Greiner addresses the voting faculty

By ANN WHITCHER
Reporter Contributor

In a talk that was by turns expansive and detailed, President William R. Greiner addressed the university's voting faculty at its annual meeting Tuesday in the Center for Tomorrow.

Following an introduction by Faculty Senate Chair Peter A. Nickerson, Greiner showed a slide of the university's logo and signature. Their consistent use, he said, is part of an effort to make the university better known nationally and internationally through a clear visual-identity system, much as UCLA is recognized everywhere and rarely confused with any other institution because of a profusion of logos or sobriquets.

On the topic of "Faculty Milestones," he noted the passings of Boris Albini of Microbiology, James C. Hansen of Counseling and Educational Psychology, David Benenson of Electrical Engineering and John Zahorjan of Industrial Engineering. He then pointed to a list of 66 faculty colleagues who retired or resigned in the past year.

Pointing out that UB's faculty hires in the past year are "high-caliber" individuals, Greiner went on to enumerate faculty promotions to full and associate professor. He then turned to faculty awards of note, adding that this necessarily selective list nonetheless demonstrates the scholarly vitality that exists across the disciplines. Singled out were Meghan Cope of Geography (National Science Foundation Career Grant), Carl Dennis of English (Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize), Charlene D. Gilbert of Media Study (Rockefeller Foundation and MacArthur Foundation Fellowships) and Susan Howe of English (American Academy of Poets' Board of Chancellors designation).

Also, Thomas E. Kierstead of History (National Humanities Center Fellow); George C. Lee of Engineering (American Society of Engineers' Newmark Medal), Deidre Lynch of English (Modern Language Association Prize for a First Book, also a National Humanities Center Fellowship) and Patricia Ohtake of Physical Therapy (Outstanding New Member, American Physical Therapy Association).

Recent "leadership appointments," the president said, include those of Elizabeth D. Capaldi as provost and professor of psychology, and Jaylan S. Turkkan as vice president for research, whose appointment will be effective Oct. 1. He described Dale M. Landi's new role as vice president for special projects and programs, adding that the university very much needs his special skills and "wise hand." Of special significance, Greiner added, are the decanal searches now under way in five schools: Architecture and Planning, Graduate School of Education, Health Related Professions, Dental Medicine and Information Studies.

Greiner then offered a capsule summary of the 1990s at UB. Although the decade brought "both good and bad news," it did yield many outstanding faculty appointments over the decade, nearly 600, in fact. During this time, as well, more than 80 Centers for Excellence were established. The interdisciplinary quality of such efforts as the Toshiba Stroke Research Center and the Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, is a good indicator of faculty vitality, he said.

Tracing the ebbs and flows of enrollment during the 1990s, Greiner praised the Office of Admissions for its successful campaigns of late. In particular, he cited Web-based applications, the opening of a New York City admissions office, the establishment of fall Preview Day, the launching of a marketing campaign and merit scholarships as factors instrumental in achieving these targets.

Retention of students also has improved substantially in recent years, the president asserted. He cited "UB 101" (a single-credit elective course to help first-year students learn more about a vast institution), Web-based academic services, improved academic counseling and advisement procedures, a wider variety of housing options and enhanced athletic and recreation programs as having made the difference at a critical juncture.

The 1990s saw "extremely generous" state support for such capital projects as the Center for the Arts, the Biomedical Research Building, the Natural Sciences Complex, UB Stadium and the Math Building-part of a total state investment for capital initiatives of more than $200 million.

Parallel with this development, Greiner said, were the privately financed projects of the decade, such as The Commons and especially the extensive-and popular-new student housing (Flickinger Court, Hadley Village and South Lake Village).

Complementing this development and also improving the quality of student life is the high priority being placed on technology and technology development. "Technology is highly featured here," Greiner said, adding that two-thirds of UB's students now arrive with a computer in hand; the university makes an effort to help the remaining third procure a PC, thus ensuring them access to the technology required for their academic success. He cited Yahoo's rating of UB as tied with UCLA for the 10th "most wired" school honors. Added to this technological fabric are such phenomena as the cybraries and the Center for Computational Research, which has "opened a world of possibilities" to so many in so many disciplines.

The downside to these auspicious developments, Greiner said, is the diminished state tax support, with tuition increases and philanthropy largely making up the difference, but not without a cost to the institution. Regrettably, in Greiner's view, the university overly depended on tuition to mitigate the diminished state tax support. Student fees were a mainstay during this period, Greiner reported. Against this backdrop, sponsored research was rather flat during the decade; this is "worrisome" to the president.

Turning to the university of 2000 and beyond, Greiner noted that "we're a comprehensive university with a big College of Arts and Sciences and a full panoply of professional schools." In terms of enrollment, UB is still relatively small given the scope and range of programs offered. It is imperative, he said, that the university maintain excellence both in the professional schools, where conditions are generally favorable, and in the humanities, where some thoughtful redefinition may be needed. The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is ripe for expansion; information science and social sciences need development, too, he said.

As for improving graduate education, it will be important to improve graduate-assistant stipends and to attract students "by redefining the master's degree as a honorable goal." Collaboration across the sciences will continue to be a key element of success, he said, especially in drug discovery and biomedical initiatives. UB is in good position to capitalize on its strength as a residential university with midwestern qualities, while continuing to develop distance-learning initiatives, such as the recently announced online MBA program offered by the School of Management.

While individual research will continue to be important, research at UB-to be truly successful-must emphasize center- and project-related efforts, such as digital arts, which could promise funding opportunities across the disciplines.

The university, Greiner said, will be much more aggressive in pursuing research-funding opportunities at both the state and federal levels.

The university also must enhance technology-transfer efforts, he said, as well as emphasize its standing as an intellectual and a financial engine for the region.

Also covered in the president's address were plans for a new Student Services Building, philanthropic opportunities and discussion of a Lee Road project, which, Greiner said, would collapse "the psychological distance" between the spine and the Ellicott Complex.