Skip to main content
Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Home

From the President

Posted: Friday, December 8, 2017

VP Bair Announces Plan to Retire

Susanne P. Bair, vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the Buffalo State College Foundation, has informed me that she plans to retire on March 22, 2018, after more than 10 years of outstanding service to the college community.

Dr. Bair brought more than 20 years of development experience to Buffalo State when she was appointed as the college’s top fundraiser in November 2007. Since that time, she has elevated and greatly expanded Buffalo State’s philanthropic efforts. Most notably, she oversaw the successful completion of the college’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign—Transforming Lives: A Campaign for Buffalo State. Launched in 2011 with a goal to raise $20 million for the campus, the campaign successfully closed in June 2015 with more than $27.3 million raised, exceeding the original goal by more than $7 million. Campaign gifts included funding for 30 new endowed scholarships, eight non-endowed scholarships, an endowed faculty chair in Exceptional Education, two art conservation program fellowships, and the lead gift for the soon-to-be-completed Jacqueline Vito LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center at the corner of Rockwell Road and Grant Street.

The Buffalo State College Foundation experienced tremendous growth during Dr. Bair’s tenure, jumping from $26 million in total assets in 2007 to nearly $60 million today. During the 2016–2017 academic year, Dr. Bair and the Institutional Advancement team raised more than $6.7 million, marking the second-highest single-year fundraising total in the college’s history—a year highlighted by a $4 million gift from the Richard E. and Patricia H. Garman family to support the college’s distinguished Art Conservation Department. The family’s donation marked the largest ever one-time gift to Buffalo State.

Other projects guided by Dr. Bair included securing support to create the Community Academic Center, establishing the presidential portrait gallery in Rockwell Hall, launching “Orange Fridays,” and installing the Bengal statues in front of the Sports Arena and in the Student Union Plaza—the latter of which she supported with a personal donation to the project.

While Dr. Bair’s collaborative, thoughtful, and creative leadership will be missed on campus, we wish her an exciting and fulfilling retirement.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Bair for her wonderful service to Buffalo State.

I will announce interim leadership for Institutional Advancement in the coming days.

Loading