UB in the News

An article in The New York Times reports on "The Power of SUNY," a plan developed by Chancellor Nancy Zimpher to revamp and rebrand SUNY, which the article calls "the unloved colossus that is the biggest comprehensive system of public higher education in the country." The article looks at the university system's history and the proposed empowerment legislation that would give campuses greater autonomy, including the ability to set their own tuition, and has become the fiercely contested point of contention in passage of the state 2010-11 budget: "To advocates, the effort to break the shackles that SUNY was born with has long been overdue. For the largest SUNY campus, the University at Buffalo, such self-determination is an essential part of its ambitious growth plan, 'UB 2020,' which local officials say would create thousands of jobs, expand the campus to downtown and foster new ventures with industry," the article states. The article also appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In a report in Inquirer.net, UB professor emeritus and cultural critic Elayne Rapping, weighs in on the latest scandal involving Mel Gibson.

A New York Times op-ed describes the tight control Albany lawmakers have on everything related to SUNY from cost of tuition to purchases, as well as taking back 80 percent of tuition increases for general state operating funds. It contends that although "New York's state universities badly need improvement, but the (SUNY empowerment reform) proposals on the table are not good enough."

An editorial in Crain's Business New York calls for passage of SUNY empowerment reforms and says Senator Bill Stachowski's support of the reforms is "one of the most hopeful signs that legislators might actually begin representing the interests of their constituents."

An article in the July 19 issue of Sports Illustrated about Iroquois lacrosse players who were unable to travel to England on their Haudenosaunee passports for the lacrosse world championships quotes Oren Lyons, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of American Studies and the team's chairman. The article includes a video clip that interviews Lyons and others about the story behind the Iroquois and lacrosse.

UB President John B. Simpson is quoted in a Chronicle of Higher Education story on steps that public universities in New York and Illinois are considering in response to state budget cuts and inadequate support for public higher education.

Jeremy Finn, professor of counseling, school and educational psychology, is quoted in an article on EducationNews.org about a study of the impact Florida's class-size reduction reform had on students achievement that did not actually study the affect of class-size reduction.

An editorial in the Buffalo News urges state Sen. William Stachowski and Senate Democrats to continue to push for their revised version of the SUNY Empowerment Act, calling it "good for New York."

An article in the Toronto Star, reports a study by UB researchers looks at women's body mass in relation to their neighborhood's food amenities and found that women who lived near a supermarket tended to have a lower body mass index. The article quotes Samina Raja, associate professor of urban and regional planning. An article also appeared in the New York Post.

An article in BusinessWeek reports on the growth of the Chinese Internet search engine, Baidu, which was founded by UB alumnus Robin Li. Baidu has increased its share of the search business to 64 percent.