LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring President Stuart Steiner upon the occa-
sion of his retirement after over 40 years of distinguished service to
Genesee Community College

WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to recognize and
honor the significant milestones in the distinguished careers of
esteemed residents of this noble Empire State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accordance with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
President Stuart Steiner upon the occasion of his retirement after over
four decades of service and commitment to Genesee Community College; he
served 36 of those years as the College's president, the second-longest
serving president of a community college in the Nation; and
WHEREAS, President Steiner is the third president of Genesee Community
College and has been with the college since it was founded in 1967;
serving as the Dean of Students from 1967 to 1968, and Dean of
Instruction/Executive Dean from 1968 to 1975; and
WHEREAS, In addition to earning an Associate in Arts degree from
Baltimore City Community College, President Steiner holds a Bachelor of
Science degree from the University of Maryland; Graduate Certificate in
Social Work from Florida State University; a Master of Social Work
degree from the University of Pennsylvania; a Juris Doctorate degree
from the University of Baltimore; a Master of Arts degree from Columbia
University, Teachers College; and a Doctor of Education degree from
Columbia University, Teachers College; and
WHEREAS, A native of Baltimore, Maryland, President Steiner began his
career as a social worker in 1959, working first as a caseworker and
later as director of Juvenile Court Services for the City of Baltimore;
he later served as Director of Baltimore Information and Referral
Services for the Health and Welfare Council of Metropolitan Baltimore
and in 1963, became a member of the adjunct faculty of Community College
of Baltimore County; and
WHEREAS, President Steiner's administrative skills and passion for the
needs of students attracted the attention of Dr. Alfred C. O'Connell
who, at the time, was serving as president of Harford Community College
in Bel Air, Maryland; Dr. O'Connell named President Steiner as Harford's
Director of Admissions and Placement in 1965; as Genesee's founding
president, one of Dr. O'Connell's first acts was to recruit President
Steiner for the position of Dean of Students at the new college in New
York's Genesee County; and
WHEREAS, Prior to being named President in 1975, President Steiner was
instrumental in recruiting and orienting Genesee's first students and
played a pivotal role in acquiring property on the east side of Batavia
for what is today, the Batavia Campus; and
WHEREAS, As a result of President Steiner's highest priority of the
development of strong academic programs and services to students, Gene-
see Community College has reached record levels of enrollment; grown to
offer 65 degrees and certificate programs; and expanded the Batavia
Campus structure to include the Genesee Center for the Arts (1991), the
Conable Technology Building (2000), the Humphrey Student Union (2005), a
new art gallery presently under construction, a variety of exterior
athletic fields, and relocated the expanding School of Nursing to the
new Med Tech Park business park; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of President Steiner's leadership and his
commitment to high-quality facilities, in 1991, the Board of Trustees
named the theatre in the newly-constructed Genesee Center for the Arts
"The Stuart Steiner Theatre"; and

WHEREAS, Many of President Steiner's historic initiatives have made
higher education more accessible to the region's residents, including
the development of one of the nation's first off-site campus centers,
which opened in Albion in 1990 with additional satellite campus centers
following in Warsaw, Lakeville (and later Lima), Arcade, Dansville, and
Medina; the development of a comprehensive distance learning program,
which enables more than 10 percent of Genesee students to participate in
online courses; the Accelerated College Enrollment Program, which
enables more than 2,700 Western New York high school students to partic-
ipate in Genesee courses; and various other educational and training
programs and opportunities offered to the community; and
WHEREAS, President Steiner has received countless state and national
recognitions for his work, including the New York State Phi Theta Kappa
Service Award, the New York State Community College Faculty Council
Distinguished Service Award, the Association of Community College Trus-
tees Northeast Region Chief Executive Officer Award, and the University
of Texas at Austin Community College Leadership Award; he was also named
a Transformational Leader in Higher Education by the W. K. Kellogg Foun-
dation; received various academic honors from Columbia University,
University of Pennsylvania, University of Maryland, and University of
Baltimore Law School; and was named a distinguished alumnus of Baltimore
City Community College; and
WHEREAS, President Steiner's service and record of innovation led to
numerous requests to serve on a variety of regional, state, and national
boards and committees over the years, including as a member and past
president of the New York State Association of Presidents of Community
Colleges; member of the New York State Education Commissioner's Advisory
Council for Higher Education; member of the Rochester Area Association
of Colleges; chair of a number of SUNY panels and committees; active
participant with the American Association of Community College's Commis-
sion; chair and/or member of more than 20 Middle States Commission on
Higher Education accreditation teams, which make college accreditation
recommendations; and has taken on various other sensitive special
assignments and appointments; and
WHEREAS, President Steiner has mentored numerous college administra-
tors and professionals, including nearly 20 former Genesee vice presi-
dents and deans who have gone on to assume positions of significant
leadership in higher education across the United States, and under Pres-
ident Steiner's influence, 105 members of Genesee's faculty and staff,
have received the prominent SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Excellence; and
WHEREAS, Notable and nationally recognized publications by President
Steiner include THE PRAGMATIC PRESIDENCY (Community College Journal of
Research and Practice); THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENCY (Higher Educa-
tion: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational
Planning); SUNY -- THE "SYSTEMLESS" SYSTEM (Voices of Leadership);
COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF THE NINETIES: LIVING ON THE FISCAL EDGE (Higher
Education in Turmoil: The Case of New York State and National Prospects
for Change); he also edited DISTANCE LEARNING: THE PRESIDENTS' TASK
FORCE REPORT, published by the State University of New York; and
WHEREAS, The length and accomplishments of President Steiner's presi-
dency have attracted the attention of educational leaders from across
the nation and his tenure has been hailed by colleagues and friends as
one of the most extraordinary community college presidencies in our
nation's history; and
WHEREAS, President Steiner has worked tirelessly to bring the trans-
formative power of education to many thousands in the Genesee-Living-
ston-Orleans-Wyoming region and beyond, and has done so while maintain-

ing Genesee's reputation as one of the most affordable and
cost-effective colleges within the State University system; and
WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the occurrence of such a compassionate blend-
ing of leadership, influence and commitment as that demonstrated by
President Stuart Steiner over four decades of sacrifice and dedication
to others; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate President Stuart Steiner upon the occasion of his retire-
ment; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to President Stuart Steiner.