As the campus nerve center, Capen is home to UB’s senior leadership, including the president and the provost. The university’s Honors College is located here, as are several units of the University Libraries, including the Science & Engineering Information Center, the Poetry Collection and UB Archives.
Samuel P. Capen (1878-1956) served from 1922 to 1950 as the university's first full-time chancellor. He created a university out of a set of disparate professional schools, integrating undergraduate education in a distinctive manner. A leader in American educational policy, Dr. Capen was a proponent of the idea that students should study a broad array of arts and sciences in addition to their chosen fields of expertise.Nearly 50 years after his death, he is still remembered for his keen intellect and decisive leadership. Throughout his UB career, he championed academic freedom and was an innovator in liberal arts education, as well. By the time of his retirement from UB, he was a nationally known authority in college and university planning.