Mayrose Named Dean of the School of the Professions

Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner has named James Mayrose as dean of the college’s School of the Professions.  Mayrose, professor and chair of Buffalo State’s Engineering Technology Department, will assume his new role on July 15. 

As dean, Mayrose will oversee the academic departments of business, computer information systems, creative studies, criminal justice, engineering technology, fashion and textile technology, higher education administration, hospitality and tourism, social work, speech-language pathology, and the Small Business Development Center. 

In fall 2014, more than 3,700 students were enrolled in programs within the School of the Professions—making it the largest of the college’s four schools. Since fall 2006, the School of the Professions has increased its graduate and undergraduate enrollment by 28 percent.

“I am excited to have James Mayrose begin his new role as dean of the School of the Professions,” said Conway-Turner. “Dr. Mayrose brings tremendous insight, creativity, and academic depth to the position of dean. His experiences as chair of a growing, applied, and innovative department, and his role as CEO and founder of Tactus Technologies Inc. will contribute to his vision and future leadership of the School of the Professions. His excellent scholarly record, superior teaching, and generous campuswide service will allow him to be an exemplary leader and model for his school.”

Mayrose has served as chair of the Engineering Technology Department since 2012, overseeing an exciting period of growth and advancement. In 2013, the Engineering Technology Department—along with the Fashion Textile Technology and Computer Information Systems departments—moved into the state-of-the-art $36.5 million Technology Building on campus. Enrollment in the electrical engineering technology and mechanical engineering technology programs grew by 137 percent and 55 percent, respectively, from fall 2010 to fall 2014. 

Mayrose joined the Buffalo State community in 1999 as a part-time lecturer. He was appointed assistant professor in 2006, before earning promotion to associate professor in 2010.  He was promoted to professor in 2015. In 2009, Mayrose was honored with the Buffalo State President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to serve as dean of the School of the Professions at Buffalo State,” said Mayrose. “Working with the faculty and staff to build on a strong foundation of programs and research in order to continue to enhance the quality and reputation of the school and the institution will be a privilege. I also look forward to strategically building links between the thriving city of Buffalo community and the School of the Professions in order to create a truly transformative educational experience for our students.”

An accomplished entrepreneur, Mayrose was invited to the White House in 2014 to receive the prestigious Tibbetts Award for Innovation from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Mayrose is CEO and founding partner of Tactus Technologies Inc., a maker of virtual reality products for the education and industrial training fields. The company has garnered more than $5 million in federal research grants. Two of Tactus’s biggest products include VFrog, a virtual frog dissection simulator, and a virtual forklift safety trainer.

From 1991 to 2006, Mayrose served in various research capacities with the University at Buffalo’s departments of Emergency Medicine, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Physiology. He also worked from 1989 to 1991 with the Grumman Aerospace Corporation in Bethpage, New York, as an associate configuration engineer supporting the F-14 fighter aircraft program. 

Mayrose earned his Ph.D in mechanical engineering (2000), his M.S. in mechanical engineering (1993), and his B.S. in aerospace engineering (1989) from the University at Buffalo.