Published January 5, 2022
Dear university community:
I am delighted to share that Gov. Kathy Hochul has designated UB a flagship university of the SUNY system.
This significant designation—which Gov. Hochul announced during today’s State of the State address—underscores UB’s reputation as a premier public research university, recognizing both our vital leadership in public higher education and our steadfast commitment to bring the benefits of our research, clinical care and education to the region, state, nation and world.
A flagship university sets the standard to which other institutions aspire, so we all have reason to take great pride in today’s announcement. Indeed, the excellence and reputation of a public flagship university attract and retain the world’s best faculty and students, elevating the educational experience as a whole, bringing an influx of national and global talent to the region and state, securing federal investments in academic research that tackles pressing societal problems, and catalyzing growth and innovation across business and industry.
Although UB has long been considered a de facto flagship of the SUNY system, the formal designation positions us for even greater success. Specifically, it serves to further our contributions to the system and to the economic and cultural vibrancy of the region, state and nation by, in part, enhancing our ability to attract even more federal research funding and recruit the very best faculty and students.
As a member of the prestigious AAU since 1989, UB is recognized as one of the leading research universities in the nation and world. Today’s designation cements our reputation as a preeminent center of learning, scholarship and discovery and reaffirms our commitment to providing educational access and a transformative educational experience to talented and ambitious students from diverse backgrounds.
As we seek to situate UB among the nation’s top 25 public research universities, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Gov. Hochul for this flagship designation, which acknowledges the many ways that we have built our reputation as a premier research-intensive university. Of course, this is an ongoing endeavor that could not flourish without the engaged participation of our faculty, students and staff. It is so rewarding to be a part of such a dedicated scholarly community, and I thank all of you for your impactful contributions to our mission of excellence.
Finally, I would like to extend my congratulations to our colleagues at Stony Brook University for earning the flagship distinction as well. I look forward to our continued research and scholarly collaborations as New York State’s flagship universities.
Sincerely,
Satish K. Tripathi
President
