2024 State of the University Address

And to our faculty, students and staff, I very much appreciate you being here today—just as I appreciate you being of service to our university every day. Because of you—our scholarly community, and our friends and partners—the state of our university is strong.

The performance we just enjoyed expresses our mission of excellence as an original artistic collaboration. But in manifold ways—in departments, units and offices across UB—excellence defines us, and surrounds us.

We see it in the rising number of national and international recognitions our faculty receive for scholarship, research, creative projects and clinical care, in the high caliber of our students’ academic work, and in the professional development our staff realize throughout their careers.

Research Expenditures, Scholarly Citations on the Rise

Let me speak first to our excellence in research and scholarship.

Consider what it would mean to families impacted by wildfires to have a better emergency management plan. Or, to the elderly if we could provide more keys to successful aging. Think about the effect on quality of life if people with spinal cord injuries regained control over their movement. How democracy might benefit from a keener understanding of the role of disagreement and free speech in open societies. The scores of lives that could be saved with a method to curb vaping among teenagers. Or an antidote to resistant bacteria.

Sponsored research expenditures are one measure of our excellence in research and scholarship. And, in this realm, the evidence points to us achieving new degrees of distinction. Indeed, two years ago, UB’s annual sponsored research expenditures had crossed the $200 million threshold. And today—I am delighted to report—those expenditures total $249 million!

But this is just one part of the story. What we do with the knowledge we master—the papers and books we author, the solutions we produce, the lives we improve: This is how our excellence bears fruit.

In terms of our faculty’s influence on their field, scholarly citations provide a telling metric. Here again, we are trending dramatically upward, with an increase of nearly 50% in just five years. With that data in mind, let me now tell you how we are expressing our research and scholarly excellence as impact.

At UB, we start by applying our standard of excellence to the defining problems of our day. Then, we put the knowledge we have gained, and the discoveries we have made, into practice. And then, we extend our innovations to those who would benefit most—at local, national, and global scales.

Some examples to illustrate my point. An opioid treatment program conceived at UB less than a decade ago has been replicated in three other states. UB researchers have built a free, open platform that enables people—from law enforcement officials to the general public—to discern authentic media from deep-fakes.

I’m sure you recall that members of our faculty helped revive Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a football game last year. Since then, we have leveraged the increased interest in CPR to train hundreds of Buffalonians to perform this life-saving technique. And, ultimately, we have a plan to reach 8,000 individuals in underserved neighborhoods.

This is the definition of servant leadership. Whether tackling classroom reforms for a nation in the grip of an education crisis, changing our understanding of the history of a modern art movement, addressing issues faced by caregivers in Western New York, or working to eradicate a disease affecting more than 300 million people worldwide, our faculty assume this role with the purest of intentions—to effect positive change for individuals and entire communities.

An AI Powerhouse

Home of Empire AI

As you can see, we are laser-focused on advancing responsible AI research and innovation. In recognition of our expertise, just last month, the Department of Education awarded UB $10 million to establish the Center for Early Literacy and Responsible AI. The AI tools forged in this new center will improve the reading skills of children from underserved communities.

But it’s not only the nation’s most competitive funding agencies that recognize our commitment to harness AI for social good. Earlier this year, Governor Kathy Hochul designated UB the home of the $400 million-dollar, public-private consortium, Empire AI. And, earlier this morning, Governor Hochul, along with SUNY Chancellor John King and the Empire AI consortium members returned to UB to announce the launch of Empire AI.

While today, only the private sector has the computing power needed to seriously advance AI research, Empire AI will put New York State at the epicenter of artificial intelligence innovation. This game-changing initiative will enable us to tap the full power of AI to solve complex issues facing our state, nation, and world. Alongside the social impact Empire AI will make, it will help us build tomorrow’s workforce and expand business and industry in our region and state.

In addition, UB is a leader in a federally designated tech hub that has been awarded $40 million through the CHIPS & Science Act. With this funding, our Tech Hub will transform the region into a nexus of semiconductor manufacturing, research and education. UB, in particular, will improve the region’s supply chain for semiconductors and microchips, and link suppliers to new customers. In this way, we will help strengthen the specialized workforce in our region and beyond. We are proud of the meaningful ways we are contributing to the ongoing resurgence of Western New York.

Over the past 10 years, more than half of the UB technologies we licensed were to local companies. In that time, we have provided mentorship, training, and funding to scores of entrepreneurs on their path to the marketplace. Like a clothing start-up, co-founded by an alumnus, that recently partnered with Mattel on a collection celebrating inclusivity, a local manufacturer commercializing conductive copper developed at UB, an online platform used by 800 realtors across Western New York, and a biotech venture whose new shingles vaccine
is in phase 1 clinical trials.

Through the integrated efforts of so many at UB, we are making a measurable impact on regional prosperity and vitality. In fact, in the last three years alone, we supported more than 1,400 industry partnerships and helped create 1,700 jobs!

Historic Building Boom

Whether in our CoLab—which emboldens students to build companies—or our Incubator at CBLS—where we provide working space to start-ups—UB’s entrepreneurial infrastructure sets the stage for us to channel excellence into impact. Indeed, across all our endeavors, UB’s built environment serves as the physical manifestation of our stature as a premier public research university. In accordance with our master plan, we continue to reimagine the spaces where our scholarly community studies, learns and advances their goals.

Over the past academic year, we celebrated the renovation of Crosby Hall, the hub of our architecture students’ studio experience. And, this year, our student-athletes are elevating their game in the brand-new Brittany Murchie Mulla Sports Performance Center!

That is just the beginning! Over the next 10 years, UB will embark on one of the most significant periods of growth and modernization in our history. In addition to a dedicated supercomputing center for Empire AI, signature projects include Russell L. Agrusa Hall, a new engineering building for student innovation and leadership; an interdisciplinary research building to foster greater collaboration among our UB scientists; an “AI and Society” building that will harness the power of multi-disciplinary research; a new home for UB’s singular collection of James Joyce materials; and renovations to Foster Hall as the future home of the Graduate School of Education, and to Parker Hall as the future home of the School of Social Work.

All told, these and many more projects planned or underway amount to a $1.64 billion investment in our living-learning environment!

Record-Setting Boldly Buffalo Campaign Ends

I would like to acknowledge Governor Hochul and our Western New York state delegation for their enduring advocacy on our university’s behalf. I would also like to thank our alumni, friends, and scholarly community who generously support our built environment, along with all our ambitions. Each of you recognizes UB’s excellence, and our potential to make a profound impact on our students and our broader society.

In recent months, your investment in UB has established professorships in the School of Management and in Korean Studies. You have helped students with financial need achieve their dream of becoming physicians. You have gifted precious works of art to our Galleries. You have endowed scholarships in the School of Law, and the School of Public Health and Health Professions. And, you have helped connect engineering students with industry partners. Thanks to your conviction in our mission, we officially closed UB’s Boldly Buffalo campaign after raising a record $1.1 billion!

Students Making a Difference—Locally and Globally

Staff's Exceptional Support Bolsters Mission

I couldn’t be prouder of our students for putting their precious knowledge to its best use. They deserve enormous credit for seizing the opportunity to make a difference, just as our broader scholarly community deserves credit for putting our students at the heart of everything we do.

I’m speaking about our faculty, who teach and mentor our students—but, in equal measure, to our staff, who help guide our students every step of the way. Behind every award recipient is a staff member shepherding that student through the application. Behind every science lab is a support technician who has methodically laid out the experiment. Behind every classroom is a project manager whose designs inspire collaboration and the exchange of ideas. And, not to be outdone, behind every satisfied appetite is a team of campus chefs creating 30,000 delicious meals every day!

By providing exceptional support and service to our students and faculty, our professional staff form the backbone of UB. Please join me in a round of applause to show our appreciation for our terrific UB staff. Thank you!

Extending UB's Global Reach

During my address, I have shared several examples of UB’s global impact. Now, let me address our global reach.

We have long been known as a top destination for international students. And this academic year has been no exception, as we welcomed students from 109 countries to UB. In July, we celebrated the 20^th anniversary of UB’s undergraduate programs at the Singapore Institute of Management—the longest partnership of its kind in that country.

Furthermore, in the last year, we formalized research and academic partnerships with universities in Vietnam, South Korea, India, and the West Indies, bringing the total number of such global alliances to 115. Based on the historic implications of our established collaborations, we have great confidence in the potential of our newest partnerships.

To illustrate my point, let me share the history of one of our longstanding international friendships. In 1991, UB’s School of Management helped establish a business school at Riga Technical University in Latvia. Riga Business School was the very first U.S.-style business school in the Baltic states following independence from the Soviet Union.And ever since, UB has partnered with our Latvian colleagues.

As a result, today, Riga Business School graduates are contributing significantly to one of Europe’s most dynamic start-up environments.

You know, if you drop a pin just about anywhere on a map—Greenland, Peru, South Africa—you will find our scholars resolving complexities, shaping policies and activating for the collective good. I hope you are as proud as I am to be part of a scholarly community whose drive to make a difference knows no borders.

Remaining True to Values of Equity, Social Justice

Of course, if we expect our students to accelerate global progress into the future, we must prepare them today to take up the mantle. To that end, we must perpetually attune our curriculum to the challenges on the horizon.

We must provide ever-more experiential opportunities hinged to professional development and success. And we must continue to meet at the intersection of disciplines and perspectives to help bring about social justice and equitable reforms.

It has been little over a year since the Supreme Court restricted the ability of colleges and universities to use race-conscious admission policies. With the first college-admissions cycle behind us, the results are mixed. Some institutions are reporting a decline in first-year students from historically under-represented backgrounds. Others report little difference in the composition of their first-year class over previous years.

At this early stage, it would be futile to try to tease out the precise effect the Supreme Court’s decision is having on admissions. For one, we must consider other variables, including glitches with FAFSA, that deterred students from applying to college.

That said, I am pleased to report that, overall, the number of historically underrepresented UB students continues to increase year-over-year. At UB, we remain steadfast in our commitment to build upon our culture of equity so all members of our scholarly community can thrive.

This commitment is evident in our academic programs, where we just launched an Indigenous studies major and an elective on social work in the Black community. It is evident in our university-wide programming, like this week’s teach-in on the election. And, it is evident in the work of the Faculty Senate and my President’s Advisory Council on Race, who are collaborating to ensure that our appointment, tenure and promotion policies are inclusive.

Impact Through Excellence