Universities like Rochester are uniquely poised to transform lives and drive innovation through the wide-ranging scope of our research and community commitment.
Sometimes overlooked in public discussions about the role that higher education plays in our society and culture is the incredible scope of national research universities like the University of Rochester. We are uniquely situated as an institution to engage in the kind of “big-idea” projects that can both transform disciplines and touch the lives of people in our community. At the same time, we share our creativity and innovation with those who live next door and around the world.
As a member of our University community, I’m regularly reminded of our remarkable legacy and the ways in which we continually work to build on our history. But in the span of a little less than a month this spring, even I marveled at our wide-ranging ability to ask big questions, focus our expertise at the most personal level, and help bring creative energy to our community.
In late May, we formally opened a new addition at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics that will help our scientists—and their colleagues around the world—advance the science of fusion and explore the physics at the core of planetary bodies in our universe. The 66,600-square-foot addition allows for new capabilities that enhance research and education as well as workforce and economic development. As a national laboratory, LLE has long been at the forefront of research and education in fusion, in understanding the extreme conditions typically only found at the centers of planets and stars, and in laboratory astrophysics.
In early June, we announced a historic $50 million gift from Rochester philanthropist and business leader Tom Golisano to establish a new institute at the Medical Center that will transform the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The new Golisano Institute will leverage our outstanding research and clinical care programs that touch the lives of some of the most vulnerable—and underserved—members of our communities. That population is estimated to include 200 million people worldwide and about 120,000 people in the Finger Lakes region of western New York.
As one of only 15 institutions designated by the National Institutes of Health as a Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center—and one of only a very small handful to receive all three top designations from the NIH—we are internationally recognized as leaders in this life-changing field.
And in late June, we were proud to enhance our engagement with the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival, a showcase of our region’s world-class musical culture. One of Rochester’s signature community events, the festival features nine days of performances by musical artists from across the country and the globe, including our Eastman School of Music students, faculty, and alumni, as well as members of the Eastman Community Music School’s programs.
We’ve been an integral part of the festival for each of its 21 years, largely through Eastman, but this year we increased our commitment as an institution, one that’s a key partner for such efforts to showcase the talent and creativity found in the Rochester region.
Few institutions, enterprises, or organizations in our social and economic systems can take on such wide-ranging roles, much less dedicate themselves to leading these kinds of initiatives.
That is, however, the mission and spirit of a national research university like Rochester. We bring together the most talented and inquisitive faculty and student scholars, clinicians and health care professionals, musical and performing artists, humanists, social and physical scientists, and researchers of all kinds in a framework that allows them to follow their curiosity, to ask questions, and to explore answers.
The economic and social history of the United States and the world at large would be much diminished without the historic commitment of research universities and the incalculable dedication of those who are and have been a part of our history. We’re grateful for the support of every member of our communities.
As we move forward in coming years, we will be guided by our Boundless Possibility strategic plan, which begins its second year this fall. The plan provides a road map for our institution that capitalizes on our incredible legacy of innovation—emphasizing our breakthrough research, our standing as a world-class academic medical center, and our engagement with the communities of the historic Rochester region that we call home.
We’re committed to being an institution that can change the lives of students, patients, and all the people with whom we interact. We also fully expect to transform research, scholarship, the creative arts, and clinical care in ways that make the world better for all. We have an extraordinary legacy to build upon, and I’m confident that we will add even more marvelous chapters to our story.
(Rochester Review, Summer 2024)