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$1 million gift from Cellino and Barnes

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  • The ultimate showman, P.T. Barnum, proved to be the inspiration for Cynthia Wu’s current book project.

    An unrestricted gift of $1 million from alumni Ross Cellino and Stephen Barnes will be used to support student scholarships.

By ILENE FLEISCHMANN
Published: June 8, 2009

The UB Law School has received an unrestricted gift of $1 million from well-known alumni Ross M. Cellino Jr. and Stephen E. Barnes, shareholders in the Buffalo-based personal injury law firm Cellino & Barnes P. C. It is one of the largest cash gifts UB Law has received in its 122-year history.

The gift will be used to support tuition scholarships for deserving students, make improvements in pedagogical technologies in the law school school and upgrade services to create an environment that is conducive to learning.

The UB Law School will name its main conference center, located on the fifth floor of O'Brian Hall, the Cellino & Barnes Conference Center in their honor. One of the most widely used facilities in the law school, the conference center hosts a wide variety of academic and legal conferences, seminars and continuing legal education courses.

Cellino and Barnes, whose firm has been listed in “Best Lawyers of America” and has represented clients in 37 different states, are among the most successful alumni of UB Law School.

"The gift is an extraordinary act of philanthropy and comes at a time of renaissance and renewed optimism in the fortunes and the future of UB Law," says Makau Mutua, dean and SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Law School.

Since his appointment as the UB Law School’s 18th dean in May 2008, Mutua has charted an ambitious plan to place UB Law among the top 50 law schools in the country within the next four years. That plan, aimed at academic excellence, depends on hiring faculty with star potential, recruiting students with high academic credentials and investing the resources of the law school wisely and with prudence, Mutua explains.

"UB Law is fortunate to have so many dedicated alumni who generously support the school," he adds. "Even so, for UB Law to become a truly national law school with global ambitions—and to be counted among the finest law schools in the country—more support from the alumni is necessary. The gift from Cellino & Barnes sets a high bar for the law school's alumni."

Support for UB is especially meaningful when it comes from its graduates, “who know first-hand the value and impact of a UB education," notes President John B. Simpson. "We're honored that these two renowned alumni have chosen to give back to their alma mater with a generous gift that will significantly advance the mission of our law school, and the university as a whole. This gift is a testament to the excellence, relevance and promise of the law school, and will go a long way toward creating new opportunities and enriching the UB experience for generations of students to come."

The gift comes at the close of a very successful year for the law school, Mutua points out. "This amazing act of philanthropy by Ross and Steve reflects a belief by two accomplished alumni that the law school is heading in the right direction," he says. "It is a wonderful down payment on our vision of academic excellence and our bold aspirations for the future."

Provost Satish Tripathi agrees it is important for UB to collaborate with its alumni. "This gift will enable us to recruit ambitious and promising students, and to educate our students in 21st-century learning environs. It is in partnership with our alumni that UB and our law school will achieve their full promise."