Announcements and Letters

With the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today that race-based admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, we are working in consultation with the SUNY offices of the Chancellor and the General Counsel to analyze its implications.

It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of Mr. Jason Diffenderfer as Vice President for University Advancement, effective immediately.

To all those who are disenfranchised, marginalized and persecuted, including our transgender community, please know that we support you, and we will continue to uphold UB’s cherished values of diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure that the university remains a safe and welcoming place for you.

As we mark the start of UB’s spring 2023 semester, I would like to take this occasion to wish you a peaceful and healthy new year!

As our region begins to dig out from a blizzard for the ages, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the members of our university community who, over the past several days, have done exceptional work to keep our campuses safe.

As we learn about the increasing civil unrest and violent crackdowns against protestors in Iran, I would like to express our university’s solidarity with UB’s Iranian students and faculty as well as our concern for the safety and liberty of their loved ones in their home country.

Yesterday evening, a Buffalo State College student was stabbed on campus and transported by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center, where he was later pronounced deceased. University Police are actively investigating this horrible act of violence and are in communication with Buffalo State police and local police.

We are deeply honored to host Vice President Kamala Harris at the University at Buffalo and have the opportunity to showcase the impactful ways that we are harnessing UB’s tripartite mission of research, education and engagement to mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change by developing innovative solutions for a sustainable world.

Whether this is your first day of class at UB or you have been a part of our scholarly family for years, I hope that you had a wonderful summer and are as eager as I am for the journey of discovery that lies ahead.