Celebration of Academic Excellence 2024

Greetings, and welcome to UB’s Celebration of Student Academic Excellence!

I am delighted to be with you to pay tribute to the hard work and achievements of our outstanding students!

To all our honorees joining us today—Congratulations!

Your accomplishments are the result of your tireless dedication to your scholarly pursuits. I know all of us here today are so proud to see you receive this much-deserved recognition. You represent some of UB’s most talented and ambitious students, and we are delighted to honor your commitment to the highest ideals of our university.

As president of UB, I am always excited to see the impactful ways our students contribute to our university’s mission of scholarly excellence.

Provost Weber and I had the opportunity to do just that while visiting the student research and creative work showcase earlier this afternoon. We spent time speaking with our students, who discussed their field of interest, and how pushing the boundaries of scholarly research has led them to exciting discoveries.

As I chatted with our students, it was clear to me that they are taking full advantage of their UB experience. Whether in laboratory experiments, clinical experiences, internships, or creative expression, our students constantly seek to solve problems from new angles.

At every stage of their education, they are not only eager to better understand the world; they are determined to contribute meaningfully to it.

In the troubling times in which we live, our students’ determination to thoughtfully and peacefully work toward the betterment of society is to commended. Their spirit of curiosity, innovation and purpose defines our students—just as it defines academic excellence.

The recognitions that bring them to stage today speak to the difference they’re making in their discipline— and in our world!

To conclude, I would also like to acknowledge our faculty mentors for tapping our students’ full potential, and for guiding their scholarly progress.

As we prepare the next generation of scholars to tackle the challenges of today—and tomorrow—it is so rewarding to see our students reach this high 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 all our honorees.

I wish you all the best for much continued success!