When we contribute to our alma mater, we contribute to our nourishing mother: the college that reminds us of a most enjoyable period in our life.

UB is an alma mater in its own right, a nourishing mother for many generations of students past, present and future. In a more unusual sense, it is a nourishing mother for us: UB provides us with a civilized environment, an adequate paycheck, generous retirement benefits and respect.

This respect-for the university and those who make the university what it is-is shown in staunch support from the community, our alumni/alumnae and other friends.

Our university is now launching an "eight-zero" campaign. This campaign not only deserves, but requires our support. It deserves our support for what we are, and even more for what we could be, given more financial maneuvering room. It requires our support, to give a clear signal to other benefactors that WE support THEIR support with OUR support.

This support can be directed to specific purposes: some department or classroom equipment, flower beds, speaker funds, scholarships-you name it (as long as you don't name a dedicated parking spot).

In this once-every-decade-historically, once every 50 years-endeavor, don't think income: after tuition, orthodontists and ailing parents, there may not be much left. Think assets, think capital.

Many of us are millionaires, albeit retirement millionaires: whole books have been written on that. It is quite incongruent to plead poverty in such circumstances. One may not have the wherewithal to fork over much "moolah" here and now, but thinking longer term, one readily can contemplate arrangements where some assets are transferred in the future, without cramping one's style or shortchanging one's children. You may be surprised how you can help yourself by helping UB, tax regulations being what they are.

This is not an annual request, as it likely is from your own alma mater. It comes at a felicitous time: our unions have negotiated telling increases, the markets have been behaving, a new provost knows what to do and how to go about doing it, and we have entered not just a new year, not just a new decade, not just a new century, but a new you-know-what.

Go for it! Think "four-zeroes" if normally you think three, think "three-zeroes" if you normally think two. Our other benefactors will take note. And as for us, it is surely true that by helping UB we help ourselves.

Go for it! Nourish our nourishing mother.

John C. G. Boot
Professor and Chair, Department of Management Science and Systems