At this moment in our history, UB has the opportunity to reimagine the central ambitions of our UB 2020 program. This statement of institutional direction describes the specific pathways UB will follow to realize the aspirations of UB 2020. In this effort, we will use and shift base resources as needed, invest the funds provided by SUNY and New York State through the NYSUNY 2020 program and create capacities to leverage our current investment with research and private funds with special attention to the financial and intellectual contributions of our alumni, friends and partners.

We can take full advantage of this window of opportunity and best respond to our challenges effectively by building and promoting our distinctive features. If we fulfill our mission with a higher degree of distinction, we will attract better students, more funding, new sponsors and will engage community and economic partners in new and exciting ways. At UB, attaining distinction will blend novel approaches and actions that move us to a position of leadership, depending on the situation. In these actions, we will always be striving for academic excellence and responsiveness to core values in those actions.

We would like the construction of this statement to be a community effort. We hope to hear from many voices representing many points of view, voices that may have been reluctant to be heard in the recent or distant past. This statement will be reflective of the campus community’s views only to the extent that the entire community engages this process.