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from the President
Commonsense reforms needed to realize UB’s potential
THIS YEAR WE ARE ENTERING a critical phase of UB 2020. Yet in the face of tight budgets in New York and across the nation, we—like our fellow public universities around the country—are working especially hard to do more with less.
Our successful campus transformations through UB 2020 are building a stronger university better able to withstand unforeseen challenges and to take full advantage of new opportunities as they arise. Now it is imperative that we seize upon this momentum to push further toward our goal of becoming a model public research university that reaches others in profound ways.
Click here to join UB Believers, a broad coalition of university advocates.
UB 2020 is an investment in our collective future, and it can help provide a way out of New York State’s economic crisis. There are limits, however, to what we can do on our own. To implement UB 2020 fully, we need two things. First, we need long-term and stable investments committed to the university. Second, we need changes in state regulatory laws that currently restrict UB’s ability to engage in modern business practices.
Indeed, we need the help of alumni and university friends everywhere to support a commonsense platform to reform these regulatory laws. Doing so will unshackle our university and give UB the momentum needed to realize our great potential. For the coming year, we are pursuing a series of sound and prudent policy reforms that will allow UB to continue making progress during challenging times.
These low-cost, high-impact reforms include measures that will allow us greater flexibility in the use of our land and in making purchasing and contract decisions, as well as a rational tuition strategy for New York’s public colleges and universities. These reforms would ultimately save millions for the taxpayer. Furthermore, they would allow us to pursue the goals of UB 2020 far more quickly, greatly extending the university’s reach and impact in the process.
When fully implemented, we foresee UB 2020 creating 10,000 new jobs and increasing UB’s $1.5 billion current annual economic impact to $2.6 billion. A vital element of the UB 2020 vision is the creation of a worldclass Academic Health Center that would bring 13,000 more faculty, students and staff to downtown Buffalo, and have a global impact on life sciences research and discovery.
Your help and your support as dedicated alumni will continue to be critical to our success. Heartfelt thanks to the thousands of you who have already committed your energy to this effort by joining UB Believers. If you have not already joined this broad coalition of UB advocates, I hope you’ll consider doing so now by registering at www.buffalo.edu/community.
Thank you for joining UB as we seek to extend our reach and deepen our impact both near and far.
Will you join us?
John B. Simpson, President
University at Buffalo
UB in the News
New York Times
SUNY weighs the value of Division I sports
An article in the New York Times looks at the advantages and disadvantages SUNY schools have encountered as they upgrade their athletic programs to compete with other major public institutions at the Division I level. UB is mentioned as having led the way to Division I in 1991 and the football team played a bowl game for the first time in January, but the path has not been as smooth for other SUNY campuses. The article quotes former UB president William H. Greiner and UB athletic director Warde Manuel.
New York Times
UB photographer says a rephotograph lifts the illusion that time stops
UB's Doug Levere, photographer in University Communications, is quoted in a New York Times article about the changing urban landscape of New York City.
USA Today
Government downsizing may result in a dangerous concentration of power, expert says
An article in USA Today about efforts in Western New York to downsize local governments and the wave of national frustration over big government that was illustrated this year by raucous town-hall style meeting over health care reports a study by UB's Regional Institute concluded that if every municipality in Erie County cut two legislators, the savings would be "negligible," less than $4 per person a year in most cases. The article quotes Kathryn Foster, director of the Regional Institute.