SUNY Buffalo State is realigning its oversight of the Burchfield Penney Art Center, returning it to the office of Academic Affairs under the leadership of provost Melanie Perrault.
The center was founded in 1966 and reported to Academic Affairs until 2005, when oversight was transferred to the vice president for finance and management due to the need to plan for and raise funds for the new facility. Its freestanding, $33 million facility opened in 2008.
After the departure of Buffalo State's finance and management VP in 2011, supervision of the Burchfield Penney was transferred to the office of Student Affairs under vice president Hal Payne, due to his "strong commitment and experience with art, both statewide and regionally," according to a college spokesman. Payne retired in December 2016 and college president Katherine Conway-Turner announced the latest realignment today.
"Returning the Burchfield Penney to Academic Affairs is a natural decision and allows the center to continue to work closely with our extensive art, museum studies, and art conservation programs, while fostering new partnerships," the spokesman said.
Other Buffalo State centers that already report to academic affairs include the Great Lakes Center, Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education, Community Academic Center, International Center for Studies in Creativity, and the Small Business Development Center.
The nonprofit art center has annual revenue of about $2 million. A search is currently underway for a new director following the announcement Anthony Bannon will retire on July 1.
Read more in Business First.