Graduate students establish new fund to assist future students

By Matthew Biddle

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- New graduates from University at Buffalo School of Management have raised money and created a new gift fund to help future students and give back to the school.

Graduates from the full-time MBA and Master of Science (MS) programs established the new Graduate Internship Fellowship to Students (GIFTS) Fund to ease the financial burden for master’s students who accept unpaid credit-bearing internships.

A total of 166 students raised more than $10,000 for the inaugural gift, doubling their initial goal of $5,000. Of the total gift, the School of Management Alumni Association (SOMAA) contributed $2,000.

From this fund, six students have each received a $1,000 award to help offset the tuition fees for their summer internships. MBA students Ying Hui Chen, Kerry Giansante, Samantha Podlas and Prashant Ranjan and MS students Wenqing Gao and Tongpei Zhai were the award winners.

Additionally, two $250 awards will be given in both the upcoming fall and spring semesters to assist other students with unpaid internships.

“When I heard about this fund I could not have been more pleased,” says Carrie Gardner, administrative director for the Credit-Bearing Internship Program. “This impressive gesture by our graduates has created an opportunity for recipients to consider valuable internships they otherwise may have overlooked simply based on pay.”

The GIFTS Fund was established in memory of Narang (David) Kim, an MBA candidate who passed away last summer. A student committee developed the fund based on recommendations from a survey of full-time MBA and MS students in the School of Management.

In addition, with 100% participation from every class member, the Executive MBA Class of 2014 raised nearly $30,000 for the EMBA Class Fund, shattering its $14,000 goal.

Established last year, the fund is designed to fulfill emerging needs in the EMBA program as identified by a committee of current students and EMBA alumni.

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, the Financial Times, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report 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.