Alfred University professors Scheer, Misture inducted into SUNY Distinguished Academy
Two Alfred University faculty—Joseph Scheer, professor of print media, and Scott Misture ’90, PhD ’95, Inamori Professor of materials science and engineering—were inducted into the State University of New York’s Distinguished Academy during a ceremony Tuesday (June 20) in Albany.
As inductees into the SUNY Distinguished Academy, Scheer and Misture were named SUNY Distinguished Professors. The honor is conferred upon faculty having achieved national or international prominence and a distinguished reputation within the individual’s chosen field through significant contributions to research and scholarship or through artistic performance or achievement in the fine and performing arts.
The rank of Distinguished Professor was created by the SUNY Board of Trustees in 1963 with the first faculty member promoted to the rank in 1964. Since then, 1,302 faculty have been honored in one of four specific categories: Distinguished Professorship, Distinguished Service Professorship, Distinguished Teaching Professorship, and Distinguished Librarian.
Scheer is the leading American exponent in the development of digitally derived applications for a fine-
art printmaking context. A Fulbright Scholar and co-director/founder of the Institute for Electronic Arts in Alfred University’s School of Art and Design, he has served as vice president of the International Academic Printmaking Alliance based in Beijing, China.
He has held more than 120 exhibitions worldwide, and his works are held in more than 200 public and private collections. Featured in National Geographic, the New York Times, ArtNews, ArtForum, Science,
Nature, Forbes, American Photo, DERSPIEGEL, and the Chronicle of Higher Education, among others, Scheer’s works—which span print media, video, and web-based projects—use technology to re-examine nature through interpretive collecting and visual recording. He is a past recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities.
Misture, who has a bachelor’s degree in ceramic engineering and a doctoral degree in ceramic science (both from Alfred University) is an internationally recognized pioneer in the development and application of materials analysis tools to understand ceramics and glasses at high temperatures. He is Alfred University’s first recipient of the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award on campus and holds extensive industry and government funding.
He was appointed the New York State College of Ceramics’ first major endowed professorship (Inamori Professorship), and he has built and maintains the largest research portfolio of any Alfred University professor, with funding from several federal and state agencies and many companies, most headquartered in New York State.
Misture has funded many common-use research instruments, and he has built out unique, world-class laboratory facilities. His international reputation is evident in his many invited engagements worldwide, his leadership roles in professional societies, including editorships and board chair positions, and his publication record.