Planning at UB
Producing the capital facilities needed to sustain a top-ranked public research university requires foresight, creativity, and careful management in the process of planning, programming, design, financing, construction, evaluation, and maintenance of the institution’s buildings, grounds, and systems. In particular, the character and quality of facilities must be carefully aligned with the needs of the academic program the faculty sets for the university.
To achieve this goal, the administration at UB has worked hard to construct a university planning process that is predictable, inclusive, and transparent. It provides a clear mechanism for all units of the university to define their respective needs and have them considered in the context of university-wide priorities and financial capacity. It also makes possible the creation of university campuses that are coherent, functional, and beautiful.
The process is led by the Space Management and Facilities Planning Committee which brings together academic and administrative leadership, faculty and staff, to govern the planning process. It is, in effect, UB’s “planning board.” James A. “Beau” Willis, Executive V.P. for University Support Services, chairs the SMFPC. The committee is supported by the Department of Academic Planning and Budget, especially the Office of Capital Facilities and Space Planning, and by University Facilities and the Office of Facilities Planning and Design.
Work on the Comprehensive Physical Plan is directed by Robert Shibley, Senior Advisor to the President for Campus Planning and Design. Shibley (AIA, AICP) is Professor of Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning and Director of The Urban Design Project, a center for the study of a practice of “placemaking.” The Urban Design Project and the Building UB office work directly with Academic Planning and Budget and University Facilities to coordinate long-range planning with current project planning and development. Shibley also directs the work of the Building UB consultant team led by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners of New York City.
Space Management and Facilities Planning Committee
- James A. Willis, Chair
Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations - Wayne K. Anderson,
Dean, School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences - Dennis R. Black,
Vice President, Student Affairs - Brian Carter,
Dean, School of Architecture and Planning - David L. Dunn
Vice President, Health Sciences - Elias G. Eldayrie,
Associate Vice President & Chief Information Officer - Lynn Kozlowski
Interim Dean, School of Public Health & Health Professions - Larry A. Labinski,
Assistant VP Procurement Services - Bruce D. McCombe,
Interim Dean, College of Arts & Sciences - Edward P. Schneider,
Executive Director, UBF Board - Harvey G. Stenger, Jr.
Dean, School of Engineering & Applied Sciences - Robert Wetherhold,
Chair, Faculty Senate Committee on Facilities Planning