Vice President for Student Affairs

Buffalo State University - an involved community of learners, scholars, leaders, and global citizens from all walks of life - is a vibrant, four-year, public comprehensive university and member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system of higher education. The University seeks an engaging and collaborative leader to serve as its next Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA). The VPSA will join a new President with a strongly student-focused mission who is eager to work together with the University’s Cabinet and the broader campus to enhance the institution through enrollment, retention, and student success. As a vital member of the new leadership team, the VPSA will contribute to a Cabinet that advances the University’s mission and strengthens institutional culture. Buffalo State seeks a VPSA who is energized by challenges and problem-solving, and who genuinely enjoys building an exciting future.

 

 

 

The Institution: Founded in 1871 as the Buffalo Normal School, Buffalo State University has grown into one of the most dynamic and unique institutions within the SUNY system. Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Buffalo State has two academic schools and 30 academic departments, all connected by common intellectual foundations and offering a full range of educational programs in their areas of study. Eight academic centers and institutes offer intellectual enrichment and community engagement and provide opportunities for students and faculty to work together across disciplines.

 

 

 

Buffalo State enrolls nearly 6,000 students annually, serving a diverse and inclusive community. Half (50.5%) of the total student body identify as students of color and 42% of undergraduate students are first-generation university students. The institution has been recognized nationally through awards such as the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, and the Inclusion Diversity Equity Awareness (IDEA) Award.

 

 

 

Buffalo State’s faculty and staff are distinguished by their academic excellence and community involvement, and many have received prestigious honors, including SUNY Distinguished Professor ranks and Fulbright grants. The University’s small class sizes foster close student-faculty interaction and personalized learning experiences.

 

 

 

The campus features state-of-the-art facilities, including a $100 million Science and Mathematics Complex and Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium, the Great Lakes Center (the only field station on the Great Lakes within SUNY), and the newly renovated E. H. Butler Library, which serves as the academic heart of the institution.

 

 

 

Buffalo State’s mission is to empower students to succeed and inspire a lifelong passion for learning, with a vision to be a nationally recognized leader in public higher education. The University embraces values such as access, student-centered learning, intellectual discovery, community engagement, and respect for diversity. With more than 100,000 alumni worldwide, including 57,000 in Western New York, Buffalo State continues to build on its legacy of excellence, preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in an increasingly global society.

 

 

 

The Position: The Vice President for Student Affairs reports to the President, serves on the Cabinet, and is the chief student affairs officer for Buffalo State University and collaborates with senior administrators to enhance the institution through enrollment, retention, and student success. The current VPSA oversees four areas: the Dean of Students Area (student care and support, student conduct, military and veterans services, and residence life); Student Health and Well-Being (counseling center, health center, and health promotion); Student Leadership and Engagement; and Intercollegiate Athletics. The division has six direct reports and 67 staff, and the VPSA also manages the University’s contracted partnerships for dining services and the Child Care Center.

 

 

 

The student experience at Buffalo State is a shared enterprise, and the VPSA is expected to provide leadership well beyond the boundaries of the division. While academic advising, student success and retention, accessibility services, and career services currently report to other divisions, the ability to build effective working partnerships across divisions is as central to this role as it is to the leadership of the reporting units.

 

 

 

The VPSA is the University’s principal advocate for students - with the campus, with families, and with the community - and works with faculty, staff, deans, and Cabinet colleagues to make the out-of-classroom experience a reason students persist to graduation. Belonging and persistence are the same work at Buffalo State, and the VPSA is expected to be an active partner in the University’s student success programs, including SUNY’s Academic Momentum Campaign, Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE), Roar 2 Success (Recognizing Opportunities and Achieving Results), Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and Muriel A. Howard Honors Program.

 

 

 

Intercollegiate Athletics currently reports through Student Affairs and is led by an officer-in-charge. Buffalo State competes in NCAA Division III as a member of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), and the athletics operation also includes campus recreation and intramurals, a fitness center, and an ice arena. A search for a Director of Athletics will be conducted this year. The permanent reporting line will be determined in consultation with the incoming Vice Presidents and the President.

 

 

 

The VPSA will focus on division-building and will assess and define a contemporary student affairs division, including its structure, staffing, assessment culture, and day-to-day operations.

 

 

 

Opportunities and Priorities:

 

 

 

• Few student affairs leaders get to build a division and help shape the Cabinet at the same time. Due to a retirement after decades of service in one division and extended interim leadership in two other divisions, Buffalo State is filling three vice president positions concurrently. The next VPSA will not be joining a firmly entrenched Cabinet so much as helping create one with significant new membership. The VPSA will join a new President, new Vice President for Enrollment Management, and new Vice President for Finance and Management, alongside a seasoned Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and External Relations, Chief Diversity Officer, and Chief of Staff, whose institutional knowledge runs deep. The direction, working style, and culture of the Cabinet are still being set, and the VPSA will help establish those standards, working with a President committed to transparency and shared governance. The same is true within the division. Several of its most significant leadership positions, including the vice presidency itself, have been filled on an interim or acting basis. Many decisions that were deferred by extended interim leadership still need to be made. The VPSA will focus on division-building, recruiting much of their own senior team, and assessing and defining a contemporary student affairs division: its structure, staffing, assessment culture, and day-to-day operations. For a leader who would rather design a division than adjust one - that will be the substance of the first year in this position. Retention is the share of Buffalo State’s enrollment challenge that Student Affairs owns most directly, but not one the VPSA will carry alone. A student who returns provides net tuition revenue that the University does not have to win twice, which is why persistence is a standing priority of the President, the Cabinet, and the academic deans rather than a divisional project. The residential experience, student engagement, care and case management, and the daily sense of belonging are where that work happens. The division does not yet have an assessment practice that connects those programs to persistence outcomes, and the VPSA will lead the work of building such a practice alongside the incoming VPEM and colleagues in Academic Affairs. The President is looking for a partner, not a functional manager; someone who will bring recommendations to the Cabinet, speak candidly about what the data and the students themselves are saying, and contribute to decisions that reach beyond the Student Affairs portfolio. The new VPSA will help decide, rather than simply inherit, the structure in Intercollegiate Athletics. A search for a Director of Athletics will be conducted this year, and the permanent reporting line will be determined in consultation with the incoming Vice Presidents and the President. Buffalo State is building a renewed vision and brand for itself, and the promises made to prospective students must be kept by the actual student experience on campus. The VPSA, in close partnership with Cabinet, marketing, and others, will help ensure that what students encounter after they enroll matches what the University described when they chose Buffalo State.

 

 

Qualifications: Buffalo State is an urban-engaged, access institution. First-generation and Pell-eligible students make up a large share of its enrollment, and its national recognition for social mobility follows directly from that mission. The University seeks to stabilize and grow enrollment across every population it serves, from first-year and transfer to graduate and post-traditional. The search committee will be considering and giving preference to the following qualifications and skills.

 

 

 

• Investment in people: a record of building teams, lifting morale, and setting clear expectations and accountability. Deeply student-centered and visible: display a history of presence in campus life, accessibility to students, and of being energized by a diverse, first-generation student body on an urban-engaged campus with a residential population. Whole-student well-being expertise: experience with mental health and counseling services, student health, health promotion, basic needs, and care/team infrastructure that supports belonging and persistence. Residence life and housing experience: experience building and retaining residential life leadership and developing a vision for the residential student experience. Retention partner: co-owns the persistence and completion agenda with other university partners; brings an assessment-driven, data-informed practice to divisional programs. Crisis management: seasoned in emergency response, threat assessment, and high-stakes student situations, with sound judgment and calmness under pressure. Compliance fluency: including, but not limited to, Title IX, Clery, FERPA, ADA, and student conduct best practices - with the judgment to run fair, consistent, and legally sound processes. Resource management: manages divisional budgets strategically in a constrained environment and works effectively with auxiliary and contracted partners (e.g., dining services, childcare center, etc.). Collaborative style: effective in shared governance and a unionized environment; builds partnerships with faculty, staff, families, and community organizations. Working with students: experience engaging student government, student media, and organized student advocacy, including a record of holding a position students opposed while keeping the relationship intact. Credentials: a master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, or related field required (doctorate preferred) with significant progressively responsible student affairs leadership at complex, residential institutions.

 

 

Location: As the second largest city in New York State, Buffalo is a well-rounded and culturally significant metropolitan area, offering a broad array of amenities and experiences. Known as the City of Good Neighbors, the community has earned a reputation for warmth and hospitality, providing a supportive environment for newcomers adjusting to a new setting. Buffalo’s comparatively low cost of living allows residents to enjoy these amenities without the financial pressures common in larger metropolitan areas. Altogether, Buffalo offers a combination of affordability, cultural depth, and regional accessibility.

 

 

 

The city’s waterfront development along Lake Erie provides not only scenic views but also a sense of daily rhythm, where residents often find themselves drawn to the shoreline for a moment of quiet between work and home. Its Canalside district serves as a central gathering place, hosting seasonal events and offering recreational opportunities that help define Buffalo’s communal character. The historic Elmwood Village adds a distinctly walkable charm, with boutiques, cafés, and arts institutions that provide a welcoming feel. Architectural landmarks such as the Darwin Martin House highlight Buffalo’s legacy of design innovation and its commitment to preserving cultural heritage. Sports culture remains a prominent part of local identity, with game days creating a shared sense of excitement across the city. Buffalo’s culinary landscape, shaped by longstanding communities and contemporary restaurateurs, offers a blend of tradition and creativity that continues to evolve. Nature is readily accessible, with waterfront trails, parks, and beaches providing residents with convenient outdoor escapes. Proximity to Niagara Falls allows residents to visit one of North America’s most iconic natural attractions. Western New York’s surrounding towns, wineries, and rural landscapes offer additional opportunities for exploration, while the cities of Toronto and Rochester remain within easy reach for broader cultural experiences. Winters are part of the city’s seasonal rhythm, embraced through festivals, winter sports, and neighborhood traditions.

 

 

 

About the State University of New York System: SUNY is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, with 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, and the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY’s support for Buffalo State is evidenced in many ways. The SUNY Academic Momentum Campaign is designed to increase the retention and completion rates of all SUNY undergraduate students and eliminate gaps for Pell-eligible students and other demographic groups. SUNY also supports Buffalo State and all 64 institutions through the four guiding pillars established by SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr.: student success; research and scholarship; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and economic development and upward mobility. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.

 

 

 

Salary and Benefits: The salary range for this position is $165,000 to $215,000, and the University/SUNY offers a competitive benefits package.

 

 

 

Application: Interested candidates should submit only a cover letter and curriculum vitae/resume to RPA Inc. at BuffaloStateStudentAffairs@rpainc.org. For a confidential discussion about this opportunity or to make a nomination, please contact Kira Heath, Search Manager, or Amanda O’Donnell, Vice President and Senior Consultant, at the email address above. The first review of candidates will begin on October 28, 2026.

 

 

SUNY Buffalo State University (“Buffalo State”) is committed to maintaining a learning and workplace environment free from sexual harassment and unlawful discrimination. In its continuing effort to seek equity in education and employment, and in support of federal and state anti-discrimination legislation, Buffalo State has adopted this complaint procedure for the prompt and equitable investigation and resolution of allegations of unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. Harassment on the basis of the above-protected categories is one form of unlawful discrimination. Buffalo State will take steps to prevent discrimination and harassment, to prevent the recurrence of discrimination and harassment, and to remedy its discriminatory effects on the victim(s) and others, if appropriate. Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment and sexual and interpersonal violence and may be addressed under this policy or the campus’s Title IX policy, depending on whether the alleged conduct meets the definition found at 34 CFR § 106.30. Retaliation against a person who files a complaint, serves as a witness, or assists or participates in any manner in this procedure is strictly prohibited and may result in disciplinary action