UB announced its “Boldly Buffalo” campaign Monday, which has collected over $451 million dollars since 2013. The campaign’s goal is to raise $650 million, the most ambitious fundraising initiative in SUNY history.
Seventy percent of money raised will benefit students, 18 percent will support faculty and the remaining funds will be used for UB’s “community,” university officials said.
Since its public launch Friday evening, the campaign has received $2.5 million in donations, over $325,000 of which came from roughly 2,000 donations on UB Giving Day. Since 2013, first-time donors made 10,000 of the donations, according to Rod Grabowski, vice president for university advancement.
The announcement, made on all three UB campuses Monday morning with small celebration and fanfare, was budgeted at $24,000 and is expected to come in under budget, according to UB spokesperson John Della Contrada. He said the university won’t know the total cost of the campaign –– which has no scheduled end date –– until its conclusion.
“The university’s objective is to execute the campaign as economically and efficiently as possible in order to maximize the impact of the gifts on the university and our students,” Della Contrada said. “The event provided an excellent return on investment, considering that more than $325,000 was raised in a 24-hour period, and we anticipate that a large percentage of this funding will be used to benefit students.”
Many students said they are excited by the possible benefits from the campaign and feel there’s a need for more scholarships and funding for student experiences.
Terrell Jones, a freshman graphic design major, said he appreciates the university dedicating a majority of the campaign’s funds to students. He said the college experience is something that sticks with you for the rest of your life and likes seeing alumni giving back.
“It’s not easy to get to college, then you have to pay for it,” Jones said. “Especially for poorer students, this could be really helpful. I think people that do donate really love this school and feel that their time here was well spent. It’s cool that people are giving back to something they love.”
For some donors, experiences at UB resonated with them long after graduation, inspiring them to give back.
Buffalo native and orthopedic surgeon Daniel Alexander completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at UB. He and his wife –– who met in Alumni Arena 32 years ago –– donated $1 million to the university and started a scholarship in their name to benefit students from Buffalo’s inner city.
Alexander is now the co-chair of the “Boldly Buffalo” campaign. He said UB changed his life and feels it’s his “due diligence” to give back to the community.
“I think education is key. It’s key to success and happiness and when we’re part of something bigger than us, it elevates us,” Alexander said. “This is meaningful and impactful work. My wife and I are really grateful for what UB gave to us and the opportunities that it opened up for us. So, we’re not just giving back money but service and time.”
Some students said they are appreciative, but concerned the university won’t be transparent with how they spend donated money.
Melissa Toback, a sophomore interdisciplinary social sciences major, said she wants to know exactly how much 70 percent of donated money accounts for and where it will be spent.
“I just hope the money spending is transparent after some of the recent issues the university has run into,” Toback said. “How can anyone be held accountable if the [UB Foundation] is private? I feel like no one is going to monitor who receives the money.”
President Satish Tripathi said the recent audit of the foundation proved the university is “more transparent than required,” and told The Spectrum that money collected from the campaign will be used as it’s intended.
“The board of trustees have initial responsibility to make sure that the money given goes in the right column in terms of where it should be spent,” Tripathi said. “Every year, the donor actually gets a report on where the money is going to. That’s really important, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to raise any money.”
Students have questioned why UB waited to announce the campaign if it has been successfully raising money for five years. Grabowski said the momentum going into Monday’s announcement inspired people to donate. Without that force, he said it wouldn’t have been as successful.
“There was a lot of planning and coordination leading up to Monday’s event. You have to consider the potential of what we can raise. That goal is what we believe is achievable and also a push to hit it and go over it,” Grabowski said. “It takes time for marketing, branding and teaching volunteers how to talk to potential donors. It’s typical for a quiet phase before you go public. If we launched this with zero money [secured], people would ask if it’s possible. Now the goal is within reach.”
The university is raking in historic levels in private donations, leaving some students confused about its spending. Student athletes are still upset about UB’s decision to cut four of its sports teams last spring, a move that was largely explained as a financial ultimatum facing the university.
Mathew Goodwin, a sophomore exercise science major, said he doesn’t understand why the university cut the teams –– men’s swimming and diving, soccer, baseball and women’s rowing –– to save $2 million, when they can raise millions.
“I saw a lot of people complaining on Twitter after the announcement Monday,” Goodwin said. “I get it. All of those teams were successful, people were drafted into the MLS and MLB, so I really don’t get why we couldn’t keep funding them. I’m a big sports fan, so taking away those sports is a downside to my college experience.”
Tripathi said when UB told donors what it would cost to keep the teams, the money wasn’t there.
“Donations are really based on what [donors] feel can make an impact,” Tripathi said. “But if they want to start a new institute on something we’re not interested in, we’re not going to take their money and say we’re going to do it.”
Max Kalnitz is a news editor and can be reached at max.kalnitz@ubspectrum.com
