Janet Ramsey, chair and professor of communication at Buffalo State College has been appointed to the position of State University of New York Distinguished Service Professor.

The position of Distinguished Service Professor is one academic rank above that of full professor and can only be conferred by the SUNY Board of Trustees. Ramsey was one of seven to be so honored this year.

The Distinguished Service Professorship honors and recognizes extraordinary service. Candidates must have demonstrated substantial distinguished service not only at the campus and State University, but also at the community, regional and state levels.

To be considered appropriate for appointment to this rank, service must exceed the work generally considered to be part of a candidate's basic professional work and should include service that exceeds that for which professors are normally compensated. It must also extend over multiple years and involve the application of intellectuals skills drawing from the candidate's scholarly and research interests to issues of public concern.

In addition to the selection criteria for the Distinguished Service Professorship, to be nominated a faculty member must have held the rank of full professor for five years and have completed at least 10 years of service in the State University of New York.