UB’s distinctive vision becoming a reality, Tripathi reports in university address

Reviewing a year highlighted by breakthroughs in research, creation of cutting-edge academic programs, national awards and a major philanthropic milestone, Satish K. Tripathi told members of the UB community, alumni and friends, “Together, we have achieved incredible things.”

UB’s president went on to say, during his fourth State of the University Address, “Our plans are ambitious, and they continue to be so. And the world has taken notice.”

Speaking on Friday in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall on the North Campus, Tripathi outlined high points of a year filled with progress and accomplishments made by faculty, staff and students that are transforming UB, as well as the regional, local and global communities served by the university.

Read the full text of Tripathi’s speech.

He began by highlighting recent research and achievements by UB faculty:

• Major breakthroughs came in areas ranging from HIV research and human rights scholarship, to climate change and educational policy.
• UB faculty and alumni were honored with national awards for their work and artistic performances ranging from an Academy Award to a Pulitzer Prize to   mentorship in STEM fields.
• Creation of a transformational General Education curriculum, to be launched next fall, for UB undergraduates — unique within the context of a major research university environment.

Tripathi said UB has added 86 exceptional new faculty to the university’s ranks of leading scholars across the disciplines. He pointed out that, led by the mentorship of the university’s outstanding faculty, UB students also broke new ground, receiving such important recognition as Goldwater and Fulbright scholarships, and contributing to research that is having a powerful impact locally, nationally and globally.

“A UB student’s research has expanded global access to clean drinking water,” Tripathi told the audience.

“Another project with potentially significant global impact: a solar-powered home designed by a UB faculty/student team. The team is in Southern California now, competing in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition.”

Tripathi said UB is proud of its continued rise in the national collegiate rankings. He noted that an even greater testament to UB’s stature is measured by UB’s Association of American Universities’ standing and the university’s leadership in National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health research consortia.

“UB has received a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health, bringing our UB-led consortium into an elite national tier,” he said.

Additionally, UB accepted the 2015 Association for Clinical and Translational Science Team Science Award on behalf of the Women’s Health Initiative.

Tripathi said last month UB celebrated a historic milestone with the first named school in the university’s history — the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffal0 — a testament to the key role of philanthropy in advancing UB’s mission of excellence.

Tripathi stated that while UB’s size, stature and scope come with great opportunities, they also come with unique challenges:

• How to continue expanding UB’s research and educational efforts in an environment of constricting resources.
• How to ensure the university’s undergraduate students feel connected to the research enterprise.
• How to create a sense of community that connects all members of the UB community across disciplinary, cultural and ideological borders.

Tripathi noted that this past month, the last challenge in particular was very much in the collective consciousness of the UB community in the wake of a controversial student art project that has sparked debate across the university.

“As a university community, we have been able to take this difficult conversation and evolve it into an opportunity for constructive and sustained dialogue,” Tripathi said.

“We are discussing how to negotiate the boundaries of freedom of expression within an inclusive and open academic community; how to foster a campus that is safe and welcoming for all; and through our new general education initiative, exploring new ways to approach race, ethnicity and cultural difference in the academic curriculum.”

Tripathi reported that since the beginning of the UB 2020 initiative the university has invested carefully and thoughtfully in institutional transformations that will allow UB to expand its scope and reach even further.

“We continue to invest in enhancing our research enterprise by building faculty expertise and fostering a culture of scholarly collaboration so we can better address the key challenges facing our world,” he said.

“We have invested in transforming our educational experience by creating dynamic learning and research communities that bring classroom learning to life and provide a truly global perspective. And we have invested in the physical environment that supports our entire university community.”

Tripathi told the audience that, over the past few years, with the support of elected leadership across the region and state, the NYSUNY 2020 program has enabled UB to invest directly in students’ education.

“Through NYSUNY 2020, we have invested even further in opening the door to educational excellence — ensuring a world-class UB education is affordable for students with financial need.

“I am proud to say that from 2011 to 2015, in total, over $35 million in aid was awarded to UB TAP recipients — on average, over 7,000 grants were awarded to UB students each year.”

Tripathi also noted that the university invests in student success through initiatives such as the Finish in Four program, ensuring that UB students have the courses and advisement they need to graduate on time.

“More and more of the best and brightest faculty and students want to be part of the energy and excitement we have created at the University at Buffalo. And with this, we are experiencing growing demand that is translating to rising enrollment yields.”

Tripathi added that, as a result, UB is exploring the idea of an increase of 2,000 students in the university’s enrollment over a five-year period.

Tripathi told the members of the university community that UB is breaking new ground and expanding its impact. He said UB is pushing the boundaries further, embarking on the next phase of its interdisciplinary research paradigm.

“With the leadership of our provost, deans and faculty across the disciplines, we have launched the Communities of Excellence initiative,” Tripathi said.

“These research and education-centric communities bring faculty, staff and students together in key areas of focus — pioneering advanced manufacturing solutions; transforming how we diagnose, treat and prevent human disease based on genomic research; and expanding global access to the world’s vital resources, especially health care, food and water — revolutionizing how we think about and respond to some of the most urgent questions facing our world today.”

Tripathi said UB is focused on its role as an anchor in the communities it serves. Relocating the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences from UB’s South Campus to the Downtown Campus will enable the medical school to serve as the centerpiece for an Academic Health Center that is bringing the region’s health care, clinical research and medical education assets into alignment.

He went on to say that the medical school’s move will allow the next phase of UB’s public mission to come to life: the revitalization of the historic South Campus and the impact that action will have on the bordering neighborhoods and communities.

“Our long-range physical master plan seeks to align our academic programs where they have greatest impact,” Tripathi said.

“As part of this plan, we aim to bring the graduate schools of education and social work to the South Campus, embedding 1,500 engaged faculty, staff and graduate students in the community.

“Our plan takes place in two phases: First, we plan to renovate two historic UB buildings — Townsend Hall and then Parker Hall, which will become home to the School of Social Work.

“In the second phase, it is our goal to move the Graduate School of Education, as well as to create a Professional Education Center that will be home to our economic development efforts.”

Tripathi concluded his remarks by stating that the university’s vision is not just for UB, but for the entire Western New York region.

“Bringing the resources to bear to make this vision a reality will take much work and our continued partnership with our regional and state leadership.

“We have overcome significant challenges and undoubtedly there will be more to come.

“But together, we have created a bright future for ourselves.

“And we are just getting started.”