UB Provost Satish K. Tripathi discussed the University's development and the implementation of UB 2020 plans at the Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting this past Tuesday.
Tripathi acknowledged that although UB has a highly qualified academic class of 2011 and many newly titled SUNY Distinguished Professors, the University still has a negative perception to outsiders.
"This past year, 92 faculty members were awarded SUNY Distinguished Professor, and [this number] is far larger than any other campus in SUNY," Tripathi said, adding that UB's 2020 goals cannot be achieved without excellent faculty.
The Provost exemplified UB's research into an anti-cancer drug, which has begun testing, to show that the diverse faculty is making important breakthroughs.
"In non-human testing, this anti-cancer product has shown to be active against all forms of cancer," Tripathi said.
According to Tripathi, the Honors College class of 2011 is made up of 316 students, and 34 of them were either valedictorians or salutatorians of their high school classes and their mean SAT score is 1375. Based on overall grade point averages and SAT scores, the class of 2011 as a whole is the most academically talented class in UB's history.
Tripathi suggested putting together a collective effort to improve UB's ratings and outside perceptions through improving learning environments such as labs and libraries. He believes these improvements will help the faculty's success in teaching.
However, changing overall perceptions of any university is a difficult task. Even prestigious universities that have declined in academics still receive good ratings because of people's memories of the schools, Tripathi said.
The FSEC discussed other goals for UB, including expanding community outreach, creating a sense of community among students on campus and increasing diversity and international student enrollment.
Tripathi cited the new Ira G. Ross Eye Institute in the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus as one way that UB has expanded its influence into the community recently. The institute treats various eye diseases in adults and children, providing a service to the local Buffalo community and even the entire Western New York region.
Currently, Tripathi noted, UB is 13th in the nation in terms of the percentage of international students that attend the university.
