The Impact on Buffalo Niagara Through UB
Substantial Job Growth and Economic Impact
Thousands of jobs will be created as a result of the UB 2020 growth plan. This path to prominence will bring an additional 750 faculty, 10,000 students, and 600 staff to the university. In the process, the added faculty will bring families to the region that purchase homes and goods, attend local schools, pay taxes and lend their creative and intellectual talents to enrich the area.
Our increased enrollment plan would continue our success in attracting international students, as well as increased target marketing to out-of-state students. Both of these groups pay out-of-state tuition that provides greater cost recovery to UB and imports talent to our state.
Considering that each student spends approximately $8,000 a year in the community on goods and services, a student population increase of 10,000 would result in up to $80 million added to the local economy.
The research funding that the added faculty will bring to the area will create jobs at all levels of employment—from junior faculty, laboratory, and staff assistants funded through grants to the community impact of retail and service positions as a result of the expenditures for materials and supplies.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, each million dollars of federal research expenditures generates twenty-nine jobs in the local economy. Based on our projected growth of research funding, this could translate to nearly 5,000 additional jobs in Buffalo Niagara.
“We have set the table to become a great American university. We cannot do this without you, the community.”
UB President
UB’s path to prominence provides the opportunity to better serve the future workforce needs of our region and state in areas such as science and engineering, health care, and biomedical fields—areas in which UB excels. Although it is expected that enrollment at all of UB’s schools will increase, our focus will be on these critical areas.
The innovation, the research, and the intellectual and cultural vibrancy that the university contributes to the region sparks the creation of promising patents, revolutionary medical treatments, scientific and research firms, new creative professionals, and high-technology jobs that are transforming the region. The 340 inventions,102 patents, and 201 licensing agreements disclosed by UB faculty over the past four years are translating into real economic benefits for the area.
Another target group for increased enrollment is high school students in the Buffalo Public Schools system, the most challenged school district in our area. UB faculty are already working in collaboration with many educational groups to improve the academic preparation of these students. Our goal is to increase the numbers and success rate of these students at UB.
Investment in Downtown Buffalo
Expanding UB’s downtown campus is a primary direction along the path to prominence. While UB completes the assessment of all facilities as part of the comprehensive physical plan, it is clear that an expansion of our downtown presence is important to our future research success, to our ability to attract top talent, and to significantly increase our impact on the urban core of the region.
Our presence in downtown Buffalo was enhanced with the opening of the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences in June 2006. With the center as a foothold, UB intends to leverage its presence as part of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus through relationships with partners Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute to fuel the creation of life sciences-based companies.
More than sixty companies have been created in the past four years through the transfer of technology from UB to the private sector, many of which started in the UB incubator building near the North Campus. It is clear that an incubator operation in downtown Buffalo would enhance our ability to transfer research to commercialization.
A Better Quality of Life
A bigger UB means a better quality of life for all of Buffalo Niagara. It’s about new jobs and new businesses, importing wealth and working professionals to our area, providing opportunities for our young people, revitalizing downtown Buffalo, and building a prosperous future for all of Buffalo Niagara.
“In many ways, what is good for the University at Buffalo is good for the Buffalo Niagara region.”
UB President
Educating more citizens of New York and attracting more students from
across the country and around the world will reverse the trend of
out-migration and brain drain that has pervaded the region.
The world-class health care resulting from the concentration of thriving biomedical, public health, and clinical activities will impact all of Buffalo Niagara. A distinctive world-class university recognized for its academic excellence and research discoveries will impact our region and our world.
The implementation of the UB 2020 plan for the future, under the leadership of President John B. Simpson, has revolutionized the way we perceive ourselves, our university, and our community. In short, it has provided a new vision for UB, one that extends far beyond our walls to bring significant opportunity for Buffalo Niagara.
With UB’s extensive research innovation and commercialization success, many of the critical building blocks already are in place for building a regional knowledge economy here. The transition is realistically at hand to reap substantial rewards for Buffalo Niagara. Considering UB’s growing world impact, we’re well on our way.
Last updated: February 13, 2007 3:34 pm EST
