Dear University Community,

I hope your semester is off to a great start and that you are enjoying these early days of fall. With the academic year well underway, I want to follow up on my video messages from my first weeks at UB. In them, I spoke about my commitment to listening and learning, and the possibilities I see for our university and our community. Today, I want to reflect on what I have heard over the past two months and where those insights are leading us.

Since I arrived at UB, my early interactions with students, faculty, staff, alumni, community leaders and friends, informally and during the first stops of my “16 in 16” university listening tour, have given me a clearer sense of what matters most to you. I have gained a deeper understanding of your commitment to our students’ success; how UB’s research, creative work and clinical care are improving lives; and the many ways we are partnering with communities in Buffalo and around the globe.

What has become clear to me is that UB is united in our mission to expand knowledge through education and innovation for the benefit of society. How we fulfill that mission will define what distinguishes UB in the years ahead. What I have heard from you is that doing so will require us to think more boldly about what UB can achieve and the impact we can make.

To turn our ambitions into action, strategic planning is our natural next step—an inclusive process through which we can create a clear path forward shaped by all of us. Together, we will build on UB’s strengths, identify new opportunities for innovation and connect our mission-driven work more directly to the communities we serve.

To help lead this university-wide work, I have asked Provost A. Scott Weber and Vice President Laura Hubbard to co-chair a Strategic Planning Committee that will be charged with creating a framework for the future of the university. In the coming days, we will invite nominations for members of the UB community to serve on the committee.

The plan itself must be informed by all of us. I hope you will take part in the town halls we hold to offer your perspectives on our priorities and help us consider how best to pursue them.

Our conversations will address key strategic areas, including the student experience and student success; research innovation and creative expression; and UB’s engagement with the community. I want to hear from you as we develop a plan that reflects our aspirations and gives us a direction that we will all play a role in advancing.

Our work together will culminate in a draft plan that outlines our strategic goals and the measures we will use to assess our progress in achieving those goals. I anticipate sharing this draft with the campus community early in the spring 2027 semester for your review and input. With your continued engagement, my goal is to share UB’s final Strategic Plan later in the spring.

I am energized by what I have learned from you in my first two months at UB, and by the possibilities before us. With your ideas, perspectives and participation, we will set a clear, ambitious course for UB’s future.

Warm regards,

Caroline Attardo Genco, PhD
President