From the Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Posted: Monday, October 31, 2016Philanthropy at Work
Increasing retention is a key focus of the college’s 2016–2021 Strategic Plan. We know how crucial it is. After all, attracting students to our campus is one thing; making sure they have the tools they need to succeed is another.
One way to achieve this is by offering students more academic support services. This is where the new Academic Achievement Center (AAC) comes in. The AAC will serve as a one-stop center for a range of student services, all housed within Butler Library.
Although the completed facility won’t open until 2020, a $75,000 grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation made it possible to begin the first phase this fall. The grant allowed the college to hire AAC director Aimee Woznick in August. She’ll be the guiding force during execution of the subsequent AAC phases.
Another element of phase one, a new Drop-in Advising Center located within the library’s Information Commons, also opened this fall, thanks to Millington Lockwood Business Interiors. The Advising Center’s cubicle has been outfitted with sleek furniture that Millington Lockwood’s president, Michael Bonitatibus, ’79, provided to us at a special rate.
The Oishei Foundation and Millington Lockwood helped us launch an exciting and forward-thinking project that should result in better service for our students and higher graduation rates. What a terrific example of individual gifts contributing to Buffalo State’s overall mission of empowering students to succeed and inspiring a lifelong passion for learning.
