List of University at Buffalo people
This is a list of people connected to University at Buffalo.
Notable faculty
This list includes both present and former faculty members.
| Name | Known for | Relationship to University at Buffalo |
|---|---|---|
| John Barth | American author known for postmodern style and winner of the National Book Award | Former Professor (1965–1973) |
| Isaac Ehrlich | Academic economist and researcher, founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Human Capital | Current Chair of the economics department |
| Ronald H. Coase | Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics (1991) | Former Professor (1951–1958) |
| Roswell Park | Founder of Roswell Park Cancer Institute | Former Professor of Surgery |
| J.M. Coetzee | South African author and Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (2003) | Former Professor (1968–1971) |
| Danny White | Current Director of Athletics of the Buffalo Bulls | |
| Warde Manuel | Current Director of Athletics of the Connecticut Huskies | Former AD (2006-2012) |
| Robert Creeley | Poet | Winner of the Bollingen Prize for Poetry |
| Sir John Carew Eccles | Australian winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine (1963) for discoveries concerning the ionic mechanisms involved in excitation and inhibition in the peripheral and central portions of the nerve cell membrane (synapse). | Distinguished Professor of Physiology and Biophysics (1968–1975) |
| Carl Dennis | Poet & winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry | Current Professor |
| Irving Feldman | Poet & MacArthur Foundation Fellow | Former Professor (1962-2004) |
| Michel Foucault | Historian and philosopher | Visiting Professor (early 1970s) |
| René Girard | historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science | Distinguished Professor (1971–1976) |
| Herbert A. Hauptman | Winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1985) | Research Professor of Biophysical Sciences, Director of the Medical Foundation of Buffalo |
| Charles Haynie | Longtime faculty member in the Interdisciplinary Degree Programs. | An award is granted in his name after his death at age 65 in 2001. |
| Stephen McKinley Henderson | Tony Award nominated stage and screen actor. Recognized as a veteran performer of playwright August Wilson's ouvre. | Professor and former chair in the Department of Theater and Dance. |
| Robert L. Ketter | Professor | first chairman of the Civil Engineering Department, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and President of the University from 1970 through 1981. |
| Paul Kurtz | Founder and chairman of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, formerly the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), the Council for Secular Humanism, the Center for Inquiry and Prometheus Books. | Professor Emeritus of Philosophy |
| Charles Mingus | American jazz bassist, composer, bandleader and pianist. | Slee Professor of Music (1971) |
| Emanuel Parzen | Statistician, pioneered the use of kernel density estimation (Parzen window) | Former Professor (1970–1978). |
| Jayant Patel | Nicknamed "Dr. Death" by the Australian media | Former Assistant Professor of Surgery in the 1980s |
| David Riesman | Law scholar and sociologist | Visiting Professor (1937–1941) |
| Albert R. Shadle | Professor | Chairman of Biology Department (1919–1953) and Professor of Biology |
| Bill Siemering | Manager, University-sponsored radio station WBFO | Founding Program Director, National Public Radio and recipient, MacArthur Foundation genius grant in 1993. |
| Leo Smit | Composer of contemporary classical music | Former professor |
| Craig Venter | American geneticist, founder Celera Genomics and the J. Craig Venter Institute, Time magazine's 2007 and 2008 Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world | Former Professor |
| Ernst Witebsky | Former Professor and Department Chair of Bacteriology and Immunology (1941–1967), and Director of the Center for Immunology (1967 until his death in 1969). | |
| Ta-You Wu | Chinese physicist known as "Father of Chinese Physics" and President of Academia Sinica (1983–1994) | Former Professor and Department Chair of Physics (1968–1983) |
| Stephen Schanuel | Mathematician known for discovering "Schanuel's lemma" | Current Professor of Mathematics |
| Ewa Ziarek | Current Julian Park Professor of Comparative Literature |
Notable alumni
| Name | Known for | Relationship to University at Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erich Bloch | Director of National Science Foundation from 1984 to 1990 and recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation | BS in electrical engineering | |
| Wilson Greatbach | Recipient of the Lemelson–MIT Prize and National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 1990 | MS in 1957 | |
| Norman McCombs | Recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2013 | BS in 1968 | |
| Jonathan Akpoborie | Nigerian Soccer Player | ||
| John Alm | Former CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises | ||
| Steve Geltz | MLB Pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays | BA in 2008 | |
| Ellen Shulman Baker | Astronaut on the Space Shuttle Atlantis and NASA medical officer | BA in Geology, 1974[1] | |
| Turner Battle | Basketball player who led the Bulls to their first NIT and current coach | BA in 2006 | |
| Jay Beckenstein | Saxophone player and co-founder of Spyro Gyra | BA in music, 1973 | |
| Wolf Blitzer | Award-winning journalist for CNN | BA in history, 1970[2] | |
| Mitchell Watt | Player for Hapoel Gilboa Galil of the Israeli Basketball Super League | BA in 2012 and former basketball player | |
| Branden Oliver | Current star running back of the Buffalo Bulls | ||
| Tom Murphy | American professional baseball player for a minor league affiliate of the Colorado Rockies organization | BA in 2012 and former baseball player | |
| Joe Hesketh | former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1984 through 1994 | BA in 1980 and former baseball player | |
| Alan Brownstein | Former CEO of the American Cancer Society | ||
| Keith Buckley | Vocalist, lyricist and founding member of Buffalo-based hardcore band Every Time I Die and metal supergroup The Damned Things. | BA in English | |
| Taylor Caldwell | Anglo-American novelist | BA in English, 1931 | |
| Maury Chaykin | Actor | BFA in theatre, 1972[3] | |
| Bram Cohen | Creator of the widely popular BitTorrent peer-to-peer client | ||
| Angelo F. Coniglio | Civil Engineer, educator, genealogist and author | BSCE 1961, MSCE 1971 | |
| Sam Craven | English Soccer Player | ||
| Michael Cross | Director of Athletics Bradley University | BS '91, MA '93 | |
| Rob Derhak | Bassist, lyricist and founding member of Buffalo-based jam-band moe. | ||
| Ronnie James Dio | American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter; Lead singer of Rainbow from 1975-1979, lead singer and creator of Dio and lead singer of Black Sabbath from 1979-1982 | ||
| Millard S. Drexler | CEO of J. Crew | ||
| Ira Flatow | Science journalist, original host of the Emmy-winning Newton's Apple and current host of NPR's Science Friday | ||
| Chuck Garvey | Guitarist, lyricist and founding member of the Buffalo-based jam-band moe. | ||
| Wilson Greatbatch | Developer of improved versions of the cardiac pacemaker | ||
| Brad Grey | American television and film producer, CEO of Paramount | ||
| Max Grodénchik | American television and film actor | ||
| Terry Gross | Peabody Award-winning host of the radio interview program Fresh Air | ||
| Orvan Hess | Medical Doctor noted for early use of Penicillin and developing the Cardiotocograph | ||
| John Hewitt | Co-founder of Jackson Hewitt and founder of Liberty Tax Service | ||
| Richard Hofstadter | Pulitzer Prize-winning historian; author of such landmark works as Anti-intellectualism in American Life and The Age of Reform. | ||
| Mark Huddleston | President of the University of New Hampshire | ||
| Jeremy Jacobs | CEO of Delaware North Companies and owner of the Boston Bruins | B.A. in Business Administration | |
| Gregory Jarvis | Astronaut on the Space Shuttle Challenger | Namesake of Jarvis Hall | |
| Chris Kanyon | American professional wrestler In World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Entertainment | Bachelor's degree in physical therapy | |
| Howard Kurtz | Media reporter and columnist at the Washington Post | BA in psychology/English 1974 | |
| Robin Yanhong Li | Founder, Chairman and CEO of Baidu.com, the most popular search engine in China. | M.S. Computer Science | |
| Robert Lieberman | Director of Fire in the Sky and Table for Five | ||
| Steve Liesman | CNBC Senior Economics Reporter, Emmy Winning Journalist, and 1999 Pulitzer Prize winner | ||
| Donald R. Miller | New York State Assemblyman, represents the 121st district | ||
| Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed | Prime Minister of Somalia | B.A. History, 1993; M.A. American Studies, 2009 | |
| Vice Admiral Robert B. Murrett | Director National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) | BA in History, 1975 | |
| Matvey Natanzon | The best backgammon player in the world | BA in Accounting, 1991 | |
| Willie Nile | Singer/Songwriter - aka: Robert Noonan | BA in Philosophy, 1971 | |
| Dominic Oppong | Canadian Soccer Player | ||
| Gerry Philbin | Member of the 1968 World Champion New York Jets | ||
| Jeanine Pirro | Westchester County, New York District Attorney | ||
| Maynard Jack Ramsay | entomologist | ||
| Abbe Raven | CEO and President of A&E Television Networks, founder of The History Channel | BA in History, 1974[4] | |
| Robert E. Rich, Sr. | Founder of Rich Products Corporation | ||
| Jamey Richard | Center for the Indianapolis Colts | Football team, 2004-2007. | |
| Christopher Scolese | Chief Engineer of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | BS 1974[5] | |
| Trevor Scott | Defensive end for the Oakland Raiders | Football team, 2004-2007. | |
| Parry Shen | A Chinese American actor | ||
| Ron Silver | Actor | ||
| Murat Soygeniş | Architect and Professor, Dean - YTU School of Architecture | M. Arch. in 1985 | |
| Sema Soygeniş | Architect and Professor, A. Dean - BAU School of Architecture | M. Arch. in 1986 | |
| Ellen Spiro | documentary filmmaker | ||
| James Starks | Running Back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League | ||
| John Stofa | Miami Dolphins (AFL, NFL) quarterback, first expansion draft selection of the Cincinnati Bengals (AFL) | ||
| Tom Toles | Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post | ||
| John Walsh | Host of America's Most Wanted | 1965[6] | |
| Harvey Weinstein | Miramax Films founder and executive | B.A.[7] | |
| Dave Weldon | Republican member of the United States House of Representatives | M.D. | |
| Michael A. Battle | Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys | J.D. in 1984 | |
| Henry J. Nowak | Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives | J.D. in 1961 | |
| Harry Bronson | New York State Assemblyman | ||
| Julio M. Fuentes | Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit | J.D. in 1975 | |
| Paul L. Friedman | Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit | J.D. in 1968 | |
| Nicole Lee | Executive Director of TransAfrica | ||
| Denise O'Donnell | Former United States Attorney for the Western District of New York | ||
| Hugh B. Scott | Magistrate Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of New York | ||
| Virginia A. Seitz | Prominent attorney | ||
| Michael A. Telesca | Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of New York | ||
| Dennis Vacco | New York State Attorney General (1994-1998) | ||
| Dale Volker | New York State Senator | ||
| Raymond Walter | New York State Assemblyman | ||
| Jeffrey White | Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of New York | ||
| Jeffrey Wigand | First tobacco industry executive to become a major whistle-blower against the industry; subject of the feature film The Insider (1999), starring Russell Crowe | B.A. Chemistry, M.A. Biochemistry, Ph.D. Biochemistry | |
| Robert E. Wright | Nef Family Chair of Political Economy at Augustana College (South Dakota) | M.A., History, Ph.D. History | |
| Ji Zhou | Minister of Education for the People's Republic of China | ||
| Gregg S. Fisher | Founder of Gerstein Fisher | B.S. in Finance | |
| Alan Zweibel | Comedy writer, multiple Emmy Award winner, and one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live | ||
| Bil Zelman | Photographer and Director | BFA '96 | |
| Mahendra Prasad Chaubey | Author and teacher of physics and mathematics at Dawson College in Montreal | Ph.D. Theoretical Physics | |
| Elizabeth Willis | Poet, Literary Critic, and Guggenheim Fellow | ||
| Charles Baxter | American author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry | ||
| Donald Revell | American poet, essayist, translator, Guggenheim Fellow, and 2004 Lenore Marshall Award winner | ||
| Anthony Petrosky | American Poet and 1982 Walt Whitman Award winner | ||
| Morton Feldman | American Composer and Edgard Varèse Professor of Music | ||
| Greg D'Alba | President of CNN News Networks | BA '81 | |
| Laurent Lévy | Co-Founder and CEO of Nanobiotix | Postdoctoral Fellow at Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, UB | |
| Chaturon Chaisang | Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand | BA in Economics | |
| Jack Quinn (politician) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and current President of Erie Community College | EdM '78 | |
| James Foley | American Film Director, Director of House of Cards | B.A. in Psychology '74 | |
| Jack Davis (industrialist) | American industrialist and politician | B.S. '55 in Industrial engineering | |
| Anthony H. Gioia | Former United States Ambassador to Malta | B.A. | |
| Michael Ranzenhofer | Member of the New York State Senate | J.D. '79 |
Chancellors and presidents
From its inception until 1962, the private school was known as the University of Buffalo, and it was headed by a chancellor. Since it became the public State University of New York at Buffalo, it has been called the University at Buffalo, and the CEO is its president.[8]
- Millard Fillmore, 1846–1874, who was also the 13th President of the United States.
- Orsamus H. Marshall, 1882–1884
- E. Carleton Sprague, 1885–1895
- James O. Putnam, 1895–1902
- Wilson S. Bissell, 1902–1903
- Charles Phelps Norton, 1905–1920
- Samuel P. Capen, 1922–1950
- T. R. McConnell, 1950–1954
- Clifford C. Furnas, 1954–1966
- Claude E. Puffer (acting), 1955–1957
- Martin Meyerson, 1966–1970
- Robert L. Ketter, 1970–1982
- Steven Sample, 1982–1991
- Bill Greiner, 1991–2004
- John B. Simpson, 2004–2011
- Satish K. Tripathi, 2011–present
See also
References
External links
- University at Buffalo – Official website
- Books by UB alumni