On May 12, 2009, the State University of New York Board of Trustees unanimously voted to appoint Dr. Dennis K. Ponton interim president of Buffalo State College. Ponton, the college’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, fills the vacancy left by Dr. Muriel A. Howard, who was president of Buffalo State from 1996 to 2009.
Ponton has been a member of the Buffalo State College faculty and administration since 1977, when he was hired as a faculty member and chair of the Nutrition and Food Science Department. He served as associate vice president for budget and planning for academic affairs from 1993 to 2003, during which time he also served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs for two years (1998–2000). In 2003, Ponton was named provost of Buffalo State, assuming the role of chief academic officer for the college.
Ponton earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from West Virginia University, completing an A.B. in biology, an M.S. in zoology, and a Ph.D. in agricultural biochemistry. Prior to joining Buffalo State, he taught at West Virginia University and at the Fayette campus of the Pennsylvania State University.
Ponton has been active in educational associations and committees on the local, regional, and national levels. He has led decennial Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation reviews for Buffalo State and guided preparation of the Middle States Association’s periodic review reports. He is a member of the Academic Leadership Learning Collaborative of Eduventures, a higher education research and consulting firm. He has been active with the SUNY Association of Chief Academic Officers and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ (AASCU) academic officer programs. Ponton was also an external reviewer for the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration and president of the Erie County Nutrition Committee.
Ponton and his wife, Libby, have one son. Their pastimes include tennis, handbells, and travel.