The leader of a university in Missouri has been picked as the next president of Buffalo

State College.

Aaron M. Podolefsky, president of the University of Central Missouri, will be recommended

for Buffalo State&#8217s top post by Nancy L. Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of

New York.

He was one of three finalists for the job and would start July 1 if his appointment is

approved Tuesday by the SUNY board of trustees.

Podolefsky, 63, would earn an annual salary of $225,000. He also would be provided a

college-owned home on Lincoln Parkway and use of a campus-leased vehicle, SUNY officials said.

The announcement is planned for today.

&#8220Dr. Podolefsky will be a tremendous asset to Buffalo State College, Western New York

and the SUNY system,&#8221 Zimpher said.

Podolefsky was provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of

Northern Iowa for seven years before being appointed in 2005 as the 14th president of Central

Missouri, a school with 11,200 students and 450 faculty.

One of his charges was to boost the academic profile of Central Missouri, and Podolefsky

feels he accomplished that.

&#8220I think the main thing people liked was his very strong emphasis on academics,&#8221

said Davie Davis, who heads the Faculty Senate at Central Missouri. &#8220Our institution is

much more academically prestigious than when he came here five years ago. We have a better

retention rate, graduation rate, a better freshman class.

&#8220Buffalo State will be very happy with him,&#8221 Davis said.

His separation from Central Missouri, however, created a bit of a stir on campus.

Despite a faculty petition to retain Podolefsky and a glowing letter of recommendation from

the state&#8217s higher-education commissioner, Central Missouri&#8217s board of governors

decided, in a 4-3 vote, not to renew his contract, which expires in June. The board publicly

offered no explanation but praised his contributions.

&#8220Boards change, and new members want to go in a different direction,&#8221 Podolefsky

said during a phone interview Wednesday. &#8220But I was very much affirmed by the response on

campus from the faculty. That made me feel good about my five years.&#8221

Podolefsky has been mentioned as a presidential candidate at a number of colleges,

including Central Washington State, the University of Central Arkansas and Youngstown State

University, before he eventually landed the job at Buffalo State.

Podolefsky was one of three recommended to Zimpher by a Buffalo State committee appointed

to search for a successor to longtime President Muriel A. Howard.

The committee liked Podolefsky&#8217s experience as a college president at a public

university, said Howard Zemsky, who headed the search committee.

&#8220He best reflected and embraced the values of Buffalo State College,&#8221 Zemsky

said.

&#8220He also has other very attractive qualities,&#8221 Zemsky said. &#8220He&#8217s very

personable, very engaging. I think he&#8217ll be an effective communicator.&#8221

Podolefsky comes aboard during interesting times for Buffalo State, a school of almost

12,000 students.

On one hand, more than $350 million in construction is planned for the campus over the next

five years.

On the other hand, New York&#8217s public higher-education system has seen state operating

aid diminish by hundreds of millions of dollars the past couple years amid tough economic

times.

&#8220Everyone is having difficulty,&#8221 Podolefsky said. &#8220I&#8217ve been through it

before while in Iowa, and we faced it in Missouri this year. I think the best thing to do is

put your creative-thinking caps on, don&#8217t panic and take it one step at a time.&#8221

As a president, he considers himself a &#8220consensus builder.&#8221

&#8220I tend to be creative,&#8220 Podolefsky said. &#8220I tend to want to find new

directions and hopefully make small changes that have large impacts.&#8221

Podolefsky earned a bachelor&#8217s degree in mathematics from San Jose State University.

Raised in New York City, he received master&#8217s degrees in liberal studies and anthropology

from Stony Brook University, where he also earned a doctorate in anthropology.

He was a professor of anthropology at West Virginia University and Western Kentucky

University.