Alumnus Expresses Gratitude to UB Professor With $25,000 Gift to School of Management

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- An alumnus of the University at Buffalo School of Management has donated $25,000 to the school in appreciation for the education and guidance that he and his son, also a former student, received from one of its professors. S. Arthur Lowe of Ellicottville, a 1950 graduate of the school, and his wife, Carolyn, made the donation in honor of retired professor Robert F. Berner of Amherst, who taught managerial statistics and was dean of Millard Fillmore College during a 36-year career at UB.

The gift will be used to establish the Robert F. Berner Management Science and Systems Excellence Fund, which will help advance cutting-edge curricula within the school's Department of Management Science and Systems -- the successor to the Department of Statistics and Insurance in which Berner taught.

An instructor and faculty advisor to Lowe, Berner became a friend of the family and later helped Lowe's son, Peter, enroll in the business curriculum at UB. Peter Lowe, a 1970 graduate of the management school, is vice president of the aerospace division of Huck International in Tucson, Ariz.

“This is our way of never forgetting what a good friend and advisor Bob (Berner) was for our family,” said Lowe. “For years, I had been thinking about honoring him in this way. I decided to do it now while we were all alive and well.”

Berner responded that “it's very rewarding to know that I was able to make a difference in students' lives. I feel very privileged to be selected for this honor.”

John Boot, chair of the Department of Management Science and Systems, said the gift “will provide a reliable stream of buying power in an area where the demands from society for educated students are great and the need for funds to keep up with technological progress is the most compelling.”

For information about how you can help support the University at Buffalo, go to http://www.buffalo.edu/giving