Muriel A. Howard (b. 1947/1948) (formerly Muriel A. Moore) is the former president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) in Washington, D.C., and served as the seventh president of Buffalo State College at the State University of New York (SUNY) system from 1996 to 2009.History: College presidents: Muriel A. Howard , Buffalo State College: The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 2013, accessdate=11 December 2013.About us: President's bio: Muriel A. Howard, Ph.D., AASCU - American Association of Colleges and Universities, Washington, DC, 2013, Retrieved 12 December 2013., Living Prime Time, December 2000, Binder, J., Retrieved 13 January 2014. Prior to her presidency at Buffalo State College, she was the vice president for public services and urban affairs at the SUNY educational institution, the University at Buffalo, where she worked for 23 years. Howard was educated at public universities in New York State, as well as at Harvard University, where she graduated from the University's Institute of Management. Howard has been a leader and member of many corporate boards of directors; and councils and committees in higher education and city government. Further, she has been the recipient of many awards and honors throughout her career.

Early life

Howard was born in Wilson, North Carolina, but lived some of her later childhood years and youth in Queens, New York. She moved to Buffalo, New York when she became a student at the University at Buffalo.

Education and honorary degrees

She received her Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Richmond College, City University of New York; and her master's of education and doctorate in educational organization, administration, and policy from the University at Buffalo, She also graduated from Harvard University's Institute of Management.

Howard has received six honorary degrees,Muriel A. Howard, Ph.D., National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, Palm Gardens Beach, FL: NADOHE, 2012, Retrieved 5 February 2014. including, in part:

Doctor of Humane Letters, Keene State College, Keene, New Hampshire, August 2010;Students applauded, honorary degree and granite state award presented at Keene State College convocation, Keene State College, Keene, New Hampshire, 31 August 2010, Retrieved 12 December 2013. Doctor of Humane Letters, College of Staten Island, Staten Island, New York, May 2010;College recognizes student achievement at 34th commencement, Csi Today: College of Staten Island, Staten Island, NY, 1 June 2010, Retrieved 12 December 2013. Doctor of Humane Letters, Grambling State University, Grambling, Louisiana, May 2010; and Doctor of Humane Letters, New York City Technical College, City University of New York, May 2002.

Academic interests

Howard's professional and scholarly interests include the support of education; educational leadership; and the representation of women and minorities in both the academy and public service.

Vice Presidency at the University at Buffalo Howard held the highest post at the University prior to becoming President of Buffalo State College. She was a member of UB President Bill Greiner's administrative team.

Upon being named to her position as vice president for Public Service and Urban Affairs at UB, Howard had much to share regarding her vision for UB.

Presidency at Buffalo State College

As the leader of Buffalo State College, Howard headed a campus of more than 11,000 students; approximately 1,700 faculty and staff; and a financial operation of more than $214 million. She is also the first woman to have led the college.

Appointment

Former New York State Assembly Member Sam Hoyt graduated from the College and the college was in his district; he shared his perspective about Howard's appointment.

Howard (then-Moore) began her leadership at the college as Interim President.

Leadership

Prior to coming to the college, Howard had little experience in interacting with faculty, however her organizational skills and ability to resolve conflicts were praised. Additionally, she was praised as a "tough administrator" who "knows the system" by former Buffalo Common Council President George K. Arthur; and it was said that she had the respect of students. The college had a reputation as a "tough place to manage," and was expected to have difficulty in attracting qualified candidates to the position of the presidency.

In her Inaugural Address, Howard focused on the diversity of the college as a strength.

Within one month of assuming her leadership position at the college, Howard shared three short-term goals for strengthening it in an address to faculty. Those three goals included "increasing recruitment and retention of students; developing strategies to address the 1996-97 budget; [and] dealing with the 'institutional climate' that has emerged."

On the 125th anniversary of the college in 1996, Howard oversaw many events that celebrated the quasquicentennial event. On that day, there were proclamations issued by Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello as well as Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski. Celebrations included a cake in the shape of Rockwell Hall, a champagne toast, a big band, a chorale ensemble and additional wind ensembles, fireworks, tours of campus arts centers, exhibits, and a play area for kids.

Challenges

During her tenure as interim president, Howard's main goal is "dealing directly with allegations of racial and sexual discrimination" at the college. Howard stated in February 1996 that the college had held 60 programs on racial and cultural diversity, and gender during the previous fall. The Institute for the Healing of Racism began a two-month forum in the Spring 1996 semester at the college; and closed hearings on sexual harassment and gender bias were being held within the College Senate's Committee on the Status of Women. Howard stated her belief of the College being "a real role model for the community."

In the period from 1996 to 1998, there were a number of deans and administrators who had been on leave through an arrangement with the previous college president, F.C. Richardson, and SUNY, and/or who had resigned to take other posts or due to retirement. In 1996, as a result of those on leave or because of resignations, there was only one permanent academic post that had remained filled at the college. At that time, there were five top leaders at the College who were either on leave or who had resigned to take other posts. Howard was in the process of considering applicants in order to fill open and/or interim positions during that time. One dean who left to take another position stated that it was a time in the college's history in which important leadership choices were to be made that would take the institution into the next century.

Advanced telecommunications network In 1997, through Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello's office and under the direction of Buffalo State College's Center for Applied Research in Interactive Technologies, CityNet, an advanced telecommunications network that links 14 educational and community sites in Buffalo was launched. For more than two years, Masiello and his team worked with NYNEX and Bell Atlantic to lay the foundation for the network, which is funded by Bell Atlantic for $1.9 million.

International distance learning partnership

In 1998, Howard made a personal effort to expand the Nurturing Initiative and Achievements (NIA) in Students Mentor Program at the college by offering a distance learning program at San José, Costa Rica. Howard went to Costa Rica in order to inaugurate a network that connects San Jose's Lincoln School with the college, as well as Clarence Central, Grover Cleveland, and City Honors high schools.

Revitalization of historic landmarks

Reported in a 1998 Buffalo News article was that Howard envisioned in 1995 that the Carriage House on the property of the President's Residence could be transformed into a guest house. The House had been used as servant's quarters after it was first built. The Junior League of Buffalo and Chase Pitkin contributed to the remodeling of the Carriage House, with the Junior League identifying it as its 1997 Decorator Show House. The Carriage House was built in 1912; and now serves as a guest house for visitors of the college, providing much lower rates for accommodation than hotels at which visitors would otherwise stay.

Howard participated in talks with the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, the Buffalo Mayor's Office, and others regarding usage expansion for the psychiatric center.Archives: Architecture: A towering masterpiece: H.H. Richardson's Buffalo State Hospital, Buffalo Spree, Buffalo, NY, March/April 2000, Kowsky, F.R., Retrieved 15 December 2013. Buffalo State College has occupied Buffalo Psychiatric Center lands since the 1960s; and phases of expansion have occurred in recent years that have revitalized and refurbished parts of the facility, including the Richardson Olmsted Complex, for different uses. One of the interests of the college was to use lands for expansion, and to build a new Burchfield Penney Art Center, a desire that was eventually achieved.

Campus bookstore controversy

During the Fall semester of 1998, controversy surrounding the campus bookstore contract was made public. Traditionally, Follett College Stores - the largest college bookstore company in the country - held the bookstore contract at the college. Concern by college administration that many college textbooks were being sold beyond the list price prompted the submission of a new bookstore contract with Barnes & Noble by Howard to the state comptroller, Carl McCall. Barnes & Noble is the largest book retailer in the United States. As a result, - and due to the college already maintaining a contract with Follett - the executive board of the college's Faculty Student Association (FSA) voted to withhold $25,000 in discretionary funds during that semester, funds that are traditionally issued to the college president for discretionary purposes. This move by the FSA was unprecedented; however the aim of involvement by FSA was to obtain a judicious decision about the matter from the state comptroller. The bookstore contract for 1998 also included that a new building to house it would be constructed.

Howard ended up contracting with Barnes & Noble amid appeals to the state comptroller by two of three bidders for the bookstore contract. In a 1998 article by FSA President Michael Paluch that appeared in The Buffalo News, Paluch stated that, as a result of the change, "Textbook prices will be higher, student wages will be lower, and the college will get substantially less construction dollars for a new store from Barnes & Noble than from the Faculty-Student Association."

Professional endeavors In 1996, Howard spoke at a businesswomen's networking luncheon reception at the College that celebrated Women's History Month, and more specifically, Women's History Week.

In 1998, Howard attended the second conference of African-American college presidents, held in Washington, DC. The Washington Post article of June 14, 1998 by Peter S. Goodman stated that only 26 college presidents in the United States at the time were African-American, this number being reflective of the more than 1,800 colleges in America that are majority-white. The main purpose of the conference was to create dialogue about race in higher education and to increase the numbers of African-Americans holding top leadership posts in American academia.

Tenure culmination