Gift from Alumnus, Wife Supports New Music Center

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Robert and Carol Morris of New York City have provided a major gift to the University at Buffalo that will help establish the Signature Center of Excellence in 21st Century Music and provide support for the university's annual June in Buffalo, UB's internationally known annual festival and conference dedicated to emerging composers.

"The arts are too often overlooked," said Morris, who received a bachelor's degree in economics from UB in 1967. "We think highly of UB and were always proud to be Buffalonians. Our son received a fabulous education at the university. We hope our gift, to support the new center, will help UB plan for the future and ensure that it remains the creative home for internationally acclaimed artists and world-class performers."

The Morris family's tie to UB spans three generations. Robert Morris's parents, Ruth T. and Donald L., received degrees from the university in 1965 and 1964, respectively, and one of Robert's and Carol's sons, Alexander, earned bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture from the university in 1991 and 1994, respectively.

"This generous gift will build upon the core of our extraordinary music program," said UB President John B. Simpson. "The formal creation of a center of excellence will help us expand and implement innovative programs and maintain facilities and equipment.

"This is an exciting time for the University at Buffalo as we move forward in our pursuit of our ambitious institutional agenda of academic excellence and leadership," Simpson added. "The Signature Center of Excellence in 21st Century Music promises to play a significant role in advancing this mission. We are deeply grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Morris for their investment in the university's future."

The Morris gift will provide fellowship support for members of a new graduate-student performance group. These master's-level or post-doctoral students will teach performance-related classes, offer concerts and participate in outreach programs. The gift also will enable the Department of Music in the College of Arts and Sciences to refurbish Baird Hall on UB's North (Amherst) Campus with new soundproofing and acoustical and aesthetic enhancements, as well as to purchase and refurbish musical instruments.

Multi-year support also will be provided by the Morris gift for "June in Buffalo," the annual festival and conference dedicated to emerging and world-renowned senior composers, and for the Slee Sinfonietta, UB's professional chamber orchestra-in-residence.

According to Uday P. Sukhatme, dean of the UB College of Arts and Sciences, the Morris gift will provide support for the music department's myriad activities while encouraging new programs within the Signature Center of Excellence in 21st Century Music.

"Using a collaborative process that would incorporate the university's many academic offerings," he said, "the center will create and produce new work, presenting it to the public through concerts, touring, recordings, video, and film and print media."

Robert Morris serves on the Dean's Advisory Council of the College of Arts and Sciences. He earned a master's degree from Northeastern University.

Morris is a partner and chief investment officer at Lord, Abbett & Co., an independent investment management firm, in Jersey City, N.J., that manages more than $93.5 billion in assets. Before joining Lord, Abbett & Co. in 1991, he was vice president and manager of equity and equity investment research at Chase Manhattan Bank.