If UB 2020 had a face, it was John Simpson. Notice the past tense.
On Monday, the first day of classes for students and faculty alike, the president of our university announced his decision to retire. Since then, countless questions regarding the future of UB have been posed.
And all we hear are crickets.
There was no Q&A followsing the press conference, casting a cloud of doubt on the stability of our university. The questions are out there, but the answers are hidden.
From what I've gathered, there are two reasons that motivated Simpson to retire: his family and Albany's reluctance to support UB 2020.
In his press release, Simpson explained that he will be returning to the West Coast in order to spend more time with his family, yet also mentioned that his decision was eased by "Albany's failure to give UB and SUNY the policy tools and stable support to fully achieve this university's great potential."
To me, these two reasons are linked to one another.
If his decision were based solely on his desire to spend more time with his loved ones, SUNY's decision not to pass the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act would have been irrelevant.
If, on the other hand, he decided to bail on UB because he felt Albany's actions made UB 2020 merely a pipe dream, what are we supposed to think of our leadership and the future of our university? Why would our president run when there is a crisis and why would he use his family as a cover-up?
Despite the clear setback, Simpson remains optimistic about our university's future, stating, "given the proper state support and flexibility it needs to thrive, this university has all of the necessary ingredients to achieve greatness in the 21st century."
If this is true and isn't just fluff, whoever takes over next needs to have a concrete plan that will enable our school to reach the goals that have been set.
What's important to remember here is that Simpson may have been the face of UB2020, but he isn't UB 2020. Just because he is no longer going to be working on the plan doesn't mean that other administrators won't see it to fruition.
Still, it's frustrating and somewhat puzzling that the leader of our institution decided to retire just a month after our revitalization plan hit its first major speed bump. It's also somewhat unsettling that he's been unavailable for comment, giving the impression that he's thrown in the towel and doesn't want to be bothered.
Whether or not this is the case remains to be seen, but what's important to remember is that our university continues to push toward excellence. Our president is headed west, the dean of architecture has recently stepped down and the dean of arts and sciences is expected to retire in a year. With the recent staff shakeups, I can't help but think: "Who's leaving next?"
Are administrators going to jump into the driver's seat? Are they just coming along for the ride? Are some planning to jump out of the car at the next red light?
UB 2020 – which is now UB 2030 – has excited the community and promised many things to students, faculty members and Western New Yorkers. Losing our president will surely challenge our campus, but it's a great way to test our university's resourcefulness.
