Athletics launches fund drive

The Division of Athletics has launched its annual Blue and White Club athletic fund drive, with a goal of raising a record $250,000 for the athletic scholarship fund.

The chair of the drive, which will run through March 17, is Gina Collora, a UB alumna who has worked on the fund drive for the past four years.

"We have an extremely energetic group of volunteers made up of community leaders and distinguished alumni, as well as former UB student-athletes," said Collora. "As the UB Division of Athletics continues to grow, we continue to raise the bar on this scholarship drive. For all of us, this is a labor of love. We realize that what we are doing benefits potential student-athletes, the Western New York community, the UB Division of Athletics and the university as a whole," she said.

"As UB athletics become a nationally recognized entity, it becomes a greater source of pride for not only the university, but also for all of Western New York."

Andy Hurley, associate athletic director for development, said that the increase in the scholarship fund goal-from $170,000 last year to $250,000 this year-is based largely on the university's aggressiveness in all areas. He pointed in particular to the successful sale of an average of more than 19,000 tickets per football game last season so that UB could qualify for Division I-A play this fall.

"To reach the goals that are in place for the Division of Athletics, we must continue to raise the stakes, and in doing so, increase the support of our community, alumni and friends whose contributions are so critical to our future success," said Hurley.

For more information on the Blue and White Club fund drive, contact Paula Devereaux at 645-6867.