Jennifer L. Burris has been named the next president of Buffalo State University within the State University of New York System. Her presidency will begin on July 1.
Buffalo State University enrolls over 5,200 undergraduate students and roughly 900 graduate students, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s most recent data. Women represent 56 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Dr. Burris comes to her new role from Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, where she has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs for the past four years. A full professor of physics, Dr. Burris previously held several leadership positions with Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, including chair of the physics department, chair of the Council of Chairs, graduate program director for the master’s degree in engineering physics, and associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. Earlier in her career, she taught at Colorado State University and Aims Community College in Greeley, Colorado.
“I was drawn to this position because of Buffalo State’s place as SUNY’s urban-engaged anchor institution, a powerhouse for social mobility that creates life-changing opportunities for first-generation and transfer students,” said Dr. Burris “I want to thank [current Buffalo State University] President Bonita Durand for her dedicated stewardship; I am proud to build upon the foundation she and the faculty and staff have strengthened. My first priority is to listen to our students, our faculty, our staff, and the Western New York community, as we write the next chapter of Buffalo State’s storied history together.”
Dr. Burris is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in applied science with a concentration in physics. She holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in physics from Colorado State University.