personal level, my wife, Cathy, and I are excited about the opportunities ahead. At the same time, we're sorry to leave so many wonderful colleagues and friends from UB and Tapestry Charter School. We're grateful to these two communities for the support we've received from them during our years here. While our primary university allegiance may change from UB to ‘BU,' UB and Buffalo will always be very special places for us."
Stenger's wife, Cathy Frankenbach, is a teacher at Tapestry Charter School in Buffalo.
The Binghamton Pipe Dream reported that Stenger will receive a $510,000 pay package (which includes a $60,000 housing allowance) at BU and that BU's current president also receives an entertainment allowance and use of a car-and-driver service in addition to his salary.
Stenger currently makes a state salary of $315,000. He became the interim provost after Satish Tripathi, the former provost, became president. Provost is the university's second-highest position. Stenger, who arrived at UB in 2006, was formerly the dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Under Stenger, UB's engineering school improved its undergraduate and graduate rankings, increased the size of its faculty, hired members of the national Academy of Engineering, installed Lean Six Sigma into the Chris Collins-led Erie County government, and expanded its international programs in France, Turkey, and India. He also redesigned the school's freshman-year curriculum and oversaw the construction of its new building, Barbara and Jack Davis Hall.
Former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Bruce McCombe will return to UB as interim provost while UB searches for a permanent provost.
"While [Stenger] will be missed tremendously by our entire university community, this prestigious appointment is richly deserved recognition of his remarkable vision and the depth and breadth of his leadership and expertise," Tripathi said in an email to UB employees. "These are all qualities that we have come to know very well during Harvey's service at UB…I am deeply grateful for Harvey's wise counsel, clarity of vision, and impressive leadership."
Like UB's recent presidential search, Binghamton's presidential search was cloaked in secrecy. It was its second attempt at a search after a more transparent first search – which identified five finalists who visited BU, gave speeches, and took questions from the community – failed; SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher rejected the final two candidates, and BU had to start over.
No information regarding the second search was revealed prior to Stenger's selection, and the identities of any other finalists for the position are unknown to the public.
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