College Fee

The University Police is an accredited full service Police Department available 24/7, 365 days a year. The University at Buffalo Department of University Police exists to provide students, faculty, staff and visitors with a safe and secure environment that is conducive to UB’s educational mission. The remainder supports the academic and operations of the University.

• Emergency response
• Crime prevention and community policing
• Safety escorts, door locking, and night host programs
• Safety fairs and information tables
• Women’s safety and sexual assault programs
• Citizens Police Academy
• Operation Identification
• Self-defense workshops
• Lost and found
• Supplemental support of the operations and academic mission of the University

• 24/7 availability of police officers

The mission of the University at Buffalo Police Department is to provide a safe, friendly and welcoming environment for students, visitors, faculty and staff to live, learn, work, and play.

• The University Police are the first respondents for all emergencies on North, South, and the Downtown Campus
• Primary providers of safety and security presentations
• Safety and security support of special events
• Consistently high rankings in SUNY Student Opinion and ACUHO/EBE surveys
• Accredited by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Authorities (CALEA) and by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administration (IACLEA)

The College Fee provides support that allows UB to steadily expand our stature, renown and impact. The Fee seeks to support innovative university initiatives that accelerate UB’s efforts to be recognized as one of the leading public research universities in the nation by strategic investments to support our faculty, students, staff and the entire academic enterprise. Revenue may be used to enhance student academic support services, advisement, research opportunities, equipment, facilities, and scholarships. In addition, funds may be used for personnel service needs such as tutoring, laboratory technicians, faculty and other academic and student support activities.

• UB Finish in Four - UB instituted a Four-Year Graduation Plan to improve four- and six-year graduation rates. The plan included increasing the availability of high-demand, bottleneck service courses, enhancing advising, and rigorous monitoring of these students to track and enhance student success and the attainment of their degree objectives. To provide the services available under this Finish in Four Initiative, UB hired three additional academic advisors to monitor student progress and provide partial support for faculty, freeing these faculty to offer more course sections.
  • Half of UB students overall graduate debt-free – twice the national average.
  • 86% of incoming first-year students take the pledge
  • 63% of UB’s inaugural Finish in 4 class graduated on time
  • 58% of UB students graduate on time
  • Read more about the success of the UB Finish in Four Program
• Strategic Enrollment Management – UB has created and continues to enhance an enrollment management organization that strengthens the recruitment, retention, advisement and financial aid strategies of UB’s larger enrollment plan. Fee revenues support the infrastructures that analyze student flow through degree programs, changing trends in demand for degree programs, impact on the admissions funnel of new recruitment and financial aid strategies, and the reasons for student attrition or untimely graduation.

• Infrastructure Support for Research Strengths – This includes the establishment of a Research Advancement and Coordination Team (RAC) to ensure that research priorities are understood and supported at the highest level and a Multi-Investigator Research Support team (MRST) to support pursuing large multi-investigator research projects in our research strengths.
• Formation of the Department of Biomedical Informatics – This department was formed to develop new information systems and expand knowledge in the biomedical sciences. Areas of research include designing clinical information systems, mining EHRs, ontology, systems biology, integrating clinical and biological data and facilitating multidisciplinary and translational science. New degree granting programs include bachelors, masters, PhD and advanced certificate level programs.
• Establishment of Material Science and Engineering Program – Fee revenue helped to fund a new, internationally recognized Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) graduate degree program (MS, PhD) between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
• Forming of A Human Capital Agenda for Educational and Economic Development Program – An innovative MA program in economics and educational policy was launched, with an international orientation designed for education leaders, as well as a visitors program. Resources from AESF were used to launch these projects and enable coordinated hiring of new faculty that would contribute to the project and its sustainability.
  • Includes four faculty hires and two half time staff hires
  • Six research grants awarded
  • Publications include 11 articles, two book chapters and one working paper
  • To date, eight conference or seminar presentations have been held
  • Establishment of the new Economics and Educational Policy Analysis Masters Program to enroll 15-20 new students per year
  • Establishment of External Advisory Board for business and sustainability plans
• Arts and Emerging Technologies - The Techne Institute for Arts and Emerging Technology at UB has developed the infrastructure needed to connect, support, and encourage high-level production and recognition in the arts and technology, including collaborations among the arts departments such as Theatre & Dance and Media Study, and the Center for Computational Research and Integrated Nanostructured Systems. Specifically, the Techne Institute for Arts and Emerging Technology:
  • Fosters new and existing research collaborations among the arts and technology;
  • Creates infrastructure to solicit new revenue sources including grants, new patent licenses, and private philanthropy;
  • Increases graduate student population by expanding existing degree programs and new summer programs;
  • Promotes national and international awareness of research in the arts and sciences at UB through the presentation of new work, visiting artists, digital archiving and presentation, and strategic high-profile (National Academy) hires across multiple areas.
• Oral Health and Complex Disease - Oral infections such as inflammatory periodontal disease have been associated with the pathogenesis of several important systemic diseases and conditions. The importance of oral health to systemic health clearly warrants much further study, and tremendous research opportunities exist to explore the relationships outlined above. There is also considerable federal funding available to support such research. This initiative has allowed for many opportunities for collaborations between investigators in the SDM and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy and Engineering, as well as investigators from hospitals, research institutes, and the private sector in the Buffalo-Niagara region.
• Department of Genomics and Bioinformatics - The College Fee helps to support the Genomics and Bioinformatics program by facilitating the integration of genomic studies into clinical and translational programs at UB and for members of the Buffalo Translational Consortium. This also creates a comprehensive genomics resource for investigators from throughout the SUNY system, via collaboration with SUNY REACH, which attracts business from biotech startups and other commercial sources.

The College Fee helps to support in hiring instructors who were needed to service the course load historically performed by PhD students and adjunct instructors. This will help improve academic outcomes and improve student engagement. Funds are also invested to support domestic and international enrollment.

The Center for Diversity Innovation, one of the College of Arts and Sciences’ new strategic initiatives, is designed to train the next generation of diversity leaders, build greater capacity for social inclusion and close opportunity gaps in education and employment. The center will help develop degree programs, research-based models, practical tools, community collaborations and experiential learning opportunities, as well as transform UB students into more empathetic global citizens. The center’s goals are to close opportunity gaps all over the place in education employment, to educate the next generation of university leadership and to help transform UB, SUNY, the community and the region.

Academic programs are recognized among the best in the nation. Faculty who compete at the highest levels for research funds and fellowships, and who are recognized for their excellence. A faculty, staff, and student body that is increasingly diverse, reflective of the changing US demographics. Strong academic and student support at the undergraduate and graduate levels. A campus environment that is welcoming, inclusive, and meets the needs of a modern campus. The cultivation and promotion of faculty impact, institutional success, and alumni/friend engagement. Resources are marshaled through philanthropy, research funding, enrollment and state aid.

University Police
Bissell Hall
Tel: 716-645-2227
Emergencies and Service: 716-645-2222

Office of Resource Planning
544 Capen Hall
Monday - Friday; 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m

What should I do if I witness a crime on campus?

Members of the academic community and visitors to the campus are encouraged to report crimes to the University Police Department’s dispatcher by telephone (716-645-2222). Crimes and emergencies can also be reported by using one of the campus’ strategically located “Blue Light” telephones that immediately connect the caller with the University Police dispatch office.

What should I do if there is a medical emergency on campus?

For all police, fire, and medical emergencies on campus, immediately dial 716-645-2222.

Does the University have an emergency notification system?

The University offers a text messaging service to members of the University community. The service is an opt-in service. You can sign-up for the service at www.emergency.buffalo.edu. In addition, emergency information is available at: MyUB, 645-NEWS, www.emergency.buffalo.edu and by email messages.

How do I arrange to have University Police give a presentation to my students, faculty, staff, or residence hall group?

To make arrangements for a group presentation, call University Police directly at 716-645-2227.