Sesqui at high point: Planners bring major events to campus

By CHRISTINE VIDAL
Reporter Editor

The celebration has required the long, patient and thoughtful efforts of many people, particularly the co-chairs: Barbara Bono, Carole Smith Petro and Claude Welch.

The duration of their involvement has differed somewhat, but they all agree: a tremendous amount of planning has gone into the sesquicentennial celebration.

Petro, associate vice president for University Services, has been co-chair of the Sesquicentennial Planning Committee since the group was appointed by President Greiner in October 1993. Thomas Headrick, then special counsel to the president, also was appointed co-chair, a position in which he served until he was named provost.

Bono, who also was appointed to the Sesquicentennial Planning Committee in 1993, and Welch were named co-chairs along with Petro when Headrick stepped down. Philip Wels, chair of the UB Council, is honorary chair.

While three years may have seemed like more than enough time to plan, there were a lot of details to be decided. "When you're planning three years out, there's a tendency to delay a little, but efforts really picked up steam about a year ago," Petro said.

The theme, Frontiers, was selected early on. A decision was made to concentrate the sesquicentennial activities around the university's fall convocation. And plans were made for the academic symposium.

"Carole had a strong sense of this," and focused on having the Western New York community become part of the sesquicentennial celebration, said Bono, associate professor of English.

For Bono and Welch, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Political Science, planning the intellectual aspects of the sesquicentennial, particularly the academic symposium, "Does the Body Matter," provided the greatest fulfillment.

"My goal was to make sure that the quality of UB's faculty work was represented, and the promise and future of this university were represented," said Bono.

It also was important that the symposium be interdisciplinary, bringing top-notch researchers and distinguished scholars to the university to attract faculty, staff and students from both the university community and throughout Western New York.

The three co-chairs made a special effort to get as many university departments as possible involved in the core celebration.

The decision was made to incorporate into the Sesquicentennial celebration on-going events such as the Distinguished Speakers Series, the university convocation, homecoming activities, the Linda Yalem Run, and other activities. Schools and departments were invited to put together special programs of their own as part of the core celebration. Seed money of up to $1,000 was set aside as matching funds to help departments organize the events.

"While there was not as much response as I'd hoped in the development of programs by individual departments and schools, said Welch, "those that did are of high quality."

The three co-chairs noted their appreciation for efforts throughout the university community that have brought the Sesquicentennial celebration together.

"The planning committee developed a framework for events, but most of the work was done by faculty, staff and students from all across the university," said Petro.

And now the co-chairs wait to begin the celebration and to enjoy the results of so much work by so many.

"Now the word is out and the banners and billboards are up. Awareness is growing and I think there is a lot of excitement and interest," said Petro.

"I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of people come onto campus and participate in the sesquicentennial. I think there's a lot of community interest," she said. "I hope the university community will come out for events. I think there will be more people from throughout Western New York on campus than there have been in a long time."

Welch noted that UB has survived threats to its survival early in its existence, the dramatic growth of the 1960s, and most recently the recalibration of goals. The sesquicentennial celebration is a tribute "to how far we've come, and how much we've improved," he said. "I hope it will provide a real balance sheet of what UB has accomplished, which has been extraordinary," said Welch.