President John Simpson's vision for the future is ambitious, increasing the student body by at least 5,000 students while adding an additional 250 faculty members. But he needs to ensure UB can support all those extra people. What concerns us is the pressure the extra students can place on the UB community. Grand ideas without proper planning often wind up causing more harm than good.
Of paramount concern would be how increased enrollment would affect the academic standards of UB. It seems strange that a university can increase its population while increasing standards as well. Simpson wants to bring UB to the forefront of academic research institutions, which is a noble endeavor, yet increasing the student population by his targeted 20 percent should not come at the expense of academic standards. UB currently is 57th in public universities as ranked in the US News and Reports annual college rankings. Simpson is aiming for the University of Washington, currently ranked 12th, and Ohio State, ranked 21st. It would seem that academic standards would need to be raised for a climb in the rankings. In fact, increasing enrollment for numbers' sake by "filling seats" often results in higher dropout rates. How Simpson approaches this issue would seem to hold the key to the success of his plan.
Another major concern is the logistics of bringing upwards of 5,000 new bodies onto the two campuses. This would involve a major overhaul of UB's infrastructure and facilities. While it is undeniable that the north campus has the available acreage for any needed expansion, an increase in the student population needs to take into account the impact on the current facilities of both campuses. Parking, which already presents problems for commuters, would need to be addressed immediately. Building lots farther away from the academic spine and providing more shuttle buses will not suffice. A radical overhaul of the parking lots would be in order and ramps above or below ground should be constructed.
The living arrangements for so many new students should be addressed as well. Affordable on-campus housing would need to be expanded and the more antiquated dormitories would need an upgrade in order to attract a higher caliber of students. This is an area where Simpson could divert resources to the long neglected city campus. Improvements to the south campus would go a long way to improving UB's overall image and the urban environment might prove to be Simpson's ace in the hole. Cleaning up and building on South Campus would give UB two truly dynamic campuses.
Any UB student who has been subjected to the rush on computer space in the libraries during crunch time, the indignity of waiting for inter-campus busing because they are full, or the "shark" game that occurs in the overcrowded parking lots before class must have cringed upon hearing Simpson's call for student expansion. Increasing faculty and enrollment is a good idea if done correctly but at no point should current UB students bear any inconvenience because of it.
