Former Praxair CEO and Chair Lichtenberger Gives $250,000 to UB School of Management

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- H. William Lichtenberger, former chairman and CEO of the industrial-gases company Praxair, Inc., has donated $250,000 to the University at Buffalo School of Management for the naming of a lecture hall in the school's new Alfiero Center.

The H. William Lichtenberger Lecture Hall will be used for instruction of undergraduate and graduate business students at the School of Management. It will be one of three dedicated learning spaces in the three-story Alfiero Center, which will contain facilities devoted to academic programs, student services and student clubs. The center will be built adjacent to and connected with the Jacobs Management Center on UB's North (Amherst) Campus, with construction beginning in 2003.

A 1966 graduate of the UB MBA program, Lichtenberger made the gift in recognition of the School of Management's contribution to his career success.

"During the course of my career, I have continually drawn upon the knowledge and skills I gained as a student at the School of Management," Lichtenberger said. "For that I am truly thankful. I hope this gift will help the school in its mission to prepare future business leaders."

Lichtenberger attended the UB MBA program at night while employed as a manager at the former Union Carbide Research and Engineering Center in the Town of Tonawanda. After graduation, Lichtenberger rose to numerous leadership positions within Union Carbide. He served as vice president and general manager of the European industrial gases business in Switzerland, president of the Solvents and Coatings Materials Division and president of the Chemical and Plastics group. In 1990, he was named president, chief operating officer and director of Union Carbide and in 1992 was named chairman and CEO of Praxair when the company spun off from Union Carbide.

A resident of Palm City, Fla., Lichtenberger retired from Praxair in 2000. He serves on the board of directors for Ingersoll-Rand and Arch Chemical and is chairman and director of Noveou, Inc. In 2001, he was awarded the SUNY Honorary Doctorate of Letters, conferred by UB, in recognition of his business accomplishments.

"The naming of Lichtenberger Lecture Hall celebrates not only what one person has accomplished in his career, it celebrates what each of us is able to accomplish through hard work and pursuit of excellence," said Jerry M. Newman, interim dean of the UB School of Management and SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor. "We are very thankful for Mr. Lichtenberger's generosity and we are honored to count him among our alumni."

The Alfiero Center, to be built at a cost of $7 million, will be named for the family of Western New York businessman Sal Alfiero, chairman and CEO of Protective Industries of Buffalo, who donated $2 million to the project in 2001.

Additional funding for the project is being provided by alumni and friends of the School of Management as part of UB's $250 million fund-raising campaign, one of the largest ever conducted by a public university in New York and New England. Although it's the fifth major campaign of its kind conducted by UB, it is the first national/international, university-wide and alumni-driven campaign with volunteer leaders from all over the country. Funds raised will be used to enrich academic programs, support undergraduate to post-doctoral students and enhance university life.

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