The State University of New York Buffalo State University (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State University, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. It is part of the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

(SUNY) system. Buffalo State University was founded in 1871 as the Buffalo Normal School to train teachers. It offers 79 undergraduate majors with 11 honors options, 11 post baccalaureate teacher certification programs, and 64 graduate programs.

History

Buffalo State was founded in 1871 as the before becoming the (1888–1927), the (1928–1946), the (1946–1950), (1950–1951), the (1951–1959), the (1960–1961), (1961), and in 2023. Eighty-six students attended the Buffalo Normal School on the first day of classes on September 13, 1871. The school's purpose was to provide a uniform training program for teachers to serve Buffalo's fast-growing public school population. Curricular offerings now include more than 250 undergraduate and graduate programs. The WWII years were another time of growth for the college; in 1944, the now renowned Special Education program was founded and in 1948, the first dormitory building was erected where the present-day Moot Hall is located. In 1961, Buffalo State was the first institution in the SUNY system to offer a study-abroad program, a semester-long immersion program in Siena, Italy. International study programs now include international exchange and study-abroad programs in Australia, Canada, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, and Spain. In 1964, the Buffalo State University

Planetarium A planetarium (: planetariums or planetaria) is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetariums is ...

opened its doors with a 24-foot dome, and Dr. James Orgren became the facility's director in 1966. On November 17, 1978, a fire destroyed the facility, but the community's generosity allowed it to reopen on April 18, 1980. In April 1982, it was renamed the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium in honor of its greatest benefactor. In 1984, Dr. Orgren hired Mr. Arthur Gielow as his successor. Mr. Gielow died in 2010, and after a brief remodeling, the planetarium reopened in 2011 under the direction of Dr. Kevin Williams. In January 2013, the planetarium hosted a closing ceremony that highlighted its 48-year history. Through 2010–2012, staff members Tim Collins, Stephen Dubois and Terry Farrell created several programs. In 2015, a generous donation allowed the planetarium to reopen with a temporary 20-foot inflatable fulldome system. The new 35-foot dome facility is now open in the Science And Math Complex building.

Campus

Elmwood entrance BuffaloStateOverhead

Buffalo State has 29 buildings including student centers, academic buildings, athletics buildings, office buildings, and residence halls. Buffalo State is undergoing a $350 million campus-wide improvement project. In 2011, a $45 million Student Apartment Complex opened on the west side of campus. It is Buffalo State's largest addition to campus student housing since the early 1970s.

Academics

Buffalo State has 79 undergraduate majors with 11 honors options and 64 opportunities for graduate study, including 11 teacher certification programs. Fifty-one faculty members have been awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, and seven have been honored as SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professors. More than 80 percent of all classes at Buffalo State have fewer than 40 students. Classes for undergraduate majors usually have between 12 and 15 students. As of 2016, 49 Buffalo State faculty members have been awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Schools

Buffalo State is composed of three schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, and the School of the Professions.

Programs and centers

Programs available at Buffalo State that are not offered at any other SUNY institution include

adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained educating activities in order to gain new knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralph G. ''The Pr ...

applied economics Applied economics is the application of economic theory and econometrics in specific settings. As one of the two sets of fields of economics (the other set being the ''core''), it is typically characterized by the application of the ''core'', i.e ...

art conservation conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage), including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include preve ...

communication design Communication design is a mixed discipline between design and information-development concerned with how media communicate with people. A communication design approach is concerned with developing the message and aesthetics in media. It also crea ...

creativity Creativity is the ability to form novel and valuable Idea, ideas or works using one's imagination. Products of creativity may be intangible (e.g. an idea, scientific theory, Literature, literary work, musical composition, or joke), or a physica ...

, fashion and textile technology, fiber design,

forensic chemistry Forensic chemistry is the application of chemistry and its subfield, forensic toxicology, in a legal setting. A forensic chemist can assist in the identification of unknown materials found at a crime scene. Specialists in this field have a wid ...

, metal/jewelry design, higher education administration,

urban and regional planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

, and wood/furniture design. Buffalo State was the first school in the world to grant a master of science in creativity. The university also now offers an undergraduate minor in Creative Studies. Both programs are offered through the International Center for Studies in Creativity, which is housed on campus. Buffalo State has 12 centers promoting growth and excellence. Others include: * Center for Development of Human Services (CDHS). Strengthening human services through training, organizational, and technical assistance; technology; and evaluation, this center offers a comprehensive menu of management, supervisory, and worker-training programs that enable students to learn to more effectively serve their future clients. * Center for Health and Social Research. Working as an integral component of Buffalo State to provide collaboration between students, faculty, and staff in intellectual development, this center works to investigate basic and applied research topics that are among the most pressing in today's society. * Great Lakes Center. This center actively conducts collaborative research with other institutions and agencies in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The research focuses primarily on lakes Erie and Ontario and their tributaries, although national and international projects are also a priority. Research topics include aquatic

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

and conservation of freshwater mollusks, nutrient stoichiometry and lake budgets,

population ecology Population ecology is a sub-field of ecology that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment (biophysical), environment, such as birth rate, birth and death rates, and by immigration an ...

water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

, and

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

chemistry and

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

Rankings

Buffalo State was ranked 31 in the category Top Public Schools Regional Universities (North) by ''U.S. News & World Report''s "Best Colleges 2012." When all public and private institutions are included, Buffalo State is ranked 110 in the Top Regional Universities (North) Tier 1, as of 2016. In the same report in 2012, it ranked 73rd nationally for graduate schools in speech-language pathology. Ranking Web of Universities ranks Buffalo State 4 out of 100 top universities in the Northern Region of the United States and 1,000 out of the top 12,000 in the world. International Colleges & Universities ranks Buffalo State as the 17th best university in New York State out of 145.

Student life

Demographics

There are 8,082 undergraduates and 1,036 graduate students enrolled. The undergraduate population (Fall 2018) was 43 percent male and 57 percent female. The overall admission rate of new students (2016) was 62 percent.

United Students Government

United Students Government (USG) represents the student body in campus governance and helps administrate student activities and organizations. USG provides activities, services, and student representation at Buffalo State. USG is headed by an executive branch of students elected each year along with a judicial branch and senate elected at the same time. USG manages and disperses money provided by the mandatory student activity fee to the many organizations and clubs on campus.

Athletics

Buffalo State's sports teams are known as the Bengals. Buffalo State competes in 16 varsity sports within

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

Club sports

Buffalo State also has four club sports funded by the United Students Government (USG): men's club hockey,

co-ed Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

, men's

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

, and women's rugby.

Greek life

Buffalo State has an Inter-Greek Association to support the operation of fraternities and sororities on campus. There are 14 fraternities and sororities recognized at Buffalo State.

Media

*BSC-TV Channel 3 *

WBNY WBNY is a student-run radio station licensed to Buffalo State University in Buffalo, New York. The station, which was started in 1982, broadcasts on 91.3 FM. The station maintains its studios at Campbell Student Union 220, with transmitter f ...

-FM 91.3 (

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

), student-run radio station *''The Record,'' the student-run newspaper, was published every Wednesday. It ceased being a print publication in 2016 and became online only starting in 2017. *''The Lens'', an art, culture, and literary magazine *''1300 Elmwood'', magazine for

alumni Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

and friends, published biannually

Art

The campus's

Burchfield Penney Art Center The Burchfield Penney Art Center, or just the Burchfield Penney, is an arts and educational institution part of Buffalo State University, located adjacent to the main campus in Buffalo, New York, United States. Dedicated to the art and visi ...

, founded in 1966, moved to its new $33 million facility in 2008. The Burchfield Penney features the work of Western New York artists and houses one of the world's largest collections of work by watercolorist

Charles E. Burchfield Charles Ephraim Burchfield (April 9, 1893 – January 10, 1967) was an American Painting, painter and visionary artist, known for his passionate watercolors of nature scenes and townscapes. The largest collection of Burchfield's paintings, archiv ...

(1893–1967). The historic

Buffalo AKG Art Museum The Buffalo AKG Art Museum, formerly known as the Albright–Knox Art Gallery, is an art museum located adjacent to Delaware Park-Front Park System, Delaware Park, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, New York, United States. The museum shows modern art a ...

, which showcases modern and contemporary art, is located across the street from the campus. Students can purchase discount passes in the Student Union. There are also a number of other art galleries nearby.

Notable people

Buffalo State has 100,000 alumni living in 119 countries throughout the world. Ninety-seven percent live in the United States, and 71 percent live in New York State. The five most popular majors among alumni were elementary education (15,538), art education (4,249), exceptional education (4,180), business studies (3,979), and criminal justice (3,911). * Susan Bies, former member of the Federal Reserve Board *

Byron Brown Byron William Brown II (born September 24, 1958) is an American politician who served as the 62nd mayor of Buffalo, New York from 2006 until his resignation in 2024. He was the city's first African-American mayor and the longest-serving mayo ...

, former mayor of the City of

* Patrick B. Burke, member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

* Tom Clark, Commissioner of the

Professional Bowlers Association The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and currently owned by the Lucky Strike Entertainment Corpor ...

(PBA) *

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

, 22nd and 24th president of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

; member of the first board of directors of the Buffalo Normal School (1870); namesake of Cleveland Hall, the university's administration building *

William Conrad III William C Conrad III is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 140th district. Elected in November 2020, he assumed office on January 6, 2021. Early life and education Conrad is a nati ...

, member of the

* Francine DelMonte, former member of the

* Beverly Eckert, member of 9/11 Family Steering Committee and co-chair of "Voices of September 11th"; died on

Colgan Air Flight 3407 Colgan Air Flight 3407 was a scheduled passenger flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo, New York, on February 12, 2009. Approaching Buffalo, the aircraft, a Bombardier Q400, entered an aerodynamic stall from which it did not recover and ...

Diane English Diane English (born May 18, 1948) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. She is best known for creating the television show ''Murphy Brown'' which won multiple awards, including 18 Primetime Emmy Awards from 62 nominations. She also ...

, writer, screenwriter, film director *

Tom Fontana Tom Fontana (born September 12, 1951) is an American screenwriter, writer, and television producer. Fontana worked on NBC's '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' and created HBO's ''Oz.'' Early life and education Fontana was born on the west si ...

, Emmy Award-winning writer and producer *

David Franczyk David A. "Dave" Franczyk is a councilmember of the Buffalo Common Council, which is the representative legislative branch of the government of Buffalo, New York. He is also a former Liberal Party and Democratic Party nominee for the United Sta ...

, member of the

Buffalo Common Council The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the city of Buffalo, New York government. It is a representative assembly, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, North ...

* Daniel Garcia, professional wrestler *

Bobby Gonzalez Robert P. Gonzalez (born March 18, 1963) is a basketball head coach. Gonzalez was previously scout for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association, head coach at Manhattan College and Seton Hall University. He is well known for le ...

, former head coach of the men's basketball program at

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

Adelaide S. Hall Adelaide S. Hall (, Wade; 1857-1924) was an American art connoisseur, curator, promoter and critic, as well as a park supporter. She took an active part in Chicago and nationally in the promotion of art, especially in parks and public places. Hall ...

(1857-1924), art connoisseur, curator, promoter and critic *

Mickey Harmon Michael Thoren Harmon (May 13, 1984 – March 4, 2025) was an American visual artist, graphic designer and queer activist. He was a prominent fixture of the Allentown, Buffalo, Allentown district of Buffalo, New York, living and working within th ...

, artist and activist *

Brian Higgins Brian Michael Higgins (born October 6, 1959) is an American former politician who was the U.S. representative for , from 2005 until 2024. The district, numbered as the 27th district from 2005 to 2013 and as the 26th from 2013 to 2024, included ...

, member of the U.S. House of Representatives * Muriel A. Howard, president of the

American Association of State Colleges and Universities The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is an organization of state-supported colleges and universities that offer degree programs leading to bachelor's, master's or doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning ...

, former president of Buffalo State University, and a former vice president of the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

.About us: President's bio: Muriel A. Howard, Ph.D.
, ''AASCU – American Association of Colleges and Universities'', Washington, DC, 2013, Retrieved December 12, 2013.Vice president at UB will head Buffalo State
''Buffalo News'', Buffalo, NY: Berkshire Hathaway, December 12, 1995, Brady, K., Retrieved December 21, 2013., ''Living Prime Time'', December 2000, Binder, J., Retrieved January 13, 2014. *

Sam Hoyt William Ballard "Sam" Hoyt III (born January 9, 1962) is an American politician from New York (state), New York. A Democrat, Hoyt is an economic development professional and was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1992 to 2011. He repr ...

Empire State Development Empire State Development (ESD) is the umbrella organization for New York's two principal economic development public-benefit corporations, the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the New York Job Development Authority (JDA). ...

regional president; former disgraced member of the New York State Assembly * Sylvia Hyman (B.A. art education, 1938), ceramic artist *

Carolyn Lamm Carolyn Beth Lamm (born August 22, 1948 in Buffalo, New York) is an American lawyer and a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of White & Case. She was president of the American Bar Association from 2009 to 2010, and she currently sits on the ...

, partner, White & Case LLP; former president, American Bar Association *

Robert Longo Robert Longo (born January 7, 1953) is an American artist, filmmaker, photographer and musician. Longo became first well known in the 1980s for his ''Men in the Cities'' drawing and print series, which depict sharply dressed men and women writ ...

, painter and sculptor *

Gary McNamara ''Red Eye Radio'' is a talk radio program currently hosted by Eric Harley and Gary McNamara. The program is syndicated nationwide by Westwood One, and originates from WBAP in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The show traces its history throug ...

former talk host at WGR and WBEN; nationally syndicated talk host, ''

Red Eye Radio ''Red Eye Radio'' is a talk radio program currently hosted by Eric Harley and Gary McNamara. The program is syndicated nationwide by Westwood One, and originates from WBAP in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The show traces its history throug ...

'', Cumulus Media Networks * Kevin O'Connell, broadcaster, Channel 2 News, Buffalo *

Sid Parnes Sidney J. Parnes (January 5, 1922 – August 19, 2013) was an American academic who was professor at Buffalo State University (located in Buffalo, New York) and the co-founder of the International Center for Studies in Creativity. The center is h ...

, professor, co-founder International Center for Studies in Creativity * Crystal Davis Peoples-Stokes, New York State assemblywoman, 141st District *

Ralph Raico Ralph Raico (; October 23, 1936 – December 13, 2016) was an American libertarian historian of European liberalism, and a professor of history at Buffalo State College.Austrian School The Austrian school is a Heterodox economics, heterodox Schools of economic thought, school of economic thought that advocates strict adherence to methodological individualism, the concept that social phenomena result primarily from the motivat ...

economist *

John Rzeznik John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik (; born December 5, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the guitarist and frontman of the rock band Goo Goo Dolls, with whom he has recorded several chart-topping hits, ...

, lead singer and guitarist of Buffalo-native rock band

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band based in Buffalo, New York, composed of lead vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik, bassist and vocalist Robby Takac, as well as several rotating members since its formation in 1986. After starting ...

; attended one year *

Abdi Salim Abdi Muya Salim (born 1 April 2001) is a Somali professional footballer who plays as a defender the Somalia national team and most recently club football for Major League Soccer side Orlando City. Early years Born a refugee in Nairobi, Kenya, ...

, professional soccer player * Christopher Scanlon, current mayor of the City of

* Tom Shannon, disk jockey at WKBW *

Cindy Sherman Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough work is often co ...

, photographer, film director and MacArthur Genius recipient *

George Starbuck George Edwin Starbuck (June 15, 1931 in Columbus, Ohio – August 15, 1996 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) was an American poet of the neo-formalist school. Life Starbuck studied at Chadwick School, the California Institute of Technology, the Universi ...

, poet, educator * Randy Smith, former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player and casino executive host * Robert E. Wright, Nef Family Chair of Political Economy at

Augustana College (South Dakota) Augustana University is a private Lutheran university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The university identifies 1860 as the year of its founding, the same as its Rock Island, Illinois, Swedish-heritage sister school, Augustana College. It derive ...

Gallery

File:Rockwell Hall at Buffalo State University.jpg, Rockwell Hall Image: Buffalo state towers.JPG, The Towers Image: Campbell student union buffalo state.JPG, Campbell Student Union Image: Bulger communication center.JPG, Bulger Communication Center Image: BSCUnionQuad.jpg, Student Union Quad

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{authority control Universities and colleges established in 1871 State University of New York university colleges Universities and colleges in Erie County, New York 1871 establishments in New York (state) Public universities and colleges in New York (state)