Manhattan College Professor and Former Director of Admissions Dies on April 28

A native of Buffalo, Brother William Batt, FSC, Ph.D., professor emeritus of computer information systems, professor of chemistry and former director of admissions, died peacefully on April 28. He was 82.

Before coming to Manhattan College in 1959, he held several teaching positions at La Salle Academy in Providence, R.I., De La Salle College in Washington, D.C., and Georgetown University. He also worked as a research assistant in the Surgical Metabolic Research Laboratory at Georgetown University Medical Center.

As a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Br. William was awarded the medal of the American Institute of Chemists for scholastic achievement in 1954. He also received honorable mention for three consecutive years in the National Science Foundation pre-doctoral fellowship program.

His career with Manhattan College began in 1959 as an instructor of chemistry. Br. William later served as assistant, associate and professor of chemistry and also head of the department, and professor emeritus of computer information systems. His career with Manhattan College included extensive research on the study of the thrombin, a blood enzyme involved in clotting.

In 1972, the College named Br. William director of admissions. In moving from the faculty to the administrative position, Br. William believed that a veteran faculty member would best be able to  “rally the various constituencies of the College to help in the quest for top students.”

In 1999, he retired from Manhattan College but decided to pursue an opportunity in 2002 as president of his alma mater, St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, a private Lasallian high school in Buffalo. He graduated from St. Joseph’s in 1949 and served as president from 2002-2005, when he moved back to Manhattan College’s Christian Brothers Center in Riverdale.

Br. William received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and master’s degree in physical chemistry from The Catholic University of America. He also graduated with a doctorate in physical biochemistry from Georgetown University, and a MBA from Iona College.

The funeral arrangements for Br. William include:

• A viewing on Tuesday, May 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at De La Salle Hall (810 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, N.J.).
• A viewing on Wednesday, May 7 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at De La Salle Hall (810 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, N.J.)

A viewing on Saturday, May 10 at St. Joseph Collegiate Institute (Cullen Center for the Arts, 845 Kenmore Avenue, Buffalo, NY, 14223) at 12 p.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial at 1 p.m. followed by a burial at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Kenmore, NY).