SUNY Chancellor John B. King Visits Buffalo State

Many members of the Buffalo State University community had the opportunity to meet with SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. during his tour of campus on April 6. Dr. King peeked inside classrooms, learned about ongoing research, and spoke directly with students, often asking them why they chose Buffalo State and what they like about their experience.

Buffalo State is the 39th campus the chancellor visited on his statewide tour of the entire 64-campus state university system.

After meeting with President Katherine Conway-Turner in her office, King arrived in the lobby of Butler Library, where he shared a little of his own background. The child of educators who both died when he was young, he said school saved him during this difficult point in his life. He credited the support of his teachers, who inspired him to go into education, where he worked as a teacher, principal, and leader at the national and state levels during his career. King, who earned a B.A. from Harvard University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and an M.A. and doctorate in education from Columbia University's Teachers College, went on to serve as U.S. secretary of education under President Barack Obama.

Students told King that they view Buffalo State as a warm, welcoming community where they feel supported. A few shared their own career aspirations.

King then visited the laboratories of the Garman Art Conservation Department in Rockwell Hall, where students described their intricate conservation projects and their reasons for choosing Buffalo State. Students mentioned not only the quality of the program—one of only four in North America to offer a graduate degree in conservation—and the connections it provides but also the warmth of the faculty and staff.

King then got to see the newly renovated Science and Mathematics Complex, where he met with students studying the behavior of crickets with Gavin Leighton, assistant professor of biology, and visited with Kim Bagley, chair and professor of chemistry; Gary Solar, associate professor of geology; and Kevin Williams, associate professor of earth sciences, who gave King a demonstration of the impressive new Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium.

The chancellor then returned to Cleveland Hall, where he met with members of the president’s cabinet, other top administrators, and deans, followed by an informal dinner and talk with community partners.

Photos by Jesse Steffan-Colucci, Buffalo State photographer.