School of Management Receives Grant from Target for Volunteer Program

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo School of Management has received a $10,000 grant from Target to fund a scholarship program for students who volunteer in the local community.

The grant will fund scholarship awards to students who participate in the Management Volunteer Program (MVP), which seeks to connect classroom learning with real-world experiences. MVP is coordinated by the Frank L. Ciminelli Family Career Resource Center in the School of Management.

Each participant in MVP is required to complete 50 hours of volunteer work with one local organization over the course of a semester. The 21 students enrolled in the program for 2010 will compete for individual scholarships of $1,000 based on their volunteer hours and a series of writing assignments about their experiences. Four scholarships will be awarded in the spring and five will be awarded in the fall.

“This program will have a tremendous effect not only on our students and their development, but on the local community as well,” said Gwen Appelbaum, assistant dean and director of the Career Resource Center. “Through MVP, our students will have the ability to directly impact the social, economic and environmental well-being of the Western New York community.”

The 21 MVP students will complete more than 1,000 hours of community service while participating in the program. Organizations benefiting from the students’ volunteer hours include the Gloria Parks Community Center, Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo, United Way, Northeast Family YMCA, American Red Cross and Buffalo ReUse.

“At Target, our local grants are making a difference in the communities we serve,” said Laysha Ward, president, Community Relations, Target. “We’re proud to partner with the UB School of Management as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work.”

Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at more than 1,600 stores nationwide and at Target.com. Target is committed to providing a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to unique and highly differentiated products at affordable prices. Since 1946, the corporation has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs like Take Charge of Education. Today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its 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 and 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.