SUNY Buffalo State reached the $20 million fundraising goal for its “Transforming Lives” campaign this winter – about 16 months ahead of schedule.
The rapidly raised amount totals $20.23 million and counting, and college officials have no intention of slowing down.
That’s particularly so because only about 75 percent of the $10 million goal for student scholarships has been met, and that is a crucial element to the fundraiser.
“We’re going to continue on until our end date” (of summer 2015), said Susanne Bair, vice president for institutional advancement. “This is ever so important to this campus.”
Officials have said fundraising is increasingly important to the college’s mission of quality education at a reasonable cost, particularly as state funding has declined for public colleges in New York.
About 86 percent of Buffalo State students apply for need-based aid. What’s been raised so far will support 24 new endowed scholarships – representing a roughly 10 percent increase – along with eight new non-endowed scholarships and two new fellowships.
The campaign will also fund aid for veterans, include a $1 million gift to support construction of the proposed Ferguson Planetarium and purchase of an inflatable and transportable planetarium. It also will pay for two new endowed faculty chairs – bringing the total at the school to three.
Another big-ticket item in the campaign is the proposed Alumni House/Visitors Center on Grant Street, a $2 million project that garnered $1.5 million in support through “Transforming Lives.”
Bair said Buffalo State is working with the SUNY Construction Fund on that project and will likely announce a detailed plan in a month.