Donor Gives UB $1.6 Million For Full Scholarships to Recruit Exceptional Students

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo has received a cash gift of $1.6 million from an anonymous donor specifically to provide 20 students in each of the freshman classes entering the university in Fall 1995 and Fall 1996 with scholarships to cover tuition and all expenses for each of their four undergraduate years at UB.

It is the largest cash gift ever received by UB or any other college or university in the State University of New York system in which the funds are immediately available for use.

The students will be designated Distinguished Honors Scholars. The gift will allow them to complete an undergraduate degree at virtually no cost to themselves and without the need to borrow funds.

The university simultaneously is launching a new initiative to actively recruit students from among the brightest high-school seniors in the country, students of the caliber of National Merit scholars.

According to the anonymous donor, his intention is to enable students of exceptional merit to pursue an education at a premier university without having to worry about the cost.

"I wish the best students everywhere to know that they have an opportunity to attend one of the country's leading research universities," he added. "More importantly, I wish to give them the freedom to pursue their studies without the distractions of financial obligations."

UB President William R. Greiner, who announced the gift today at a press conference, said "UB is honored and delighted to receive such a magnanimous gift in support of excellence among our undergraduate students.

"The new scholarships will make UB all the more attractive to the best and most competitive students across the nation and help make a significant difference in their lives."

Greiner said they fit well with the major emphasis that UB is giving undergraduate education.

"We are a very good university; we are nationally recognized for the high quality of our graduate and professional programs; we are often cited as a leader in innovative public-service initiatives. And we think that all of those elements together make for a rich, exciting, varied environment for undergraduate education -- exactly the kind of setting in which the most talented students thrive."

The recruitment of the most highly qualified students as Distinguished Honors Scholars will further strengthen the university as a whole, according to Greiner.

"Outstanding students challenge their teachers to provide outstanding instruction. They challenge their fellow students to achieve even more, and they become leaders among our alumni and community friends. When you think of it that way, this generous gift doesn't just promote one-time investments in bright students -- it also supports lasting excellence in all facets of UB's endeavors."

UB Provost Aaron N. Bloch said the scholarships initially will be administered through the University Honors Program.

"Our honors program already competes academically with the best honors programs in the country," he added. "This very generous gift will enable it to compete financially as well."

Nicolas D. Goodman, vice provost for undergraduate education, said, "The Distinguished Honors Scholars will contribute to academic excellence at UB. Their enrollment, in turn, will help the university attract other highly qualified students."

Their selection, he added, will take into account both merit and financial need. A special effort will be made to recruit students with significant financial need.

Goodman said the scholarships the students receive will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, personal expenses and travel between school and home.

In addition to the scholarship, the Distinguished Honors Scholars will receive the benefits provided to other students in the University Honors Program. Long acknowledged as one of the best in the U.S., it combines a nurturing atmosphere with the vigorous intellectual climate of a major research university.

Faculty members serve as mentors for the program's students, who participate in special courses. About one-fifth of the students in the University Honors Program successfully pursue two or more majors, often in widely divergent fields, and many assume important leadership positions on campus.

Kevin Durkin, assistant vice president for student services and director of admissions, said that public universities need the ability to offer substantial merit-based scholarships, such as the Distinguished Honors Scholarships, if they expect to recruit and admit exceptional students.

"UB has a good record of attracting very talented students, but the competition to attract the most highly talented students is stiff," he added. "In many cases, the deciding factor is the difference in financial support the institutions are able to provide."

Durkin said that in terms of recruitment of highly qualified students, the Distinguished Honors Scholarships will have an impact beyond the individual students who receive them.

"If we attract students with truly outstanding qualifications, there is a value-added effect to UB," he added. "They make recruitment of other exceptional students easier."

He said the UB Admissions Office is planning a comprehensive outreach program to promote the Distinguished Honors Scholarships. UB faculty and staff, as well as distinguished alumni of the university, will participate in the recruitment effort, personally contacting prospective students.