Poised as a catalyst for change, UB will use the results of its fund-raising efforts to expand its outstanding academic programs, cutting-edge research and exceptional public service.

The university will make its annoucement at a press conference scheduled for 1:45 p.m. tomorrow in Slee Concert Hall. All members of the university community are invited to attend.

UB President William R. Greiner said that university administrators and campaign volunteers are confident UB will succeed since alumni and friends already have pledged or given $130 million for "The Campaign for UB: Generation to Generation."

"Private philanthropy is of paramount importance to UB as it strives to become one of America's premier public-research universities," Greiner stressed.

"We are extremely fortunate to have some of our best and brightest alumni providing leadership for the Campaign for UB as it enters its public phase. Through this campaign, we are reaching out to our alumni and friends spanning several generations, reconnecting with our past as a private institution, the University of Buffalo, and building an even brighter future as a public institution, the University at Buffalo."

Greiner added: "We are grateful for the gifts that already have been made to the campaign, and we are optimistic that we will succeed in reaching our goal."

Jeremy M. Jacobs Sr., a 1960 UB graduate who is chairman and CEO of Delaware North Companies, Inc., and one of the campaign's three honorary campaign chairs, echoed Greiner's comments.

"I am confident that UB will continue to build on its entrepreneurial partnerships with the private sector, foundation and its alumni to help make tomorrow everything it can be for our students," said Jacobs, who also serves as chair of the UB Council, the university's local governing council.

"UB's dedicated teachers, brilliant researchers and diligent student body demonstrate the university's firm commitment to academic excellence. This campaign will have a direct bearing on how we will continue to provide the very best opportunities for tomorrow's leaders."

Also serving as honorary campaign chairs are Robert E. Rich Sr., founder of the Rich Products Corporation food-products conglomerate and a 1935 graduate of UB, and Erma R. Hallett Jaeckle of St. Petersburg, Fla., a 1936 graduate of the UB Law School whose legal career spanned more than 40 years in the public and corporate sectors.

Thomas F. Egan, chair of the SUNY Board of Trustees, congratulated UB on "charting a bold new course."

"With the 'The Campaign for UB,' the University at Buffalo is securing the support it needs to continue its move to the very front ranks of American higher education," Egan said.

Greiner said that more than a dozen donors have taken the initiative early in the campaign with gifts of $1 million or more. Some gave for student scholarships, such as John J. and Janet H. Sung, whose gift went to the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, while an anonymous donor's multiple gifts, totaling more than $5.6 million, established and continue to support the Distinguished Honors Scholars Program.

In addition to scholarships, Cecil and Violet Newton funded The Cecil and Violet Newton Center for Instructional Technology in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. An anonymous donor to the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has established a multi-million-dollar charitable remainder unitrust to meet instructional needs.

Some donors hoped to enhance the learning opportunities. Henry A. Panasci, Jr. asked that his gift be used for a competition to encourage students to become entrepreneurs. David K. Anderson donated his gallery building and many of the artworks to the College of Arts and Sciences, which plans to use it as a springboard for a museum and curatorial studies program. The gift from Jeremy M. Jacobs Sr. created a unique setting for students: the School of Management is using the Jacobs Executive Management Center-the landmark Mead, McKim and White—designed mansion at Delaware Avenue and North Street owned by Jacobs—for the ongoing training of executives and high-level managers.

The list of gifts surpassing $1 million also includes gifts from corporations such as Toshiba America Medical Systems for the Toshiba Stroke Research Center, Biogen for the endowed Irvin and Rosemary Smith Chair in Neurology and a grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation for biomedical research. The Center for Computational Research-establishing UB as one of the top-10 academic computing sites in the country-was created through collaborative giving. IBM joined with Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems, SUNY and the National Science Foundation to create this world-class facility.

Greiner said the campaign, which will run through June 2003, is unique in many ways. It is the first truly national-international campaign of the five campaigns conducted by UB since its founding in 1846. It is the first alumni-driven campaign, being led by a steering committee comprised of an executive campaign committee and school-based committee chairs who are professionals and business leaders from across the country.

Finally, the campaign goals and objectives are university-wide, as is the commitment from faculty and staff demonstrated by those schools that already have completed their internal campaigns. Some notable individual gifts from faculty members to date include a $1 million donation from Peter Hare, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Philosophy.

Greiner explained that money raised in the campaign will be used to enrich academic programs, support students from the undergraduates through post-doctoral levels and enhance university life.

In addition to specific objectives, campaign leaders have determined three goals: to increase annual giving through larger gifts and greater participation, to generate capital support and to increase the university's endowment. While UB's endowment assets total more than $438 million, Greiner noted that they are well below those of other top public universities UB uses for benchmarking.

Like many other state-owned and -supported universities, such as the University of Virginia, the University of Iowa and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, UB relies on the state for only a part of its operating budget.

Greiner noted that New York State has been exceptionally generous in funding construction and in supporting recent capital initiatives—such as the Center for Computational Research and 43 technology-equipped classrooms—but less than a third of the university's all-funds operating budget currently comes from the state. The remainder comes from tuition and fees; other income, including sponsored research; the medical school's practice plan; auxiliary services and sales of services, and endowment, including private gifts, endowment income and non-governmental grants.

Greiner said the university's long-term goal is to expand greatly support for UB from non-state sources through efforts like the Campaign for UB.

"The Campaign for UB: Generation to Generation" began its "quiet phase" in 1996 when university administrators started meeting with alumni to solicit campaign volunteers and to outline goals and objectives.