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UB Partners Day strikes a chord
Kenneth Adams, left, president and CEO of Empire State Development, talks with Marsha Henderson, vice president for external affairs, and President Satish K. Tripathi at UB Partners Day. Photo: DOUGLAS LEVERE
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“You really are advancing something that’s very powerful and increasingly is seen as a model for the rest of the state.”
New York state’s new economic development czar last week lauded UB officials and the local businesses and agencies that partner with the university, saying that such collaborative efforts are key to strengthening the area’s economy.
Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of Empire State Development, New York’s lead economic agency, was the keynote speaker at this year’s UB Partners Day luncheon, held June 3 in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.
The yearly event showcases how UB partners with industry, government and nonprofit organizations to benefit Buffalo Niagara’s economy. It includes more than a dozen workshops, as well as exhibits, highlighting how UB can collaborate with local businesses and nonprofits.
During his 35-minute address, Adams praised President Satish K. Tripathi for his leadership as he stewards a reshaped UB 2020. The latest initiative focuses on relocating UB’s medical school to the downtown Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
“You really are advancing something that’s very powerful and increasingly is seen as a model for the rest of the state,” said Adams, who in addition to heading ESD is also commissioner of the state’s Department of Economic Development.
In his remarks, Tripathi said UB remains committed to working with its community partners to create a thriving knowledge-based economy in Western New York. “In many ways, this initiative is grounded in the kind of innovative partnership we celebrate today at this event,” he said.
Tripathi noted the university’s plans to move the medical school downtown, where it can more effectively work with its partners in the medical field. He said such endeavors are critical to growing the local economy, and that similar initiatives have worked well in other cities.
“We’ve all been inspired by the renaissance of other Rust Belt cities that have successfully partnered their university health centers with area hospitals, research partners and high-tech businesses and industries to build a thriving life sciences economy,” Tripathi said, speaking specifically of Pittsburgh.
Adams said it’s no secret that New York needs to take advantage of its 64 SUNY institutions and the approximately 150 other private and independent colleges and universities in the Empire State to make its economy mightier.
“This is an asset across the state of colleges, universities and research facilities on those campuses that few states, if any, can compare with,” he said, adding later, “That has to be seen as a driver of economic development.”
Adams touched on four other principles, supported by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, that he said will guide his leadership at Empire State Development. He said his agency must:
- Reduce the state’s high business costs and find ways to reduce the burdens that make for a challenging business climate. This includes lowering taxes, enacting overall reforms and reducing regulations, he said.
- Focus on the needs of small and mid-sized businesses. Large-scale projects, such as Buffalo’s Canal Side development, are important, but there are many more small businesses across the state that have a wider impact on New York’s economy, Adams said. “We’ve got to create conditions so that small business owners have a new level of confidence in doing business in New York state,” he said.
- And make “a much more serious commitment” to minority and women-owned business development.
The Partners Day luncheon kicked off with Interim Provost Harvey G. Stenger Jr. presenting three awards.
The Vital Partner Award is the highest honor bestowed on a company by UB and honors companies that have especially strong partnerships with the university. M&T Bank is this year’s winner.
Bank President Mark J. Czarnecki accepted the award. M&T was lauded for its collaborations with UB, which have included funding for arts programs, fellowships and endowed faculty positions, among other efforts.
The University Community Partners Award recognizes the collaborations of faculty or staff members and their community partners whose projects improve the area while advancing UB’s mission. This year’s honorees are Laurene Tumiel-Berhalter, an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Jericho Road Ministries.
They are the primary partners in a $1 million study to improve cancer screening in minorities with multiple diseases.
The UB Faculty Entrepreneur Award was given to Thenkurussi “Kesh” Kesavadas and Khurshid A. Guru, co-founders of Simulated Surgical Systems. They developed robot-assisted surgical simulators designed to reduce surgical errors while making robot-assisted surgical education more economically feasible.
Kesavadas is director of UB’s Virtual Reality Lab, and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Guru is director of robotic surgery at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
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