Thank You, President Durand
SUNY honors retiring President Bonita R. Durand, Ph.D., for her service to the university and state system
In recognition of her outstanding service to Buffalo State University and the State University of New York (SUNY) system, Bonita Durand, Ph.D., will complete her time on campus not as interim president, but as the tenth president of Buffalo State. This reappointment with a new title cements her legacy and ensures that her portrait will appear in Rockwell Hall alongside the other presidents in the university’s long history.
The honor was announced through a resolution that was approved during the morning session of the SUNY Board of Trustees meeting on April 28.
President Durand will officially retire at the end of June.
“The members of the Buffalo State University Council are thrilled with the decision of Chancellor King and the SUNY Board of Trustees to name Dr. Durand as the tenth president of Buffalo State University,” said Linda Dobmeier, chair of the SUNY Buffalo State University Council. “Dr. Durand has worked tirelessly to unite our campus as she navigated the challenges of our structural deficit. We are forever grateful to her for her loyalty and diligence on behalf of Buffalo State University. We are proud to call her our tenth president.”
“Dr. Durand has created a culture of care and love in the community because she is trusted by students and faculty,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. “There are really no words to express how grateful we are at SUNY to the leadership she's provided at Buffalo State.”
President Durand was appointed officer in charge of Buffalo State University by SUNY Chancellor King on May 31, 2023, before her official confirmation as interim president by the SUNY Board of Trustees on June 6, 2023.
President Durand had initially retired in 2018 after 22 years of service to Buffalo State, where she served as chief of staff and secretary to the Buffalo State College Council. She served under five presidents at Buffalo State during her tenure. In addition, she was a graduate faculty member in the university’s Higher Education Administration Department, where she taught courses on the history of American higher education and strategic planning and finance in higher education.
Dr. Durand provided leadership to countless committees and working groups at Buffalo State, and has been an active member of the Western New York community, dedicating her time to numerous organizations across the city and region.
Following the announcement, President Durand said: “Chancellor, thank you for this opportunity to serve the citizens of New York by providing access, opportunity and social mobility through Buffalo State University. To the Board of Trustees, our legislative leadership and, most importantly, my faculty and staff at Buffalo State—thank you for continuing to see the value, importance and worth of this fine institution. And to my amazing students. You came to us full of potential, promise, and possibility. And you leave us ready to make a good living, have a good life, and to be contributing citizens in the places where you live and work. I am so proud of each and every one of you. As I conclude my tenure of leadership, I am hopeful that work that I have led in the last three years has added to the integrity of Buffalo State and has placed it on a solid path for success under its next president.”
