According to the latest report prepared by the United Way of America, UB is the national leader among universities with 5,000 or more employees when it comes to per-capita giving and participation percentage for United Way campaign giving.

The organization's latest biennial report, based on 1994 giving, shows UB with employee per-capita giving of $104.99 and a 59.8 participation percentage.

The per-capita rate is nearly twice that of the second-ranked school-the University of Alabama, where per-capita giving was $56.07. The nearest competitor when it comes to participation percentage is Michigan State University, with 55.1 percent.

UB ranked No. 2 nationally in terms of total dollars raised. With 6,074 employees, UB raised $637,717. The only university raising more was the University of Alabama, which, with more than twice the number of employees, surpassed UB's total by $120,000, according to the United Way of America.

"This high level of performance has been recognized by both the local and New York State United Way by encouraging the use of the 'UB model' by other colleges and universities," said Frederick W. Winter, dean of the School of Management and chair of the university's 1995-96 State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA).

"This, in my estimation, depicts how really special the UB campaign truly is," Winter noted in a report to UB President William R. Greiner.

Winter said UB's 1995-96 SEFA campaign not only achieved 102.4 percent of its goal, but final contributions totaled an all-time high of $645,452.11.

"The SEFA Campaign," he added, "represents one of the most significant ways in which the University at Buffalo serves the Western New York community."

Winter said the total is especially significant considering the fact that UB had about 5 percent fewer employees than during the 1994-95 record-setting campaign and this year's drive had 242 fewer donors. The donor total does not include 1,900 supported graduate students-131 of whom contributed a total of $6,903.71.

Leadership Gifts and Pacesetter Gifts again played a crucial role in the annual campaign, according to Winter. UB again led all other employers in Western New York in terms of Leadership Gifts, according to the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County.

There were 118 Leadership Gifts of $1,000 or more-up one from last year-and 308 Pacesetter Gifts of between $500 and $1,000-up 17 from 1994-95.

While donors in those two categories comprised only 12.5 percent of total contributors, Winter said their contributions represented nearly 52 percent of total dollars raised.

The average contribution totaled $195, up from $176 in the 1994-95 SEFA campaign. The per-capita contribution showed a similar trend-up $18 to $102, compared to $84 for last year's campaign.