This past November, I had the honor of delivering my first State of the University address, reflecting on our shared vision for the future as we position UB for even greater leadership and impact as a premier research university. I remarked that as we pursue this ambitious vision, we need to think collaboratively and holistically about our priorities, and we need to focus on what unites us under a common purpose.
That purpose is really very simple—it is to make the world around us a better place through our ideas, our discoveries, and our contributions.
Our extended university family is spread out across the nation and around the world. Our family spans multiple generations and many continents. We represent a rich and wonderful diversity of interests, backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise. But we are all UB.
Over the course of the past year, we have had many reminders—both sobering and uplifting—of the profound importance of our connectedness with the world around us, and of the shared ties that bind us across time and distance. Together, we have mourned with the rest of the nation over the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. We have joined the global community in facing widespread challenges like military conflict, economic hardship, and depleted natural resources. And we have also celebrated far happier moments with friends and colleagues around the world, such as the revolutionary breakthroughs in the search for the Higgs boson subatomic particle, in which several UB physicists have played a role.
Throughout the course of these events, our faculty continue to lend their voices and intellectual leadership to help shape the global conversation about the issues and concerns shaping our 21st century world. And our scholars, students, and alumni play an active leadership role in responding to them.
One profound example is provided by the Hurricane Sandy disaster, whose effects continue to be felt even as I write this message. UB is home to approximately 5,100 students from New York City, Long Island, and New Jersey, as well as thousands of alumni in these areas. Many of these alumni, students, and their families have been impacted by the disaster. In the wake of the superstorm, our UB community worldwide came together in solidarity and support for those dealing with its aftermath. For example, a group of UB Nursing students traveled downstate to Long Island to help care for those impacted by the disaster. Among other volunteer efforts, UB worked with the American Red Cross to organize blood drives and to and distribute food, clothing, and other items to those in need.
All of these efforts are an outstanding example of our UB family’s deep engagement in our broader communities—locally as well as globally. As alumni, you play a vital role in sustaining this impact. Thank you, as always, for all that you do in support of UB’s contributions to the public good.
