Mecca S. Cranley was the dean of the University at Buffalo School of Nursing from 1991 to shortly before her death in 2006. During her tenure as dean, the School of Nursing increased its enrollment, created several new degree and certificate programs, and increased the amount of grants it received for research. Cranley received her MS in Maternal-Child Nursing (1971) and Ph.D. in Family Studies (1979) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison where she also held various teaching positions from 1972-1990.