Welcome, kids, to the University at Buffalo - the crown jewel and largest school of the SUNY system. And might I add, you've stepped onto this campus at a pretty exciting time. It's all about to change.
A little over a year ago, a momentous thing happened for UB and the SUNY system as a whole: the passage of the NYSUNY 2020 bill. This bill - an expanded version of the UB 2020 plan originally proposed by former UB President John Simpson - allows UB to expand vastly, mostly in Buffalo's medical corridor.
UB is currently spread over three campuses - North Campus in suburban Amherst, South Campus in the University Heights, and the Downtown Campus in the heart of the city.
The downtown campus is not much to look at currently, but under NYSUNY 2020, the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (plus eventually the dental, nursing, pharmacy, and public health schools) will be relocated to the already-standing Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and surrounding area.
This comprehensive plan is supposed to completely revitalize the "dying" City of Buffalo. Phase one of the project alone will cost $375 million, and construction is slated to be completed by 2016. The new buildings will bring over 3,000 jobs to the area, and plans and building archetypes are currently in the works.
Updates to each campus also fall under this ambitious plan, stressing the importance of "academic excellence" across all concentrations and connecting UB to its surrounding neighborhoods. New, world-class faculty and scholars will be brought to the campuses to better educate students and prepare them to enter a global world. Under this plan, UB will be able to better compete with its peers nationally and internationally - truly becoming a leader in higher education.
"Educating more citizens of New York State and attracting more students from across the country and around the world will reverse the 'brain drain' that has characterized the region in recent years," according to the university's website.
Sounds completely thrilling and formidable, right?
But what comes with this plan are tuition hikes; UB will be allowed to raise its tuition by $300 (or 8 percent) each year for five years (with one year of hikes already completed), and tuition will level out at $6,470 for New York State residents, minus fees. Tuition for residents is currently $5,570, without fees, for the 2012-13 school year. When I was a freshman in 2009, my tuition was $4,970 - that's quite a jump in three years.
The whole plan will cost the university at least $5 billion. Many naysayers worry that this plan will help UB become the private institution Simpson was planning for when he envisioned UB 2020 - it's why the original plan was shot down by the state.
I'm not saying that UB 2020 is a terrible idea and that you should hate it. UB 2020 is an amazing plan, in theory, and God knows this city needs some help. If done right and for the right reasons, this plan could change my hometown and the university I've wanted to attend since I was 8 years old. Maybe UB will really accomplish its ambitious goals, rebuild Buffalo, and turn this city into what it could have been.
I've seen the medical school building plans, and boy, are they impressive. And when I drive by Main and Allen Streets on my morning commute, I can actually picture the area with the state-of-the-art, high-rise buildings.
But I'm not sure I like what I see. The Allentown district is known for its eccentricity and artful flair; high-tech science buildings have no business invading that space. It would completely change, what is in my opinion, one of the nation's most up-and-coming neighborhoods.
And I have to wonder, is this plan just one big moneymaking scheme for the millionaires and billionaires who serve this school? The UB Council - the primary oversight and advisory body of UB and its president and senior officers - is made up of Buffalo's richest and most influential individuals. Jeremy Jacobs - owner of the NHL's Boston Bruins, chief executive officer of Buffalo's Delaware North Company, and one of Western New York's only billionaires - serves as chairman of the council.
Do these members just want to see their pockets grow with the university and city's growth? I don't know the answer to that question, and I guess only time will tell as UB 2020 really begins to pan out.
You've come to UB at an exciting time, dear freshmen. Take a good look at your campus today because I'm sure it won't look the same in four years.
Email: rebecca.bratek@ubspectrum.com
