UB School of Management Students Help Community with aid from PwC

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has awarded $5,000 to five student organizations in the University at Buffalo School of Management to assist them in a community renovation project at Buffalo’s VIVE La Casa refugee shelter.

UB School of Management students from Alpha Kappa Psi, Beta Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Pi, the School of Management Minority Alliance and the UB Accounting Association will use the funds to purchase materials and supplies that will assist them as they renovate and repair heavily used areas of the shelter on Wyoming Ave.

On April 24 and 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., student volunteers will install drywall and tile flooring and paint the shelter’s recreation room, children’s area and luggage room. Outdoors, students will make improvements to the playground and fencing.

The funding is part of PwC’s “Project Make [it] count,” an initiative that challenges student organizations in business schools to work together on an issue, cause or project in the community and apply their energy and ideas to make a positive change.

The UB School of Management is one of only 19 schools nationwide to receive the funding. PwC encouraged students to submit proposals that integrated creativity, teamwork, relationship building, high performance and partnerships.

VIVE Inc. is the largest refugee shelter in the United States and since 1984 has served more than 68,000 asylum seekers from 106 countries. VIVE is the only organization in the country with the primary focus of serving refugees as they begin the process of seeking asylum.

“When we learned of the need at this facility, we knew it was the project we wanted to tackle,” said Jeffrey R. Bassen, a senior in the School of Management and president of UB’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, the international honors organization for accounting and finance students and professionals. “Through this project, we are supporting children, teens and adults who are seeking freedom, safety, asylum and the dream of a better life.”

VIVE provides food, shelter, clothing, health care and legal services to refugees as they await their appointment to enter Canada or their U.S. asylum hearing. In 2008 VIVE served more clients then all other homeless shelters in Erie County combined.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 163,000 people in 151 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.

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 Wall Street Journal has ranked the UB School of Management as one of the nation’s top business schools, and Forbes has cited it as one of the best business schools in the U.S. for the return on investment it provides MBA graduates. In addition, the school’s part-time MBA program and its undergraduate business program have earned recognition in BusinessWeek. 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.