Four UB professors were named Distinguished Professors, the highest level a professor can attain within the SUNY system, by the SUNY Board of Trustees. Ten SUNY professors, including the four from UB, were awarded with the designation on Sept. 24.
Francis D. Fincham, director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology; Charles Bernstein, David Gray professor of poetry and letters and director of the English department's Poetics Program; Professor Susan Howe of English; and Dennis Tedlock, James H. McNulty professor in the Department of English were the recipients of the honor.
According to the SUNY Board of Trustees' Web site, professors are chosen for the honor based on "a record of consistently superior performance in teaching skills; scholarship and professional growth; student services; and academic standards, requirements and evaluation of student performance."
The Distinguished Professors honor is "a faculty designation for the elite among the system's professors," according to the Web site.
Fincham said he knew he was in consideration for the title, but the process takes three years to be completed.
"I was surprised by this - I had to read the press release a couple of times before it sank in," Fincham said.
"I feel very fortunate. There are many talented colleagues at UB who are equally deserving of this honor," he said. "This is a SUNY-wide competition - these designations show how well UB is doing in the context of the SUNY system."
Paul Luce, chairperson of the psychology department, stated that Fincham's status as a distinguished professor "is a great honor for both Professor Fincham and the department" and that psychology faculty "are all proud to count Frank among our colleagues."
"Frank is one of the most prolific and internationally prominent scientists that I know," Luce stated in an e-mail. "He is, without a doubt, a recognized leader in his field. His promotion to SUNY Distinguished Professor is unquestionably deserved."
The three English professors - Bernstein, Howe and Tedlock - attributed their distinction in part to their work with the department's poetics program.
"I'm a poet, first and foremost, but I believe both my work in poetics and my critical essays contributed to my appointment," said Howe.
Bernstein said that the honor bestowed upon the three English professors would help attract scholars to UB's Poetics Program.
"This recognition shows UB's support of research and creative activities," Bernstein said. "Programs like (poetics) make the campus a more attractive place for researchers, artists and any student."
According to Joseph Conte, chairman of the English department, two previous department chairs - Mark Shechner and Barbara Bono - began the nomination process for the English faculty.
"It's a very involved process that requires many letters of support and testimonial," Conte stated via e-mail. "The English department has been waiting for more than two years to have the great achievements of the faculty in the Poetics Program recognized by SUNY in the form of promotions to distinguished professor, the highest professorial rank in the SUNY system."
Tedlock, along with Bernstein and Howe, was involved in the founding of the Poetics Program. He said that their appointments to the program are a reflection of the quality of the Poetics program.
"The program is run by the resources provided by the endowed chairs, pooled together," said Tedlock, who also attributed his recognition to his work in anthropological research. "These appointments bring publicity and recognition to the English department."
"I'm equally delighted at having three of our stellar English department colleagues named to this rank," said Bono. "In Susan's case, it's a particular pleasure to note that her time has come."
