If you’ve visited campus lately or have been following your alma mater in the news, you know that this is a time of tremendous energy and momentum at UB. Across the university, we are investing in faculty and student excellence, and in creating the 21st century campus climate to support a premier research university.
With the recruitment of internationally renowned scholars across the disciplines, our core of outstanding faculty continues to grow in size and stature, led by our new Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Charles “Chip” Zukoski, a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This fall, we again welcome the most academically talented undergraduate class in UB history. Our students are competing with increasing success for major national honors like Fulbright, Udall, and Goldwater scholarships.
And in just over a year, UB has opened five major facilities that support educational excellence and research innovation. All are LEED-designed buildings earning national attention as models of sustainable architecture. On the North Campus, UB has opened William R. Greiner Residence Hall, an eco-friendly living and learning environment; Barbara and Jack Davis Hall, a state-of-the-art new home for our engineering school; and an innovative solar array that will generate enough renewable energy to power hundreds of student apartments per year.
On the South Campus, a world-class pharmacy building opens this month, and major renovations are underway for historic structures like the iconic Hayes Hall clock tower. Downtown, the medical school is planning for its new home, where it will be strategically aligned with area hospitals and research partners. In May, with Kaleida Health Systems, we opened a joint health sciences facility that will include UB’s innovative Clinical Translational Research Center, also featured in this issue.
More progress is on the horizon. Next fall we will open the new home of the Educational Opportunity Center downtown. And plans are moving forward with our newly designated New York State Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics—a research center that will establish UB as a worldwide hub for the discovery and commercialization of new materials.
All of this exciting progress adds up to a research university that is clearly on the move, and making a profound impact. We are on a steadily accelerating trajectory of excellence as we pursue our long-range vision, UB 2020. This vision is not just about UB’s future —it’s about creating a better future for all the communities we serve, locally and globally. It’s about providing our students with the very best education, and it’s about providing our communities with cutting-edge research and clinical care. It’s about providing solutions and strategies for addressing the critical social, technological, and cultural challenges of our time.
These are outcomes of vital importance to our alumni, and your achievements and success as UB graduates will position you to impact your alma mater for generations to come. Your engagement helps create life-changing opportunities—for our university, for our communities, and for the students of today and tomorrow.