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Capaldi tells PSS UB will have a friend in Albany
By DONNA BUDNIEWSKI
Reporter Assistant Editor
UB will have a staunch supporter in Albany when she begins her new job as SUNY vice chancellor and Chancellor Robert L. King's chief of staff, Provost Elizabeth D. Capaldi told the Professional Staff Senate during the group's meeting on Oct. 23.
Capaldi was upbeat, frank and witty as she joked about the details of moving from UB to Albany, of finding a house suitable for her growing family of dogs and coming to grips with the absence of a Wegman's grocery store in the capital region.
She said she is looking forward to her new role as King's chief of staff—set to begin sometime in January pending approval by the SUNY Board of Trustees in December—and sprinkled her formal comments, entitled "UB in Buffalo, the State, the Nation and the World," with assurances that she will remain a supportive advocate of the university.
Senators responded with warm and appreciative comments regarding her tenure as UB's first female provost, noting the significant gains she has made for the university.
Capaldi also is anxious to maintain her ties to professorial life—she'll retain academic appointments at both UB and the University at Albany. "I've never not been on a campus," she said, joking that she doesn't want to spend her entire life in the SUNY plaza, where the system's administrative offices are located.
While UB's reputation in Buffalo and outside the U.S. is renowned, the university must do more to compete nationally with similar public research institutions—in short, she said, "We've got to get bigger to compete nationally. Our faculty, staff and students are as good as the big guys, but big is good in higher education."
Growth doesn't mean sacrificing quality either, she said, pointing to UB's recent gains in attracting the best-prepared and largest incoming freshman class in its history.
Although SUNY is the largest public higher education system in the country, New York State has prized its private colleges and universities above public institutions of higher education. Yet, Capaldi noted, UB is "hugely important in the (SUNY) system and in the state."
"New York is a leader in the country and in the world-it's a very powerful state; it puts us in a position of influence," she said.
Here at home, too, UB is a priority for Erie County and Buffalo, she pointed out, hinting that the whole notion of "town-gown" was a false construct. "Where do they think we live? We're an integral part of the community," she said.
She emphasized the region's commitment to UB as being key to its future as a major economic player, now and 10 years down the road.
"Buffalo loves UB. I don't know that we know that at UB—they've been hugely supportive of all of our activities," she said.
UB's greatest reputation and greatest area of influence is its global reach, explained Capaldi. "SUNY is a very prestigious name brand in China. We were there early and they know we're good," she said, noting that UB ranks in the top 10 nationally in the numbers of international students it enrolls.
Capaldi expressed sincere affection for UB, thanking the senators for their support. "I really am a friend in Albany."