Presidential Search Update

Jeremy Jacobs issued a letter to update members of the UB community on the search for UB's 15th president on Jan. 20.

Over a month later, there has been no new update.

Jacobs, president of the UB Council and Presidential Search Committee, is the official spokesperson for the committee, leaving the other 15 members of the committee unable to comment. Best known as owner of the Boston Bruins and chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies, Jacobs has been unavailable for comment to The Spectrum.

Students around campus think that the progress of the committee should be more open, whether updates are sent by e-mail or posted on the extensive Presidential Search Committee website.

Justina Barlak, a freshman biomedical sciences major, thinks that not knowing the progress of the committee nor more information about the candidates being considered is somewhat unfair.

"We should know the process and know more information about the candidate so we know who will eventually be leading UB," Barlak said. "Not knowing who is going to be in charge of UB and what [their] future policies may be is an issue because [their] decisions will be influential to [our education]."

Barlak believes that all students should have the right to know because "the presidential search impacts our experiences and education here at UB."

Danielle Canazzi, a freshman psychology major, thinks that students should be able to know but "doesn't care that much because [she] doesn't feel that it would affect [her] that much personally."

"I don't really care who the president is," Canazzi said. "I don't even know what President Simpson does."

Angelina Matteliano, a freshman dance major, is unsure if students should really have a say in the presidential search, but she thinks students should have information on the progress.

"I think the students are entitled to know at least a little bit about the [search]," Matteliano said. "It is our university; we are paying to go here. For a lot of people it is their home. We should have information on [the search], like who the candidates are and when they think they will be making any changes or when they will actually be making a decision."

Matteliano believes that not informing students about the progress can be a "disservice to students who are politically active in the school and want to know that kind of information."

Other students think that the entire process should be public information.

Connor Gorman, a sophomore physics major, thinks that students should have a right to know all of the information that is involved in the presidential search.

"It's our university and [any decisions it makes] would affect us the most," Gorman said. "It shouldn't be a closed process. It should be open to those that it directly impacts."

Additional reporting by Amanda Jonas, investigative reporter.

E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com