4 Buffalo Business Autumn 2019
Startups
UB mourns passing
of former dean
Lewis Mandell, former dean
and professor emeritus of finance
and managerial economics in the
School of Management, passed
away May 6 in Austin, Texas. He
was 76.
An economist and finan-
cial literacy expert, Mandell was
the author of more than 20 books
and numerous articles on con-
sumer finance and was a prolific
media contributor for the School
of Management—even aer retirement—shar-
ing his expertise with such outlets as NBC News,
NPR, The New York Times, USA Today, The
Washington Post and CNN.
He hosted radio call-in programs on in-
vestments and entrepreneurship in two major
radio markets and testified before Congress four
times.
Mandell earned a doctorate from the
University of Texas at Dallas, an MA from
Northwestern University and a BA from CUNY
City College of New York. Over his 44-year aca-
demic career, he held professorships at a num-
ber of leading universities, directed research for
the Comptroller of the Currency and was dean of
business at Marquette University.
At UB, Mandell served as dean of the School
of Management from 1998 to 2001 and as profes-
sor of finance until 2008. He taught courses in
investments and valuation at the graduate and
undergraduate levels, and was a beloved men-
tor for many of his students as they entered and
progressed through their careers. He was the re-
cipient of several awards, including the SUNY
Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Mandell conducted several nationwide
benchmark studies of the personal finance
skills of young adults and, in collaboration with
the American Financial Services Association
Education Foundation, developed MoneySKILL®,
a free, interactive online curriculum that ed-
ucates students to make informed financial
decisions.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Nancy,
and daughter, Alexis. x
CyberCamping
Over the summer, middle and high school students got hands-on with
cybersecurity at the UB GenCyber Camp, where they were introduced
to computer security as a future career option. Pictured here, campers
assemble small Raspberry Pi computers as they prepare to defend
against a simulated cyberattack. Photos: Matthew Biddle