PSA showcases UB’s outstanding faculty

Over the past several years, UB’s reputation has soared, as demonstrated through a continuous rise in the rankings, increased undergraduate enrollment and championship-winning athletic teams. One factor contributing to this upward trend is the ambitious identity and brand strategy launched in April 2016.

To further strengthen the university’s reputation, elevate brand awareness and continue to distinguish UB from its national peers, University Communications has created a new public service announcement (PSA) focused on the outstanding faculty that make UB an exceptional public university.

“We are very proud of what this new PSA represents,” says John DellaContrada, interim vice president for communications. “It features the work of some of our outstanding faculty from across the disciplines, and highlights their pursuit of new discoveries and new ways of engaging with the world.”

The PSA embodies the UB brand by showcasing the bold research and compelling creative activity that faculty pursue every day at UB, working closely with one another, with students and with the community. Viewers get an up-close look at UB’s mosaic of unconventional thinkers — researchers, scholars and artists who reach across the disciplines to push the boundaries of knowledge and creative expression, supported by the university’s enduring mission.

Michael Cain, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, says he is proud of the way the PSA highlights the groundbreaking pursuits of his faculty and showcases the new Jacobs School building. “Over the past several years, our school has focused on hiring top faculty, providing them with the best labs and ensuring their research benefits the community,” Cain says. “I’m pleased with how the PSA captures this in a dynamic way.”

A 30-second version is scheduled to debut Aug. 29 on ESPN+ during the broadcast of the UB football team’s first game of the season against Robert Morris University. It also will be shared on social media throughout the academic year.

“The PSA does a great job of highlighting the fact that many of our law school faculty have expertise in academic disciplines other than law, and they bring those insights into their legal research and teaching,” says Aviva Abramovsky, dean of the School of Law. “This enriches the classroom experience of UB law students beyond measure.”

Faculty who are featured in the PSA:

• Jean Kopperud, professor, Department of Music, College of Arts and Sciences.
• Paul Vanouse, professor, Department of Art, CAS, and director, Coalesce Center for Biological Art.
• Mark Shepard, associate professor, Department of Architecture, School of Architecture and Planning, and associate professor, Department of Media Study, CAS.
• Jack Tseng, assistant professor, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
• Bina Ramamurthy, research associate professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
• Kristin Poinar, assistant professor, Department of Geology, CAS.
• Irus Braverman, professor, School of Law, and adjunct professor, Department of Geography, CAS.
• David Milling, associate professor, Department of Medicine, and senior associate dean for student and academic affairs, Jacobs School.