Professor wins election for top Amherst job

When Dr. Satish Mohan told his former colleagues at Stanford that he was taking a job at UB, they gave him a warning.

"The college is okay, but the town is doomed," Mohan recalls them telling him.

While recent politics in Erie County and the City of Buffalo have given those Stanford doomsayers' predictions some credibility, Mohan's election to Amherst Supervisor gives him a chance to stem the tide and prove his ex-colleagues wrong.

"I want to grow this town," Mohan said. "I've worked in Florida, Indiana, California, and I like this place the best."

For now, Mohan's goal of cultivating a prosperous Amherst will take him away from his research and students at UB, as he said he does not want to split his attention from his efforts in the town.

"Many supervisors in the past have done two jobs," he said. "I don't want to do that. I want to be working 14 hours a day for this town."

Mohan said he would be taking a four-year leave of absence without pay, though he plans on continuing work with UB, both in his role as supervisor and in part in his role as a mentor.

"I had one of my students come to me and ask me how he was going to finish. I told him I would continue to work with him. I have two CIE students, and I plan to make sure they both finish," he said.

In a larger role as supervisor, Mohan said one of his goals is to build up business around UB.

"I strongly think the growth of the town and the university should be compatible," he said. There should be some business development around the campus for students to get jobs and get co-ops."

The flight of college graduates away from Buffalo can only be stopped by working with UB would help stem that tide, Mohan added.

"You look at larger schools like Florida and Stanford-they have very strong ties with the business community and town," he said. "I know what expertise lies in the university, and I want to connect the two."

His current colleagues within the department of civil engineering said they respect Mohan's ability to translate his experience into public service.

"What I admire is that he felt he had something to offer the town," said Scott Weber, chair of the civil, structural and environmental engineering department. "It was quite a remarkable feat for him to win that election."

Weber said the department still has to work out the specifics of Mohan's leave, but he is sure the department will be able to deal with the loss of a faculty member.

While a faculty member running for-and winning-public office is somewhat rare, UB officials said they do not discourage faculty to seek a public role in the community.

"People who are faculty members get involved in the community all the time. They take school board seats and sit on all sorts of committees," said Lucinda Finley, vice provost for faculty affairs. "I think students should be proud."

Marsha Henderson, vice president for external affairs, said Mohan's election would improve an already-strong connection between Amherst and UB.

"We have a good working relationship with the town that will continue with Dr. Mohan," she said.

Henderson, a native of Amherst and Williamsville, said Mohan's election is a reflection of the changing face of Amherst.

"He really is a reflection of Amherst," she said. "I think the community as a whole has become more international."

She added, "Politics have caught up with demographics."