Univ. at Buffalo AD Danny White recently launched a rebranding plan to "broaden awareness of UB's stature within the state system along with its athletic potential" because he was convinced the school was "suffering from an identity crisis," according to Bob DiCesare of the BUFFALO NEWS. White felt few people in the state "knew the institution is one of 22 public flagship members of the Association of American Universities but the only one unaffiliated with an elite athletic conference." The school's plan, called the "New York Bulls Initiative," includes "new 'marks' on the basketball floor at Alumni Arena and the turf at UB Stadium." The New York ties also have been "prominently incorporated into athletic uniforms and coaching gear" with a design "created in conjunction" with Buffalo-based New Era. White said that the initiatives "already have yielded fruit in the fundraising arena." A proposed 600-seat East Club at UB Stadium "has resulted in some 200 deposits, with 500 commitments the minimum for project launch." Increased attendance and the ancillary revenue streams that go along with it "would be a step toward funding for the facility upgrades necessary for UB to compete in the MAC." White said, "We’re selling this image of what this place can become. The same thing with corporate sponsors. We’re selling what we call Team UB, higher-level affiliation agreements with corporations that believe in the vision and where we’re taking this place." White said of the school adding New Era President and UB alum Pete Augustine to the school's athletics advisory board, "The relationships that we’re creating with them, I liken it hopefully as it grows to what UnderArmour in Maryland’s doing and Nike in Oregon" (BUFFALO NEWS, 9/22).
