President John B. Simpson was formally welcomed to UB at Friday afternoon's investiture ceremony. Thousands of dignitaries from Buffalo and around the world - but regrettably only a handful of students - gathered at the Center for the Arts to hear Simpson's vision for his tenure.
Simpson's main focus was the role of UB in the community in Buffalo and maintaining public access to higher education. The Spectrum commends Simpson for highlighting these important initiatives and hopes he will wholeheartedly pursue these issues in the future.
The University at Buffalo is not only a flagship university in the State University system but also a major part of Buffalo's culture and economy. It represents a beacon of opportunity in a financially depressed community. Simpson mentioned the estimated annual financial impact of UB on the region is over $1 billion dollars. He noted this is four times the state funding provided to the school. This dollar figure shows the impact UB has currently but more importantly it illustrates the potential influence this university has on the region.
More programs that utilize the rich resources of the Buffalo region are needed to spur economic growth in Buffalo. There are several exciting initiatives underway on which Simpson can build. UB's bioinformatics program is one way the university is presently working in partnership with the community. The Roswell Park Cancer Institute works in conjunction with our biomedical departments on research that has spawned many breakthroughs like artificial blood and genetic diagnosis of diseases. This relationship benefits not only the community but is an effective way to combine resources for important research.
Involvement in the community must also occur so that public access to higher education is maintained and enhanced. Simpson spoke of collaborating with primary and secondary school systems in and around Buffalo and working with the state Regents system to facilitate this goal. The idea of viewing state education as a kindergarten through college process is one that will hopefully work to promote higher enrollment among currently underrepresented populations.
To achieve this goal, however, UB needs to step up its presence in this community's school systems. UB should work with schools in developing programs that orient students toward the opportunities a college education can offer. UB should also lobby and work to recruit minorities and further expand the Educational Opportunity Program.
President Simpson should view this formal ceremony as the end of his "settling in" stage and should begin to pursue the implementation of these goals in earnest. Simpson's speech sheds light on what should be a promising future for not only this university but for the Western New York community as well.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
