UB's Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth decided it was out with the old and in with the new, unveiling a new name and new policy at the start of the 2007.
At a Jan. 17 meeting with Buffalo and Niagara leaders on South Campus, Institute Director Kathryn A. Foster announced the new title for the department: the University at Buffalo Regional Institute.
"Getting UB in the name is a much quicker way to express that we are working for the region," Foster said.
The institute was established during Oct. of '97, as a branch of Buffalo's public service mission. In its 10th anniversary year, the Institute made public not only a new name but also a new logo and Web site.
"We think of ourselves as a unit of the entire university," Foster said. "We have research on all aspects of the region and we also have a wide list of colleagues in the region."
The new design is going to be celebrated in an anniversary event in the fall.
"The mindset of people is that we change slowly but we want to bring awareness to the people that change happens," Foster said.
Foster said that the new name would help highlight the institute's impact in the Buffalo area. Besides the Region's Edge, a research program on cross-border issues for the binational Buffalo-Niagara region, the institute recently launched the Regional Knowledge Network, an online tool for regional data, maps and other resources.
Also inaugurated was a monthly series of policy briefs with data and analysis of regional issues.
"We are trying to bring better understanding about a binominal region in a global world, such as understanding the advantages of the Buffalo-Niagara area through the international border," Foster said.
The institution's change is already underway, with the Regional Institute currently aligned with UB's School of Law.
"The alignment with the law school compliments the work we do on government and policy," Foster said.
According to Niles Olsen, dean of the law school, the convergence between the institute and academics is one that will benefit the institute and its public reception.
"Now they are part of an academic unit, it is important to reflect the academic mission and it doing so will highlight the broad research they are doing," Olsen said.
Foster said that the merge with UB's Law School was part of the institute's plan to highlight regional issues.
"We are providing intelligence and insight to better understand our region and to bring change to make this region better," she said.
Along with the name change, Foster said that the University at Buffalo Regional Institute wants to raise more awareness among UB Students.
"We have to get our Web sites out there and make students more aware of it, because we have a tremendous amount of new and fresh data that students can use to their advantage," she said. "At a research-focused university such as UB, the resources available for students and for the Buffalo-Niagara population are vast."
According to Foster, the Institute's research is a real treasure that is yet undiscovered by UB's students.
"The Institute provides a magnificent set of information, where students can get great data for research and papers," she said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
