The first Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting of the semester could have been scripted with stage directions.
Exit Capaldi, stage left. Enter President John Simpson, stage right.
Wednesday's FSEC meeting in Capen Hall was the last for provost Elizabeth D. Capaldi, who attended several of the group's meetings in her three-and-a-half year tenure.
At the same time, it was the first meeting for President John B. Simpson, who took office Jan. 1.
Peter A. Nickerson, chairman of the FSEC, presented Capaldi with a large plaque, on the surface of which was a FSEC resolution praising Capaldi's accomplishments at UB.
On Feb. 1, Capaldi will head to Albany to become SUNY vice chancellor and chief of staff, the second-highest ranking position in the SUNY hierarchy.
When faculty wished her well and said their goodbyes, Capaldi said a permanent farewell would be premature.
"I'm not going away," Capaldi said. "It's a short four-and-a-half hour drive."
Although Capaldi said she will miss UB, she also said that everything about her new job excites her.
"They have people come and clean their offices," she said. "They never did that here."
After Capaldi left, the spotlight turned to Simpson, who met many of the committee's members for the first time.
As Nickerson informed the committee earlier in the meeting, Simpson does not wish to be referred to as "President Simpson."
"By students, he would like to be referred to as 'professor,' or 'doctor,' and by faculty, he would like to be called 'John,'" said Nickerson. "I guess it's the laid back, West Coast attitude."
After Simpson introduced himself to the group, he spoke briefly about his vision for the university.
"UB is a campus in good, not great condition," he said. "It's in good condition as far as the quality of programs, but it's not a great university. You build a great university by building great programs, and you do that through great faculty."
Despite the snow, Simpson said his first few weeks at UB have been pleasant.
"I've been graciously welcomed at the university and in the community. It's been a gratifying and humbling experience," Simpson said.
At the same time, Simpson said he was looking forward to moving out of the Williamsville hotel where he currently lives with his cat.
"I don't want to think about tomorrow or the day after," he said. "I want to think about this university as long-term."
Simpson also stressed his desire to work with the faculty and staff to make the campus a better place.
"I believe in consultation with my colleagues, and I will consult my faculty colleagues on certain issues," he said.
After the faculty introduced themselves, Simpson asked each member of the committee to talk briefly about what he or she would like to see from the new president.
Members of the FSEC said they would like to see improvements in the campus's medical facilities, and wondered whether Simpson would follow through on projects begun during Greiner's time.
Samuel Schack, chairman of the mathematics department, expressed his concerns of classroom sizes reaching maximum occupancy. He called the current situation a "classroom crisis."
"There is no movement, and electives are going down," Schack said. "Students are picking majors due to classes they can get into, not the major they actually want to be in."
Schack also suggested current immigration policies are hurting UB's ability to recruit highly qualified international students.
"The immigration policies are having a direct impact on UB," Schack said. "There was a one-third decrease (this year) in applications from overseas students because of denied visas."
Other concerns addressed by faculty included graduate duration periods, problems with professors not putting enough time into teaching their undergraduate classes and the increased cost of scientific research over the past few years at the university.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
