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Campus, community rally for UB
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David Dunn
Andrew Rudnick
Steven Fliesler
Roscoe Henderson
Katherine Frier
Lacey Duell
Plunging temperatures were no deterrent for the more than 200 members of the university and local communities who turned out Friday morning for a rally in support of UB inside the UB Downtown Gateway, the former M. Wile building, during which members of the Western New York delegation announced their support of a bill proposing changes in state law that would help UB and the local economy grow under UB 2020.
Those attending the rally ranged from UB faculty, staff and student to alumni and community members.
“This was a grand slam,” said David L. Dunn, vice president for health sciences. “It’s very clear that the entire delegation is behind this, that they understand that this is the biggest thing that’s going to happen to Western New York for a very long time, and that it’s going to significantly benefit everyone in the community.”
Also present at the rally was Andrew Rudnick, president and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership.
“The partnership, in the form of the business community, has made UB 2020 our top regional development priority, and now we’ve got our local elected officials to agree,” he said. “This regulatory reform piece is critical to UB’s economic impact, and doesn’t cost anybody a penny at a time when there are no pennies around.”
Christopher Decker, associate director of donor relations and stewardship, also pointed out the “no-cost, high-impact” nature of the proposals in the bill.
“I think that gives it a much greater chance of success, given these economic times,” he said.
Equally noteworthy for many was the potential impact of a prosperous UB on the people and communities of Buffalo and Western New York.
“The most important thing for me is the economic recovery of the Buffalo metropolitan region,” said Steven Fliesler, professor and vice-chair of research, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, noting that the goals of UB 2020, including promoting job creation and advanced education, are critical to stable, safe and prosperous communities.
“By supporting an educational basis for the community,” he said, “we’re going to make this a better place to live.”
Added Roscoe Henderson, B.A. ’92, Ed.M ’02, a Buffalo resident and UB alumnus: “I feel that the university could be very instrumental in helping Buffalo as a whole. The more efforts we have where there’s more of a coalition approach to these issues and concerns, the greater the chance of success.”
Terry Wegler, B.A. ’90, another UB alumnus and former member of the Alumni Association board, also talked about UB’s place at the intersection of educational excellence and economic growth.
“The tuition piece [of the proposal] is important for the students, but also [important] are the other pieces that will allow the university to grow,” she said. “Not only do we need to keep students in school with reasonable tuition, but we need jobs for them when they graduate—and UB 2020 holds great potential for that.”
Or, in the words of Katherine Frier, director of wellness and work/life balance, University Human Resources: “The UB 2020 plan is the best chance that my [12-year-old] son will be able to stay in a thriving Western New York.”
But for others, perhaps the most striking thing about the rally was simply the enthusiasm of the crowd, which burst into applause many times throughout the event.
“It was very emotional,” said Lacey Duell, a student in the Graduate School of Education. “I’m not from Western New York originally, and I was just surprised at how much support and community strength there was for this.”
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