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Scholarship gala raises $179,000
Members of the Zodiaque Dance Company perform “One,” accompanied by a vocal performance by students from the departments of Music and Theatre and Dance. Photo: NANCY J. PARISI
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From left, Michael Cropp and Mark Hamister co-chaired the event with their wives, Lois Cropp and Sharon Hamister. Photo: NANCY J. PARISI
With more than 420 alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and business and community leaders in attendance, the seventh UB Scholarship Gala on Nov. 9 raised a total of $179,000 for student scholarships.
The gala, which was sold out this year, has raised a total of $1.17 million since it began in 2006 as a way to attract academically accomplished students to UB, one of the goals of UB 2020, the university’s strategic plan to become a premier 21st-century public university.
Gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations help give these deserving students the chance to earn their UB degrees. Several gala scholarships are awarded each year across the university.
One recent scholarship recipient, Melissa Han, hopes to someday become a pediatric nurse and says the funding has made a positive difference in her studies.
“Last year, my family was struggling financially; the gala scholarship helped me pay for most of my textbooks, so it was really helpful,” she says. “I think receiving a scholarship is probably the best feeling in the world, knowing that someone out there cares enough about other people’s education, about the future. I just want to say thank you.”
Stephen McKinley Henderson, professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, served as the gala’s master of ceremonies, overseeing a wide array of entertainment, courtesy of several student groups. The Thunder of the East marching band greeted arriving guests, while the Buffalo Chips male a cappella group, the Zodiaque Dance Company and music theater students performed throughout the evening. In addition, teams of students in adjunct instructor Marc Adler’s marketing class sold cookies, raising nearly $9,000.
Live and silent auctions also offered gala-goers chances to win a variety of prizes, from jewelry, art and sports items to the grand prize of a one-week trip to paradise. Attendees were the first in Western New York to use BidPal handheld electronic devices to submit bids on items in the silent auction and raffle, as well as for the cookies; the Hamister Group sponsored the BidPal devices for the gala.
Co-chairs for the 2012 gala were Lois and Michael Cropp, ’03, and Sharon and Mark Hamister, with UB volunteer Marilyn Ciancio serving as auction chair. President Satish K. Tripathi thanked gala attendees for supporting scholarships because more than 60 percent of UB undergraduate students have financial need.
“We are committed to ensuring equitable access to the life-changing opportunities at UB,” Tripathi said. “As a leading public university, we must continue to provide access to the brightest students, as well as give our current students the opportunity to continue their studies despite financial obstacles they may face.”
Independent Health and Verizon were presenting sponsors for this year’s gala, which attracted 13 new corporate sponsors, bringing the total number of sponsors to 46. For more information, visit the gala’s website.
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