page_title: Bill Greiner
section_title: Concerns
hierarchical_section_title: Bill Greiner / University at Buffalo career / University at Buffalo presidency / Concerns
caption_attribution_description: English: UB Bulls vs. Canisius at UB, October 1991
context_page_description: William R. "Bill" Greiner was President of the University at Buffalo in the State University of New York system from 1991 to 2004, where he worked for 42 years. Prior to becoming President, Greiner served in other capacities in the University at Buffalo Law School, and in UB's administration. He was educated at both Yale University and Wesleyan University, earning degrees in economics and law, including a doctorate in law from Yale. Under Greiner's leadership, research, educational, sports, arts, and student living complexes were constructed. Greiner co-wrote two books. He retired from UB in 2009, and died shortly thereafter due to heart surgery complications.
context_section_description: Under Greiner's tenure, there were also concerns and controversy regarding several issues. In 1993, UB's basketball team was placed on probation by the NCAA for rules violations from 1989. By 1997, two of the team's coaches had been identified as having illegally watched and attended scrimmage games. Greiner was supposedly unaware of these actions, placing responsibility for them on UB's athletic director, Nelson Townshend. Resulting from this in 2001 was that UB's annual recruitment visits were decreased by two throughout the next two years, after UB had already voluntarily reduced annual recruitment visits by two. So, annual recruitment visits were decreased, overall, from 12 to 8, a reduction that UB's administration believed to be unnecessarily harsh and planned to appeal.
  In 1996, UB held a university-wide referendum that was open to students regarding two issues on Greiner's agenda, including privatization and differential tuition. Michael Pierce, the University Council Student Representative who penned the referendum, stated that the issue was not about confidence, or lack thereof, in Greiner, but that new directions he proposed should "get a mandate from the university." Greiner stated that students should be concerned about affordability and accessibility rather than whether or not one SUNY institution costs more to attend than another.  Of the 300 UB students who rallied about the issues on the UB Amherst Campus and who proceeded, en masse, to Greiner's office, the UB president stated that their actions were "divisive," that he was "not moved," and that they should register to vote in Erie County.
  In October 1998, Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins, a surgeon and UB professor in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of four years, was denied tenure by Greiner.  At the time, Simpkins was suing UB, having claimed that the UB clinical practice plan funds were being misused. Through his lawsuit, he was attempting to obtain plan audit access. Simpkins received a letter dated October 1998 from UB Provost Thomas Headrick thanking him for his service, including a statement from Greiner that denied him continued support for a tenure track position. No reason was given in the letter for Greiner's removal of support for tenure of Simpkins.
  Quoted about UB's football program in The Buffalo News, Greiner stated, "Football is tough." Prior to 1977, UB's football record was .500, though budget cuts reduced the program beginning in 1977. After Greiner secured the move to Division I-A in 1999, the UB football team lost 21 of 23 games in its first two seasons. UB's record from 1999 to 2003 was 6-39 (.153) since joining the I-A level, and 3-29 (.103) versus MAC division opponents during that time period. The football team struggled for several years to be competitive in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), disclosing losses of $2.2 million associated with football as of 2003, and prior to moving to and remaining at the classification that is now known as the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as of 2013. Before the 2013 season, the team was ranked one of the ten worst FBS teams in the nation. Greiner stated that reasons for building UB's athletic program included the attraction of out-of-state students, and alumni. 
  Greiner was the subject of a vote of no confidence in 2000. from the university's faculty senate, prompting discussion over whether he would resign his position. Student enrollment had declined, full-time faculty positions had decreased by 100 people, and funding was being more specifically directed to certain programs, such as athletics and information technology, rather than others. In particular was the concern that more than $10 million per year was going toward building UB's athletic programs, such monies being diverted away from academics. While college entrance Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores had increased, UB's status as a highly ranked research university in the United States had decreased since 1989 under the leadership of Steven Sample. This prompted the vote of no confidence in UB's leadership by the Colle
caption: UB Bulls vs. Canisius at UB, October 1991
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