It is wonderful to be able to share great news with you.

In 2008–09, the Buffalo State College Foundation raised $5.8 million, an extraordinary amount under any circumstances but especially satisfying given the severe economic downturn last fall. On behalf of the students we serve, we are very grateful.

This amount includes your generous support of Buffalo State College’s 12th annual Foundation Scholarship Gala, held on May 2. The gala raised $270,000, making it the college’s most successful fundraiser in history. These funds will benefit the All College Honors Program, which provides scholarships to deserving students entirely with private dollars. More than 500 guests attended the gala, including United States Congressman Brian M. Higgins, ’85, who auctioned off a weekend in Washington, D.C.

For all its festivity, this year’s gala was bittersweet, because this was the last year that Dr. Muriel A. Howard attended as president of Buffalo State. She became president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C., on August 1. While we will miss Dr. Howard greatly, we are delighted that she has been chosen to fill this prestigious position.

Thanks to the firm foundation and forward momentum established by President Howard, the campus itself is undergoing a major transformation as the long-awaited science and math complex enters the construction phase. We are also delighted to be offering our alumni their very own online community, which launched this past spring. Already, hundreds of alumni have joined the community and taken advantage of this wonderful Web opportunity to stay in touch by visiting www.alumni.buffalostate.edu.

We look forward to seeing you at the Buffalo State College Foundation’s 12th annual Golf and Tennis Scholarship Classic on Monday, September 14, at the Brookfield Country Club in Clarence. The event, which benefits the All College Honors Program, is presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. Mike Newman, executive vice president of NOCO Energy Corp., and James F. Dentinger, partner and president of McGuire Development Company LLC, will co-chair the event. Newman and Dentinger both serve on the board of the Buffalo State College Foundation. Please make your reservation by August 14. For more information, or to reserve your sponsor package, please contact Kathryn Neeson at (716) 878-4895 or neesonkc@buffalostate.edu.

Thank you for all you do.

Linda A. Dobmeier, ’71

Chair, Board of Directors

Buffalo State College Foundation

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