Simpson Speechifies
If you couldn’t get into your usual parking space at the Buffalo Club this morning, blame it on UB President John Simpson, who held his annual community address across the street at Babeville. I think I was the only sucker who put a quarter in a meter on the street. And I’m lucky I had a quarter, because the automated kiosk on Delaware Avenue was broken and wouldn’t accept credit or debit cards.
This year’s speech, “Buffalo-Niagara at a Crossroads,” riffs on themes borrowed from bluesman Robert Johnson and poet Robert Frost.
Teddy Roosevelt also received major props in the address, as Simpson reminded us, “If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk big; we must act big.” As in UB2020, get it?
Simpson also borrowed Roosevelt’s warning to skeptics: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Dust and sweat and blood, people. You can’t make this stuff up. He even threw in a reference to the Russians and Sputnik. But don’t take my word for it, read it for yourself by clicking here.
And for the heck of it, I’ll offer another Teddy Roosevelt quote, for your edification: “A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.”
UB2020 is dead. RIP. John just can’t seem to get it. You cannot get public money without any plan or commitment to perform. Or without transparency and accountability. His deep seeded need to do everything in secret exposes a pathology that is truly frightening.
Comment by Peter A Reese — September 23, 2009 @ 11:22 am
On the contrary, UB 2020 is alive and well. Look at the recent investments in downtown with the construction start on the Global Vascular Institute/Center for Translational Research, the progress underway at the new Downtown Gateway, or last Friday’s “groundbreaking” for Kapoor Hall (new home for the School of Pharmacy) on the South Campus in the City of Buffalo. These are just a few examples of both a plan and of commitment (from state capital dollars to significant philanthropic investment) from individuals and entities that recognize the great potential of UB 2020. It’s not John Simpson’s plan; it’s a plan developed by the faculty at UB that has become the community’s plan.
Comment by A_UB_Believer — September 23, 2009 @ 12:42 pm
Nobody consulted with the law faculty on the plan to move the law school to south campus; we were simply told that’s where we’re going to be, if UB2020 ever comes to pass.
Comment by lawprof — September 23, 2009 @ 2:33 pm
All the talk at UB is about hiring freezes, budget cuts, and permanent reductions in the size of departments and schools. So, the UB2020 propaganda is just that, propaganda. Simpson wants to Build a new campus, and lots of other stuff, but the money is not there and on campus we just see budget cuts.
Simpson may build some new things on campus, but it will likely just be a campus full of empty offices and work stations (since the faculty and staff numbers are dwindling by design at UB, student numbers are flat too).
It will be a problem for the next president to deal with. That is, how to justify 3 campuses with fewer students, faculty and staff.
Simpson needs to take a tour of the departments on campus and have an honest discussion about where the next round of cuts will fall. My guess is that the next steps will involve mergers and consolidations of departments and entire schools to cut back on administrative overhead. The savings may keep the university afloat for a while.
We all know the cuts will disproportionately hit the non-sciences and non-medical fields. That is where the hits have come since Simpson arrived. WNY residents, businesses, and students considering UB should be made aware of this. If you are not in these fields, UB should be off your list for recruiting employees, enrolling in college, or just looking for answers.
Comment by AnotherUBProf — September 23, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
Did anyone ever check to see if the resurgence of Seattle corresponded with Simpson leaving? Isn’t it nice to see that the UB is so political that professors are afraid to use their names when criticizing the place? Must be modeled on City Hall. And the Buffalo Club continues to be the center hub of everything despicable in WNY.
Comment by Peter A Reese — September 24, 2009 @ 7:10 am
“UB is so political that professors are afraid to use their names when criticizing the place”? What does that mean? What does “political” have to do with it?
Comment by lawprof — September 26, 2009 @ 6:09 pm
Gee maybe “political” means that people are afraid to use their real names for fear of retaliation? Some purists might think this is a serious limit on academic discourse. I guess UB has given up on such antiquated concepts in order to better serve the needs of the local elite.
Comment by Peter A Reese — September 28, 2009 @ 8:14 am