With the spring semester winding down, UB will commemorate this year's achievements of its professors and students at the Celebration of Academic Excellence at the Center for the Arts on Friday.
The ceremony is set to begin at 1 p.m. and will include a presentation by undergraduate students, a musical performance by the Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the ceremony for recognizing excellence.
Right now, as UB gears up for the future with plans like UB2020, is as good a time as any to recognize students and staff for their achievements, said Provost Satish Tripathi.
"As UB continues to move forward with campus-wide efforts in strategically planning for our future as a leading public university of the 21st century, this is an especially fitting time for us to gather together in recognition of the vision, goals, and commitments that unite us as an academic community," Tripathi said.
The award ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. with remarks by President John Simpson and the Recognition of Excellence on the Mainstage Theater in the Center for the Arts. Both SUNY and UB professors will be honored with four different awards for excellence.
The awards include the SUNY chancellor's awards for faculty and professional staff, awards for outstanding contributions to international education, excellence in teaching awards for graduate teaching assistants, and outstanding undergraduate research and scholarship awards.
Michael Ryan, chair of the Celebration for Academic Excellence, said he feels the large addition of undergraduate student research highlights the opportunities students can get from a UB education.
"Individually and collectively, accomplishments represent the highest ideals to which our university community aspires, and they serve to inspire us all to pursue new heights of discovery, inquiry and creativity," Ryan said.
There will also be UB student performances, and the presentation of a UB 50-year service pin to Charles Ebert, a SUNY distinguished teaching professor emeritus.
Pre-award events include a poster presentation in the Atrium, during which over 100 undergraduate research and scholarship projects will be presented by the students who put them together.
A reception will immediately follow the ceremony.
Tripathi said he thinks the event will represent the heart of UB's dedication to academic leadership.
"This Celebration of Academic Excellence calls together every member of the UB community in affirmation of our commitment to academic leadership, and in recognition of the accomplishments and contributions that best exemplify this spirit of academic achievement and aspiration," Tripathi said. "We anticipate that this event will reflect the strength and diversity of the talented and dedicated individuals who make our university strong."
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
