The Daily Bulletin Archive

From the Officer-in-Charge
I am pleased to announce the reorganization of the Sponsored Programs Office (formerly known as the Research Foundation for SUNY at Buffalo State). A diagrammatic presentation of the Research and Sponsored Program Operations organizational structure is posted on the Finance and Management website.

Vice President for Finance and Management Michael F. LeVine has accepted the additional appointment of Research Foundation operations manager effective July 2. With ultimate responsibility for sponsored program activity on the campus, the operations manager reports to both the Buffalo State president and to the president of the Research Foundation and SUNY vice chancellor for research, Timothy Killeen.

The Sponsored Programs Office will be functionally separated into overarching pre-award and operational units that will reside in Academic Affairs and Finance and Management, respectively. While the Bishop Hall office and staff locations will not change, the reorganization will have the pre-award units reporting to an associate provost for research and economic development (Academic Affairs), while operational units will report to an associate vice president for sponsored program operations (Finance and Management). This structure aligns the various units with the core competencies of the unit they will report to, and establishes appropriate checks and balances over all of our sponsored program activities.

The associate provost for research and economic development, a position that will oversee the Sponsored Programs Office units of Pre-award and Contract Services; Project Development and Economic Advancement; and Research Evaluation, Planning, and Analysis is expected to be searched within the coming months. Many of the duties of this yet unfilled position will be assumed in the short term by two individuals: Mark W. Severson, special adviser to the provost for academic research initiatives and dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences, will continue in his current dual role. As special adviser, Severson provides leadership to advance institutional efforts in support of research, scholarship, and creativity. In addition, effective August 1, Susan McCartney, director of the Small Business Development Center, will be dually appointed to the role of special adviser to the provost for economic development. McCartney will lead Buffalo State economic development initiatives through collaboration with on- and off-campus entities.

On the operations side, we welcome Donna L. Scuto, who has been appointed to the position of associate vice president for sponsored program operations effective September 4. Reporting to the vice president for finance and management, Scuto will serve as deputy operations manager and oversee the Grants Administration; Research Compliance; Human Resources; Information Systems; Accounts Payable, Travel, Procurement; and Communication and Training units of the Sponsored Programs Office. Scuto comes to us from the University at Buffalo, where she most recently served as the assistant vice president for policy and internal control and deputy operations manager of the Research Foundation, and previously as assistant vice president for sponsored programs administration.

On behalf of Buffalo State, I convey my gratitude to the individuals who helped bridge the transition to this new leadership structure. With this realignment of vacant positions in our research leadership team, and with the support of the campus community, the reorganization and new appointments will lead to continued achievement and significant growth in the Sponsored Programs Office. This reorganization, with the exception of a permanent appointment in the associate provost for research and economic development position, will be fully implemented September 4, 2013.