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UB's plan for growth to be presented to Amherst residents
By JOHN DELLACONTRADA
Contributing Editor
President John B. Simpson will meet with Amherst residents to present UB's ambitious plans to grow by 40 percent and discuss that growth's potential impact on the regional economy.
The public forum, co-hosted by UB and the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Marinaccio's Italian Ristorante, 5877 Main St., Williamsville.
Among the topics to be addressed is how UB's planned growth will positively impact Buffalo Niagara and create new opportunities for the university to interact with the community.
Simpson will be joined in the presentation by Robert G. Shibley, professor and director of the Urban Design Project in the School of Architecture and Planning. Shibley is overseeing UB's master-planning process, which will transform dramatically the landscape and infrastructure of the North, South and downtown campuses in keeping with the objectives of the UB 2020 strategic plan.
As part of its efforts to develop a master plan to oversee its 40 percent growth and the development of its three campus centers between now and 2020, UB has been reaching out to government officials, municipal planners and community leaders in Amherst, Buffalo and Erie County, Simpson noted.
"Our goal is to develop a master plan that connects with the plans of UB's host municipalities and is in the best interests of the community," he said. "A critical element of this collaboration is how to best link UB's campuses with neighboring communities."
For more information about the vision, goals and objectives of the UB master plan, click here.
Since Simpson announced in September the plan to grow UB, he and Shibley have met with many community groups and leaders to discuss the plan's potential impact on Western New York and to invite their ideas and feedback. In these discussions, Simpson has described his vision for achieving enduring academic excellence at UB.
In the presentation to Amherst residents, Shibley will outline the beginnings of a new master plan for UB's three campuses. The plan will support UB's targeted growth and will improve the university's campus environments dramatically, Shibley said.
"We are trying to build bridges with communities around our three campus centers," he added. "The master plan will lead to the creation of modern, attractive and safe spaces on all three campuses—creating memorable environments for students, faculty, staff and community members to interact."
According to Simpson, UB's plan to grow by 10,000 students and 750 faculty members over the next 15 years will increase substantially the university's annual economic impact on Western New York. It will be a major catalyst for the kind of economic revitalization seen in Silicon Valley, Seattle, Boston and other American cities with great universities.
A bigger and better UB, Simpson said, will lead to regional job growth, improve the quality of life, bring in millions of dollars of research funding and new venture capital, create new companies and support existing ones, and reverse the "brain drain" exodus of young people from the region.