An estimated 2,300 UB faculty, staff and students filled Alumni Arena on Tuesday and took part in the first ever "Connect the Dots" Campus Conversation.
Hosted by UB President John B. Simpson, the open forum gave members of the UB community an opportunity to discover their own involvement as campus affiliates fits into UB's present and future.
"People don't remember something like this ever being done," Simpson said. "I set this up because I wanted to tell the campus community what I think about things. They have a right to know, and they should understand what their president thinks."
Much of the conversation centered on UB 2020 objectives and plans. Simpson discussed current initiatives and the main goal of raising the university's academics to a higher level.
"The discussion showed a lot of the future and where we as a university want to go," said Kat Kielar, a member of the Employee Assistance Program. "We need to hear these plans in order for UB 2020 to be successful."
Scott Morris, associate vice president of Human Resources, believed that Connect the Dots was a necessary forum in order for progress to continue with the UB 2020 plan.
"I think all conversations are helpful for the university," Morris said. "We are an institution that focuses on collaboration and deep thought, so coming together and talking about what we are doing well and what we need to improve are good things."
The purpose of the event was to facilitate communication among faculty, staff and students, according to Simpson.
"This is means of getting input from those who are interested and who want to participate," Simpson said.
During his speech, Simpson stressed that the main focus of UB 2020 is to develop academic strength. Some steps have already been taken to achieve this long-term goal. Over 300 faculty members were hired and now occupy positions that did not exist in past years.
"UB 2020 is not a growth plan; it is at its core an academic plan," Simpson said. "We do need to grow to fully realize our potential, but the growth itself is a tool to enable us to develop our academic enterprise."
This event, though intentionally geared towards faculty and staff relations, also focused on UB students.
"This presentation affects students in as much as the future of our university. The better we succeed at what we are trying to do, the better it will be for you and the students who follow you," Simpson said. "We are pushing the envelope of our quality of excellence and achievements and that's going to benefit the students by virtue of having a diploma someday."
Attendees thought the conversation was a success.
"The event is very inspirational," Morris said. "I think it's a good summary of all the things President Simpson has tried since the beginning of his presidency to move within the university. There are so many things going on and I think that is really inspiring."
Amy Myszka from the Wellness and Work/Life Balance branch of Human Resources and other members of the event committee thought Simpson's speech resonated with the audience.
"We've never done an event like this before and it really goes to show employee pride and the commitment that the University has to its employees," Myszka said. "An event like this really helps that UB spirit and that's what we need."
Following the president's speech was a series of questions asked by members of the audience. This portion of the forum provided any UB affiliates a chance to offer feedback directly to senior university administrators.
The forum's success set a precedent for future campus conversations, and Simpson hopes to hold more meetings like it in the future.
"I think this is a nice format of doing things and students ought to be engaged," Simpson said.
