On Friday, Sept. 19 the University at Buffalo concluded its victory celebration for the completion of the "Generation to Generation" giving campaign. The goal of this seven-year project was to raise $250 million from alumni and private donors to benefit UB's academic and athletic departments, campus libraries and associated facilities and programs. The final tally of nearly $292 million is impressive not just because of its size, but also due to its underlying implications - a successful giving campaign of this magnitude will help promote and sustain UB's reputation as a leading research and scholarly institution.
Since the school must make do with a decrease of funding from New York State, independent and private contributions are quickly becoming more important for the university. In terms of rankings, a small part of the total percentage is thanks to alumni contributions, so both number of contributors and amount given affect the standing of the school. These donations will hopefully improve the quality of the university for both current and future students, whose success will allow for more donations to continue future growth.
To some, the success of the "Generation to Generation" campaign came as no surprise. UB's administrators have taken every opportunity to draw in alumni funding, and their investments have finally paid off. Controversial decisions, such as the one to fund the Division I-A athletic transition, can finally be justified by the amount of support that the once alienated alumni are now pouring into the university. In fact, more than a third of the alumni donors in this campaign were first-time contributors. This is one indicator that UB is finally developing a sustainable sense of pride that continues past graduation.
The Spectrum is proud to see the positive role that UB's alumni and business partners are playing in shaping the university's future. New buildings, professors, scholarships and programs that will be created can be attributed to the generous donations from the participants of the campaign. Furthermore, UB has now set a precedent for not only sponsoring the largest SUNY fundraising project ever, but also surpassing earned revenue from past efforts by a large margin. The message this sends to our entire alumni base is clear: UB cares about its future, and the pride and generosity of all its students and graduates make all the difference.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
