Gift to fund management honors program

By John Della Contrada
Reporter Contributor

An honors program for exceptional undergraduate students enrolled in the School of Management has been established in memory of Joseph T.J. Stewart, a prominent Buffalo-area businessman and philanthropist who passed away last year.

Funded by a $315,000 bequest from the Stewart estate, the Joseph T.J. Stewart Management Honors Program will provide special academic programming to outstanding students enrolled in the business administration program in the School of Management.

The four-year program will augment the students' regular coursework with a seminar on current business issues, field trips to Wall Street and New York City cultural sites, mentorships with faculty and students, and placement in high-level internships.

A 1948 honors graduate of the management school, Stewart enjoyed a very successful career as a stockbroker, retiring in 1999 as vice president at Advest of Buffalo. He was part of the original investment group that founded the Buffalo Sabres and served many years as Sabres treasurer.

"UB, in many ways, represents a combination of what was important to my father: education, youth and values," said Stewart's son, Thomas W. Stewart, president of Stewart Holdings, Inc.

"Dad always believed that UB was the basis for his business success. He felt it was important to help young people achieve their own goals through education, while impressing on them the importance of maintaining their values and commitment to their community."

Nineteen students have been selected, to date, for the honors program, which will begin this fall with a seminar on using The Wall Street Journal as a tool for understanding the world's business environment. Lewis Mandell, dean of the School of Management, will teach the seminar.

"Creation of the honors program will help ensure that Mr. Stewart's legacy of individual achievement, balanced by a commitment to the common good, lives on in future generations of business students," Mandell said.