Celebration of Academic Excellence 2023

Good afternoon—and welcome to UB’s annual Celebration of Student Academic Excellence!

Thank you all for joining us for this wonderful occasion.

And to today’s student honorees—Congratulations!

As a university community, we are so proud of all you’ve accomplished and excited to recognize your wonderful achievements. You are truly among UB’s most talented and ambitious students.

As today’s celebration demonstrates you are making the most of your UB experience by pushing the boundaries of scholarly research, broadening your perspectives, making new discoveries, and, ultimately, accomplishing what you set out to do through dedication and hard work.

That is why this has always been one of my favorite university traditions. I greatly enjoy speaking with our students about their work and ambitions for the future.

Provost Weber and I were delighted to do just that while visiting the student research and creative work showcase earlier this afternoon.

I am delighted to see how our students are taking full advantage of UB’s myriad opportunities.

Whether through their laboratory work, clinical experiences, internships, or creative expression, our students constantly seek to solve problems from new angles. It is this spirit of curiosity, innovation and purpose that brings out the best in our students.

As a result, our students are increasingly receiving prestigious honors and awards. Which clearly means that our students are having a positive impact on their field of study—and on society!

Congratulations to our undergraduate and graduate students for embodying UB’s mission of excellence.

I would also like to acknowledge and congratulate our faculty mentors for tapping our students’ full potential, and for guiding their scholarly development. As we prepare the next generation of scholars to tackle the challenges of today—and tomorrow—it is truly rewarding to see our students reach this meaningful point in their journey.

Please join me in applauding our outstanding students, as well as the dedicated faculty mentors and staff who have supported them in their pursuits.

Congratulations, again, to our honorees. I wish you all the best for much continued success!