Tracy S. Bennett, on the cusp of his fourth decade of service at SUNY Fredonia -- including more than a dozen years as Vice President for Administration -- has received the SUNY Fredonia Business Club’s Annual Business Person of the Year Award.
“I was very pleased and honored to be recognized with this award, and I thank the Business Club for selecting me as the 33rd recipient of this award,” Bennett told a large gathering of colleagues, students, friends and family members at the awards ceremony Thursday evening at the Williams Center. “This award was not something that I was expecting or even had an inkling was in the works,” he noted.
Having attended many Business Person of the Year ceremonies over the years, Bennett has always been impressed by the caliber of the individuals the club selects. “These are individuals from the campus and the community that I’ve respected and admired, not only for their business accomplishments but also for their ethics and community service.”
Previous honorees include: Rocco Doino, former Fredonia Central School superintendent; Robert Coon, former Vice President for Student Affairs at SUNY Fredonia; Franklin Krohn, longtime marketing professor at SUNY Fredonia, Kurt and Mark Maytum, of DFT Communications; and James Austin, veteran newspaper publisher.
“It’s great to be part of this group,” he said.
The Administration division that Bennett oversees is comprised of over 300 employees in eight departments. Bennett is responsible for the campus budget of $90 million and academic and residential construction valued at almost $300 million. Bennett also serves as president of the Faculty Student Association and treasurer of the SUNY Fredonia Credit Union.
Bennett was an active force behind development of the FREDCard on campus, which also allows students to use the card at off-campus businesses, and use of TouchNet software. Bennett also established SUNY Fredonia’s first Sustainability Committee.
More recently, Bennett was appointed to the Lake Shore Savings and Loan Board of Directors, where will also serve on its audit committee due to his considerable financial expertise, professional background and experience in the local business community.
Bennett, who lives in Westfield, joined SUNY Fredonia as college accountant in 1980 after serving seven years as an accounts auditor in the New York State Comptroller’s Office, a position that entailed extensive traveling. He thanked his wife, Linda, who encouraged him, in very specific terms, to apply for the position
“I was just finishing the audit here at SUNY Fredonia and the Vice President for Administration at the time, Joan Glenzer, mentioned to me that there was going to be an opening at the campus for a college accountant, and asked would I be interested in applying” he recalled. “Since making that decision 30 years ago, I’ve never looked back. This has turned out to be one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made. The best, of course, was marrying Linda 35 years ago,” he said.
“I also feel fortunate to be part of a great organization like SUNY Fredonia. I’m always proud to tell people where I work. For 30 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with great people, in a great, stimulating and positive environment, and for the last 14 years as Vice President for Administration for President (Dennis) Hefner,” he said. “It’s great to be part of an institution where people can grow and develop and where people take pride and ownership in their jobs.”
Bennett expressed appreciation to supporters of his award nomination, including President Hefner, Vice President for Academic Affairs Virginia Horvath, Vice President for Student Affairs David Herman and Vice President for Advancement David Tiffany, as well as advisors and officers of the Business Club.
Just two years ago, Bennett received the Robert J. Wagner Business Officers Award, the highest citation that the State University of New York Business Officers Association can give to recognize outstanding performance, high professional standards and significant contributions to SUNY and the SUBOA.
A native of Mayville, Bennett, earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Albany, is a CPA and also operates a tax service in Westfield. His entire family, including his wife, two children, Ryan and Valerie, and new son-in-law, Greg, attended the awards dinner. Both children, he noted with pride, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at SUNY Fredonia.
