Message from the Dean

Portrait of Suzanne Rosenblith.

Dear GSE Friends and Alumni,

As I write this, the fall semester is already underway and the energy on campus is unmistakable, thanks in part to the beautiful fall weather in Western New York. This semester kicked off with high-energy orientations and gatherings. I had the pleasure of welcoming our new students during the GSE orientation in August. The group is incredibly diverse and eager to pursue degrees across our many programs. I also welcomed five new postdoctoral scholars to GSE. They bring a wide range of talent and research interests, and I look forward to seeing where their work leads.

In this issue, you'll meet our new faculty, who are addressing critical research questions across a wide range of disciplines.

We also introduce our Labs for Transformation, a series of four community-engaged research projects in which GSE has made significant investments. These projects reflect our commitment to ensuring that partnerships are genuine, collaborative and mutually beneficial.

You'll find highlights of newly published books by our faculty, including “Transforming School Food Politics Around the World” by Dr. Sarah A. Robert, a work gaining significant attention in academic circles.

In Office Hours, you will learn more about Dr. Amanda Nickerson, director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, who has recently been named a SUNY Distinguished Professor.

We take special pride in our alumni, particularly when they launch groundbreaking initiatives. Jelicia Jimenez, who earned her master’s degree in information and library science in 2022, has done just that with her Black Boys Read Too program. We are incredibly proud of her achievements.

This edition also honors the memory of two GSE pillars: Dr. Michael Kibby, an extraordinarily influential professor of literacy, who passed away this spring and Mrs. Chandra Murphy, assistant to the dean, who died suddenly in April.

We are also grateful to the Dimitriadis family for their generous gift in honor of former faculty member Dr. Greg Dimitriadis. Their gift will establish an endowed professorship, ensuring Dr. Dimitriadis' student-centered values live on.

As we begin this academic year, I want to remind you that it will be our last in Baldy Hall. GSE’s move to South Campus is set for the end of this academic year, and we look forward to welcoming you to Foster Hall next fall.

Be well and stay in touch.

Rosenblith signature.
Suzanne Rosenblith

Land Acknowledgment Statement

“Great Lakes, No Clouds” Image of North America’s five Great Lakes courtesy of US NASA Earth Observatory.

A pledge to peaceably share and care for North America’s five Great Lakes

We would like to acknowledge the land on which the University at Buffalo operates, which is the territory of the Seneca Nation, a member of the Haudenosaunee/Six Nations Confederacy. This territory is covered by The Dish with One Spoon Treaty of Peace and Friendship, a pledge to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. It is also covered by the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, between the United States Government and the Six Nations Confederacy, which further affirmed Haudenosaunee land rights and sovereignty in the State of New York. Today, this region is still the home to the Haudenosaunee people, and we are grateful for the opportunity to live, work and share ideas in this territory.