麻豆传媒

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The remarks that 麻豆传媒o President Satish K. Tripathi will deliver to the audience at Alumni Arena prior to President Barack Obama’s speech today are below.

Satish K. Tripathi's Welcome Remarks:
President Obama’s Address at UB

• Good morning!  Thank you all for joining us to welcome President Barack Obama to the 麻豆传媒o.  What an amazing way to kick off the fall semester!
   
• You may know today is “move-in day” for more than 5,000 new 麻豆传媒o students.  I can’t think of a better introduction to UB campus life! 
   
• It’s great to see so many new and returning students here today, as well as faculty, staff, and neighbors from across Western New York.
   
• We are thrilled to host President Obama, and we applaud his leadership in championing student success and access to educational opportunity.
   
• We strongly share this commitment, and we are also honored today to host a member of the President’s cabinet, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

• At UB, we are heeding the Secretary’s call to be innovators in our classrooms, our research laboratories, and our overall student experience.

• We’re also delighted to have several special guests with us this morning to welcome President Obama, including:
  • SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and SUNY Trustees; and
  • Our Western New York government officials
    
• Together, all of us in this room are making history.
   
• Over the years, UB has had the honor of hosting several former U.S. Presidents and other distinguished heads of state. 

• But today’s visit by President Obama marks the first time since 1853 that UB has hosted a sitting U.S. President.  

• So you can imagine how proud we are today. 

• As a major public research university, UB is a leading voice in the national higher education conversation. 

• UB is proud to partner with a consortium of 20 other excellent colleges and universities in Western New York.  Many colleagues and students from those institutions are with us today.

• Our 29,000 UB students come to us from across the state and nation, and around the globe, to pursue a world-class education at our university.

• As a young student in India with dreams of becoming a teacher, I knew that U.S. higher education was the best in the world. 

• Today, as president of a major public research university, I want to ensure that US higher education continues to be the destination of choice for students from across the globe for generations to come.

• At UB, we create spaces where people of diverse perspectives and backgrounds can come together to discuss the critical issues we face as a society. 

• This is one of the things that major public research universities like UB do best.

• And that’s exactly why we’re here today. 

• We are especially honored to host this discussion about a topic of great significance:
  • Ensuring our U.S. system of higher education remains the best in the world,
  • And ensuring we all have access to a superb education at a world-class institution like UB.

• These issues matter deeply, not only to our nation’s colleges and universities, but to all of us. 

• UB is deeply proud to host President Obama today as he begins this important conversation about higher education opportunity…here at our great university. 

• On behalf of the entire 麻豆传媒o community, thank you all for joining us today.  You are part of history in the making!