Ernst & Young Matches Alumni Contributions to UB

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The worldwide public accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP and its staff members have contributed more than $50,000 to the University at Buffalo over the past year.

Included in the total amount is a gift of $23,284 from the Ernst & Young Matching Gifts Program to the UB School of Management for use by the school’s Department of Accounting and Law.

Michael J. Murray, managing partner in the firm’s Buffalo office who helped coordinate the fund-raising effort, and Gary T. Tyka, senior manager in the Buffalo office, presented the gift last week to the School of Management.

The Ernst & Young Matching Gifts Program is just one element of the firm’s broad support for higher education. It also provides grants to doctoral candidates concentrating in accounting; sponsors professorships and faculty fellowships; and employs accounting student interns.

“We are grateful to Ernst & Young and our alumni there for taking this initiative,” said Jill Sessa, associate director of development in the School of Management. “We hope that it will be a model for our graduates in other firms that have matching gift programs.”

The accounting program in the UB School of Management has been accredited since 1985 by AACSB International -- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The program is one of only 168 programs in the world to achieve this level of recognition.

The Wall Street Journal has ranked the UB School of Management No. 9 in the nation among schools with strong regional recruiting bases. In addition, BusinessWeek has ranked the school as one of the country's top 5 business schools for the fastest return on MBA investment, and Forbes cited it as one of the best business schools in the U.S. for the return on investment it provides MBA graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.