A Tribute to R. Nils Olsen Jr.

Nils Olsen is, quite simply, an extraordinary person. If you happen upon one or two such people in your lifetime, consider yourself fortunate. At the Law School, we know Nils for his nine years as dean, four years as vice dean for academic affairs, two decades as founder and director of our clinics, and nearly four decades as a member of the faculty. Study SUNY Buffalo Law’s 125-year history and you will find few if any others who have done as much for the school as Nils. Examine the history of Western New York since 1978 when Nils moved here, and you will find few who have contributed more to the community.

In addition to his distinguished service to the Law School, Nils has been a key member of the University’s leadership team, providing advice and counsel to presidents and provosts for decades, chairing the Intercollegiate Athletics Board (which contributed significantly to the growth and success of UB’s Division I athletics), and leading the UB 2020 strategic planning group charged with strengthening the University’s focus on civic engagement and public policy. Nils was the perfect person for the latter role, having spent decades as a public interest lawyer. Nils represented dozens of citizen environmental groups and several local municipalities in disputes ranging from the siting of hazardous- waste incinerators to the drafting local land-use planning legislation. Nils also served as court-appointed counsel in scores of federal habeas corpus cases and frequently argued before the local federal district court as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In perhaps his most memorable habeas corpus case, Nils represented more than 200 inmates incarcerated in Western New York prisons whose direct appeals had not been resolved within two years of their convictions. The lawsuit was settled when the government agreed to greatly increase resources for court-appointed appellate counsel and enhance administrative oversight of appeals brought by indigent inmates.

Nils also served Western New York as board member for many public and private institutions and organizations. He was a longtime publicly elected member of the Lewiston-Porter Board of Education, and has served on the boards of directors of the New York State Environmental Advocates, the Youngstown Free Library and Great Lakes United, among many others. In 2003, in response to a financial crisis facing the City of Buffalo, New York State established the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority to oversee the city’s finances. In 2010, Gov. David Paterson appointed Nils chair of the authority, a position he continues to hold.

Although Nils has served with great distinction in many powerful leadership positions at UB and in the community, he has remained a genuinely humble man who has always seen himself as a facilitator rather than a manager or “boss.” Whatever problems and challenges have been presented to him, he has always approached them as a friend, colleague and equal. When Nils stepped down as dean, a faculty colleague said to him, in front of a packed and appreciative audience of faculty and alumni, “There is not one among us who does not regard you as a colleague and friend, not one among us who has not benefited from your kindness, caring, concern, inspiration and the great personal sacrifices you have made to take care of us. Speaking for myself, and I think many others, you are family.”

To repeat: Nils Olsen is, quite simply, an extraordinary person.