News and Events
2013 Keynote Lecture of UB’s Undergraduate Academies, Entrepreneurship Academy presents:
Changing the Way We Think with Jordan Levy
Thoughts on entrepreneurship from an expert—a man who backed The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, eTrade, Synacor, DrawSomething, BuddyMedia and Ingram Micro, among others.
- Wednesday, April 17, 2013
- 6:30 pre-Lecture Reception | 7:00 PM Lecture
- Center for the Arts Mainstage (UB North Campus)
- Free and open to the public.
- Keynote Flyer (PDF)
This year’s Keynote Lecture will feature Jordan Levy, UB alumnus, who received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1977, and is managing partner at Softbank Capital NY and managing partner of Seed Capital Partners. The Entrepreneurship lecture series for 2012-2013 seeks to introduce students, faculty, staff and community members to the area’s entrepreneurs. This lecture will continue the Academies’ effort to inspire and educate all to explore the world of Entrepreneurship.
Undergraduate Academies in the News
- November 26, 2012, Synacor Co-Founder Will Talk to Young Entrepreneurs About What it Takes to Start a Business - The title of George Chamoun’s talk is "Entrepreneurship From Pitch to Plan: Learn the Secret.” During his presentation, he will discuss the pressures of starting a business, and how to conquer those challenges. Chamoun, recorgnized by Ernst & Young as “Entrepreneur of the Year,” has been critical to Synacor’s success since its inception. He will also cover how to pitch a business plan to investors, partners, employees, and customers. Chamoun’s story is of particular interest to UB students because he attended the university. Speaker Poster (PDF)
- September 3, 2012, New Undergraduate Academies spotlight Entrepreneurship, Sustainability - "Members of each will enjoy such opportunities as exclusive seminars and networking events, all relating to their academy’s central theme. Participants in the Entrepreneurship Academy, for instance, will meet and work with entrepreneurs in Western New York, develop plans for entrepreneurial endeavors and analyze different styles of entrepreneurship, including social entrepreneurship".
- April 26, 2012, UB's Undergraduate Academies Enriches Students and Allows Them to Excel - “The experience can assume different shapes from living within the community in the university’s Ellicott Complex, to participating in the learning component, or both. These opportunities not only enrich participants but give them a potential advantage over other students. Research indicates that freshmen entering the Undergraduate Academies between fall 2008 and fall 2010 were less likely to have academic difficulty than their non-Academies peers."
- April 19, 2012, Launching the Sustainability Academy – “The development of a new Sustainability Undergraduate Academy will expand the unique and exciting living-learning communities we have established for undergraduate students,” says A. Scott Weber, vice provost and dean for undergraduate education. “This effort will further solidify UB’s strong academic focus on sustainability and will help meet strong student interest in this important societal need."
- March 15, 2012, Global Perspectives Keynote Lecture – Amitav Ghosh, the celebrated Bengali author, humanities scholar and a much-translated star in the international literary firmament, will present a talk titled “The World’s Emporium." The lecture, which serves as the keynote lecture of the Global Perspectives Academy of UB’s Undergraduate Academies, is co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Program.
- February 16, 2012, Finish in Four – “At UB, we have made a commitment to creating a robust, academically rigorous and supportive educational environment,” said President Satish K. Tripathi. “Our goal is to provide our students with a transformative education—through unique undergraduate research experiences, undergraduate academies, interdisciplinary freshman seminars and innovative living/learning communities.
Current Events
Each semester the Undergraduate Academies chooses themes to explore based on the interests of the students, faculty, current events and university programming. These semester topics (PDF) help shape presentations, workshops, excursions and events are offered to help UB students explore the chosen topics.
Weekly Themes for Fall 2012
| Weeks |
Dates |
Theme |
Notes |
| Week 1 |
August 21 - August 27 |
Welcome Back |
Connect with new and returning Undergraduate Academies students! |
| Weeks 2 - 4 |
August 28 -
September 22 |
Community, Citizenship & Civility |
We will explore how students can be meaningful members of their community, focusing on what it means to be a UB student, and a WNY Resident. In addition,
we will look at the role that voting plays in students’ citizenship through upcoming local, regional and the national elections. |
| Weeks 5 - 7 |
September 23 - October 13 |
Urban Renewal |
As the city of Buffalo embraces its historical roots economically and culturally, we look at how students can get involved in that process. |
| Weeks 8 - 10 |
October 14 - November 3 |
Poverty |
We will review topics related to poverty in the WNY Community, and what poverty entails in the context of different populations and countries. |
| Week 11 - 13 |
November 4 - November 24 |
Social & Global Entrepreneurship |
Supporting the work done by UB Reads speaker Blake Mycoskie, author of "Start Something that Matters," the Undergraduate Academies will look at the role that innovators have in making a difference in the world. |
| Weeks 14 - 15 |
November 25 - December 7 |
Religion and Global Affairs |
he Academies will explore the impact religions, and religious freedom has on local, national, and foreign policy. In addition, we will talk about how
religion has played a role in current events across the globe. |
Check out the Academies’ events listings on facebook for a full list of workshops, excursions, speakers, and more!
