In 1920, UB was a loosely organized group of professional schools, with only the bare beginnings of an arts and sciences college. The only endowment was the Knox fund for the arts and sciences; the professional schools were without funds. Buildings and equipment were insufficient. Most of the teaching staff were part-time volunteers. With slightly more than 1,000 students, UB had never had a full-time chancellor.

While there was little that was impressive about the visible university, UB could claim 74 years of service to the community. There also was the dream of a “greater university” and, perhaps more than anyone else, Walter P. Cooke (University Council chair) wanted to see that dream realized.

In the summer of 1920, Cooke took steps to make the dream of a “greater university” a reality. After provisional letters of resignation had been received from council members and Chancellor Charles P. Norton, Cooke led a reorganization of the University Council that resulted in his being elected council chair. Once in charge, he created the Committee on General Administration, the group empowered to oversee the activities of the university. Cooke was to chair that group, too. The Committee persisted until the merger of the private University of Buffalo with the State University of New York in 1962.