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Greiner's address to voting faculty notes accomplishments, offers challenges for the future
By DONNA LONGENECKER
Reporter Assistant Editor
President William R. Greiner's final address to the voting faculty on Tuesday was a straightforward message to the university community extolling the virtues of financial, academic and entrepreneurial self-reliance.
While the economic outlook may be grim for many colleges and universities, UB's fiscal policy and efforts to retain its tuition have paid off, Greiner said, and the university remains a vibrant, maturing institution.
Yet, for every accomplishment noted, he offered suggestions for improvement and a challenging wish list for the future.
Many of the gains Greiner described have been long in the making. At times, he reflected on the decades of work—before his tenure as president—toward goals that are only now coming to fruition. Moreover, plans that he, as president, and other members of the administration formulated five and 10 years ago also are just beginning to see the light of day.
Greiner told members of the university community that he enjoyed addressing the voting faculty, viewing it as an opportunity to reconnect with the past. His focus on Tuesday, however, was squarely on the future of the university.
Among the recent accomplishments that Greiner highlighted was the hiring of 85 new, full-time faculty members. He explained that high numbers of retirees would continue to be a factor driving the appointment of new faculty over the next several years.
Research funding continues to climb dramatically, he reported, with federal allocations up 28 percent, to $239.7 million in 2002—an increase of $32.2 million over the previous year—and the number of $1 million awards jumping from 22 in 2001 to 35 in 2002.
Reviewing graduate and undergraduate enrollment figures for this fall, Greiner noted that the incoming freshman class is the largest in UB's history—at 3,592 members—and earned the highest mean SAT score in the university's history, averaging 1164. Retention rates for freshmen are at 87 percent and continue to improve, he noted.
UB's yield rate—the number of students accepting offers—mirrors that of top public universities, which is unique among SUNY institutions, he added. "We've done a better job of matching the aptitude and interests of our students with our faculty," Greiner said. Graduate enrollment is up 25 percent over the past five years, from 7,707 in 1998 to 9,436 this fall.
The university continues to expand its reach beyond New York State, pushing for more geographic diversity among students so that UB more closely resembles the Big Ten universities that Greiner and others in the administration see as the model for this institution, he explained.
International enrollments are at an all time high as well, despite recent changes in immigration laws, which he credited to the hard work and persistence of the Office of International Education.
He praised the "students first" initiatives of the Division of Student Affairs that have resulted in consolidated services and improved "one-stop" shopping for students, enhancing the overall quality of life on campus. Housing initiatives also have improved the overall feel of the North Campus, which is no longer deserted after 5 p.m.
Although final "Generation to Generation" capital campaign totals won't be made public until tomorrow, Greiner said about 80,000 donors—over half of whom are first-time givers—contributed to the campaign, which bodes well for future giving.
"The best donors are people who have already given you money," he said, noting that fund-raising is a perpetual endeavor, with campaigns serving as bookends. During this campaign, UB received 68 seven-figure gifts, "more than we've ever gotten before," he said.
"Looking ahead, I think a reasonable working goal for the next campaign is $500 million. I think we've done well in this campaign with smallish gifts and some very substantial, significant gifts at the million-dollar level," he said. "Next time around, we need a bunch of gifts at the eight-figure level—that's the way other campuses do it. Developing the major gift framework is a major next step for the institution," as is improving annual giving, he said.
"Annual giving has to be better at this campus. Annual giving is the base upon which you build your long-term giving. I know that other institutions do much better in terms at annual giving."
Another area of concern for Greiner is the relationship of "alumni and friends" to UB. "(They) have to feel an ownership of the institution if they're going to be supportive of it," he said. "That's an agenda item I've never quite got fully along."
He also called for more political involvement among UB Council and Foundation members. "We still haven't gotten a volunteer group of council members, foundation members that is fully and politically engaged-that will be another maturing step for the institution."
Greiner praised the university's investment in Internet technology, pointing out that a university isn't measured by how many books are in its libraries, but rather by the ease of accessibility of information. The power of IT networking lies in cooperation and consolidation, which is a model of how the university should accomplish its goals, he said. "If there's one thing to come out of the 20th century that is a powerful, powerful notion, it is the notion of the network" and how much it has contributed to the extraordinary exchange of information, ideas and creativity, said Greiner. "I think that's what we need to understand at UB—the network of bringing people together is what our institution should be about," he said.
Completing the Lee Road project, building a recreation center for students and increasing participation in intercollegiate athletics, despite the Bulls' shaky start this football season, are goals Greiner hopes to see achieved in the near future. Being involved in intercollegiate athletics may involve some pain, require great patience and be a sore spot with some people, he said, but emphasized his belief that "an institution like UB" should be a participant at the Division 1 level.
He joked that after the Bull's 13th straight loss last Saturday, Sept. 13, that he, being the 13th president, took great umbrage. "I believe there is a God that says, 'Listen fatso, be humble once in a while.'"
He also called for more creative thinking regarding UB's relationship with Buffalo Niagara—pointing out it's hard to succeed in a region that isn't vibrant and growing, and noting the reciprocal relationship that is possible between the troubled region and a thriving university.
"Build a great university in Western New York and the region will prosper," he said.