Rochester has made a lot of progress in recent years but it still has a long way to go. That’s the assessment of the current state of the region according to University of Rochester President Joel Seligman.
On Tuesday night, Seligman delivered his annual ‘Garden Party Address’ at the Memorial Art Gallery.
Seligman says Rochester has three main challenges, growing jobs, fighting poverty and improving K-through-12 education.
Seligman says the U of R, as the region’s largest employer, has an important role to play in dealing with those challenges.
“We’re a university, one of whose core values is commitment to our community and it’s something as we’ve grown larger, we’ve taken increasingly seriously, “ he told WXXI News.
Seligman says the U of R now employs more than 28,000, having added 1,800 employees in the last year.
Seligman says the area has seen progress with the help of various collaborations and initiatives including the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council and the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative.
“From government employment, political party, job occupation, religion, race you name it, we work together, and the reason we work together so well is we listen to each other. We took each other seriously. And we were all committed to this notion, how do we revitalize Rochester, how do we make it the city of which we dream.”
Seligman says the Rochester area is on the right track, but the question is, “Can we persevere. Can we keep working at this. for not just the weeks, months and years, but the decades it will take to fully complete this transformation.”
