September 29, 1994: Vol26n4: Faculty gifts aid UB programs

By JED NITZBERG
Reporter Contributor
Faculty support for UB, like support from alumni and friends across
the nation, is growing.
	"UB is fortunate to have many, many faculty who are deeply
committed to their work and dedicated to the university--people who
keep us strong by making ongoing contributions of their time and
talents," said President William Greiner.
	"More and more, some of our leading faculty are also making
and pledging gifts of their own resources to UB. Faculty gifts mean
all the more because they come from colleagues who know the
university's programs firsthand, who have seen the effects of
dwindling state support, and who are willing to go above and beyond
their professional responsibilities to help keep UB growing."
	Each of these gifts has a special story. Here are three of
them:
The Mattern-Tyler Endowment Fund
	J. Arthur Mattern, associate professor emeritus of chemistry
at UB, and his wife, Elizabeth T. Mattern, established The
Mattern-Tyler Endowment Fund to meet changing needs of the chemistry
department.
	In creating a fund to ensure excellence in chemistry education
at UB, the Matterns honor the memory of their parents. Dr. Mattern's
father, Earl, was a teacher and a school superintendent for several
Ohio towns. "The start of my whole career in science was rooted in the
books he brought home," Mattern noted. His father also became a
successful business owner and county auditor. Ada Mattern was "a
walking book of knowledge about trees, plants and shells and an
extraordinary gardener until age 85."
	Harvey Tyler, Mrs. Mattern's father, worked as a farmer,
builder and teacher before finishing engineering school in Iowa. His
wife, Bessie, taught in Iowa schools.
The Sirianni Endowment Fund
	An enthusiasm for inspiring future students to learn and to
explore led UB Professor Joyce E. Sirianni to create The Sirianni
Endowment Fund for the Department of Anthropology. "I've developed
intellectually here and my other talents have been nurtured here. I
know that many of my colleagues share my feelings about the
university. This is my way of saying 'thank you' for all I've achieved
because of UB," she said.
	A leading member of the faculty and a prominent
anthropologist, Sirianni designated UB's Anthropology Department as
the beneficiary of her $350,000 gift. Future administrations may
choose to use the funds for such projects as scholarships, purchases
of equipment, research materials, or other resources.
The William Eller Memorial Scholarship Fund
	Even though they never met, the late UB Professor William
Eller is influencing the education of UB Student Poonam Arya.
	Arya, a 26-year-old doctoral candidate from Delhi, India,
studying in the Graduate School of Education, is the first recipient
of a $1,500 award from the William Eller Memorial Scholarship Fund.
The fund, established by Eller's wife, Betty, and her aunt, Kathryn
Rieder, honors the long, distinguished career of the professor
emeritus in the Graduate School of Education's Department of Learning
and Instruction.
	Mrs. Eller noted that giving $25,000 to start the scholarship
fund was a way to help future generations of students. "My aunt said
that starting a scholarship is like the rippling effect from a pebble
dropped in a pool--it creates an ever-widening circle of influence,"
said Mrs. Eller. Rieder made a gift of $10,000 as part of the Eller
scholarship's start-up funding.	Those interested in learning more
about making a gift to UB can call the Office of University
Development at 645-3312