C. Gregory Sharer To Join SUNY Cortland As Head Of Student Affairs

CORTLAND, NY (03/17/2008)(readMedia)-- C. Gregory Sharer, the dean of student services at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., has been named vice president for student affairs at SUNY Cortland. He will start on June 5.

Reporting directly to President Erik J. Bitterbaum, he will be responsible for providing vision and leadership for the Division of Student Affairs and its offices and programs.

“Sharer is a fine, talented individual and SUNY Cortland is very fortunate to have him,” Bitterbaum said.

“What impresses me most about SUNY Cortland is the emphasis faculty and staff place on putting student interests first and the commitment to student learning and engagement,” said Sharer, whose appointment follows a national search conducted by an 11-member committee representing faculty, staff and students. “Such a focus is critical to the success of our students and will continue to be the guiding principle for our work in Student Affairs.”

Sharer will replace Raymond D. Franco, who served in the position from 1994 until July 2006, when he became the College’s vice president for institutional advancement. Richard C. Peagler, who directs the College’s Counseling Center, has served as interim vice president for student affairs.

Sharer will oversee 18 offices and a 120-member staff within the division. He will provide strategic direction and leadership and serve as a primary liaison with community leaders in the greater Cortland area, promoting cooperation and collaboration between the College and the community. In addition, he is charged with forming partnerships with other campus divisions, including academic affairs, and with working closely with the Student Government Association and a number of other campus committees and councils devoted to improving the quality of life on campus and in the community for a diverse student body, faculty and staff.

Born in Bethlehem, Pa., Sharer grew up in the Orange County community of Warwick, N.Y., and graduated from Warwick High School in 1981.

He has both a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies Education and a Master of Science in Educational Administration and Policy Studies from University at Albany. Sharer earned his law degree from Indiana University School of Law. Admitted to the Indiana Bar, he is a certified attorney mediator with the Indiana Bar.

Sharer joined Butler, a nationally recognized comprehensive university with 4,437 undergraduate and graduate students, in 1996. He became dean of student services in 1998 after serving as associate dean of students and director of student and staff development.

In his most current position, he has specialized in policy development and implementation, legal issues and risk management, communication and mediation, crisis management, fiscal management, personnel supervision, strategic planning, information technology and program development.

Sharer has served as the chief student affairs officer at Butler in the absence of the vice president. He chaired the Alcohol Policy Task Force, which from 1999-2001 led a university-wide effort to create and implement policy to address alcohol issues. Since 2002, he has served on the University Emergency Management Committee, involved with on-going planning and review of the university’s emergency response policies and protocols. As a member of the Student Affairs Leadership Group, he has responded to campus emergencies.

Sharer oversees all aspects of Butler’s student judicial process and supervises the Center for Career Planning and Development, Counseling and Consultation Center, Health Center, Health Education, Dining Services, Education, Senior Year Programs, and Religious Life Programs.

From 1989 to 1995, Sharer was assistant director of orientation at the University of Maryland at College Park. He began his career in student affairs at SUNY Albany, serving on the Residence Life and Orientation staff from 1986 to 1989.

Sharer also taught at Butler University as an adjunct instructor in the College of Business Administration, a co-instructor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and an instructor in the College of Education.

He has given many presentations in his field of expertise, most recently on the subject of “Program Risk Management and Safeguards,” during the Indiana Governor’s Conference on Service Learning and Volunteerism in 2006. His topics have included student privacy rights, accommodation of students with disabilities, and improving the campus climate for multi-cultural students and gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered students.

In his community, Sharer serves on the Leadership Advisory Committee - Drug Free Marion County, to develop data-driven methods to reduce underage and binge drinking among 18-25-year-olds in Indianapolis. A Hospice Pro Bono Project Volunteer Attorney, he has assisted indigent clients with end-of-life planning. Since 2004, Sharer has served on the Planning Committee of the Indiana Dispute Resolution Conference, which serves professionals involved in mediation. Sharer is a volunteer mediator with the Marion County Prosecuting Attorney’s Conflict Resolution Services and since 2004 has served as a Project Peace Volunteer Attorney Partner, an elementary school conflict resolution program sponsored by the Indiana Bar Association and the Indiana Attorney General.

He is married to Kathy Maguire Sharer, who grew up in South Setauket, N.Y., and is a graduate of Binghamton University. She is owner and president of an advertising/marketing consulting company. They have two daughters, Braeden, 12, and Marin, 3.

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Posted Monday March 17, 2008 at 09:15 am by SUNY Cortland