Governor Cuomo, Chancellor Zimpher Approve NYSUNY 2020 Plan for University at Buffalo

Buffalo – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher were on the University at Buffalo campus today to approve UB’s NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant application, providing a critical piece of funding to enable UB to move ahead with its UB 2020 plan for academic excellence.

"UB 2020 will create jobs, facilitate private investment and help turn the University of Buffalo into a national leader amongst public research universities," Governor Cuomo said. "This is a real investment in revitalizing economic development in Western New York. I look forward to seeing how this plan transforms the region and I commend the Western New York legislative delegation for helping to turn this project into a reality."

“The SUNY campuses continue to realize the benefits of Governor Cuomo’s vision and leadership for a stronger New York and a more competitive public university system,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “By ensuring affordability, by hiring new faculty and increasing access, and by moving the medical school downtown and creating nearly 3,000 healthcare and construction jobs for Western New York, the University at Buffalo’s NYSUNY 2020 plan promises to better serve students and positively impact both the local and state economies. This is truly a proud day for the University at Buffalo, for SUNY, and for all of New York State.”

“We are very thankful to Gov. Cuomo, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, and the state legislature for their continued support over the past year,” said UB President Satish K. Tripathi. “This funding will have a historic impact on our university—one that will transform the depth and scope of UB’s academic and research enterprise while significantly expanding our role in improving the quality of life in Western New York.” 

In securing the $35 million Challenge Grant—together with additional funding provided through the NYSUNY 2020 legislation approved by the State Legislature in June—UB will move ahead with plans to hire new faculty across the university, expand its academic offerings and facilities for all students, and relocate the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

With the funding provided by the Challenge Grant, and with additional funding provided through NYSUNY 2020 legislation, UB will:

• Hire 300 new faculty in strategic areas to increase the university’s research output and the economic impact of UB research;
• Replace 300 faculty expected to leave the university due to attrition over the next five years with 400 faculty to strengthen university programs in all academic disciplines;
• Improve academic support facilities to provide state-of-the-art educational and research environments for faculty and students; and
• Move forward with the first phases of a $375 million plan to relocate the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, where the UB school will be in close proximity to UB’s other assets on the medical campus: a new Clinical and Translational Research Center and Educational Opportunity Center now under construction; the new UB Downtown Gateway (former M. Wile building); and the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

Achieving these objectives, Tripathi said, will enhance the quality of education for all UB students in all academic disciplines, create new jobs in the region, and improve health care for all citizens of Western New York. 

“Imagine what our community will look like when we realize this next phase of UB 2020,” Tripathi said.  “Buffalo will be a destination for world-class health care and research, new businesses will be created through innovative research-industry partnerships, thousands of new jobs will be created for our region’s people, and we will attract more of the world’s best faculty and bright students into our region.”

Next month, UB will begin contracting for design of a new medical school. Site selection is expected to be completed in the spring and building designs completed in April 2013. Construction is anticipated to begin in September 2013 and be completed in the fall of 2016.

UB’s Challenge Grant funding adds to other efforts by Cuomo to help revitalize the economy of Western New York, Tripathi noted. Last week, the governor announced $100.3 million in funding for an economic-development plan produced by the Western New York Regional Economic Council, co-chaired by Tripathi and Buffalo businessman Howard Zemsky. Nearly 10 percent of the funding will aid research institutions on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, including the Jacobs Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute. 

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 467,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with nearly 3 million alumni around the globe. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu