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Gala proceeds to help Buffalo Public Schools graduates
By CYNTHIA MACHAMER
Reporter Contributor
Underscoring its commitment to help improve educational outcomes for students in the Buffalo Public Schools, UB has established a $150,000 endowed scholarship fund to benefit graduates of the city's schools.
UB is matching $75,000 in funds raised at the university's second Scholarship Gala to create the fund to provide long-time resources, as well as scholarships, to as many as 10 students next fall.
The gala on Nov. 10 raised a total of $190,000 for undergraduate and graduate student scholarships across the university. The amount raised was nearly 33 percent more than last year.
"Public institutions of education serving every kind of student—from the pre-kindergarten level through postgraduate education—share a common mission: to ensure that all qualified students have access to a first-rate education," said President John B. Simpson.
"This new scholarship fund is an outstanding outcome of the vital partnership between UB and the Buffalo Public Schools, serving to create valuable educational opportunities and helping to keep more of our promising young people here in the region for their higher education," Simpson added. "Our students are, very literally, our future—the future of UB and of the larger communities we serve, here in Western New York and across the globe."
While approximately 50 percent of UB undergraduate students last year demonstrated financial need, only 25 percent received assistance through scholarships and grants. The other students turned to student loans, work-study programs and part-time work to fund their education at UB.