University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

What is UB 2020?

UB is a very different place than it was three years ago. Since 2004, thousands of individuals across campus have contributed to UB 2020, our university’s plan for achieving enduring academic excellence.They have convened, debated, strategized, and planned. And over the past several months they have begun implementing the most ambitious transformation at UB since the campus joined the SUNY system in 1962.

“To ensure the continued growth of academic excellence at UB, we must excel in anticipating, in meeting and in effectively and efficiently solving the unique challenges that confront our university in the 21st century.”

John B. Simpson, addressing UB’s voting faculty, Sept. 21, 2004

In many ways, UB 2020 has become much more than a planning process. With such broad participation, this initiative is on its way to becoming the institutional culture of the university—the prism through which major decisions are made. Among the many results will be a university that is bigger in size, sharper in both focus and physical appearance, and stronger academically than ever before.

What Drives the Need for Change?

There is little doubt that UB is a strong university. Yet we lack the critical mass of faculty to compete with our peers.And for the strength of individual disciplines, UB has traditionally lacked an equally strong university-wide vision. Therefore, the two overarching goals of UB 2020 are increasing the size of the university and forging a coherent university-wide vision.

To be sure, UB 2020 is about UB. But while UB 2020 is attuned to the specific needs of the university community, it also seeks to position UB ahead of important national and international trends:

• The increasingly multidisciplinary nature of sponsored research;
• The imperative for universities to embrace innovation and collaboration; and
• Research, education, and service that is interconnected across local, national, and international boundaries.

What Will Success Look Like?

To begin, the university will grow by as much as 40 percent, with as many as 10,000 additional students by 2020. The larger student body will permit the school to maintain our longstanding commitment to educate qualified New York residents while increasing the size of our out-of-state and international student cohort.

While the creativity and patience required for UB 2020 to succeed are substantial, so too are the potential rewards. Success through UB 2020 will position UB as one of the top research universities in the country, fashioning an institution that will lead and shape the world in the twenty-first century, not simply react to changes.

To fully realize our vision, we must forge a partnership with New York State, SUNY, our Buffalo Niagara community, alumni, donors, and friends. The success of this partnership will reap rewards for all of our partners through substantial job growth in the region, a better-trained workforce for our state, expansion of commercialization efforts, and the revitalization of our urban core.

The table has been set and it is within our collective reach to achieve success.