UB School of Management programs get boost from anonymous donor

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Students in the University at Buffalo School of Management will soon enjoy a new tutoring/mentor program and an enhanced entrepreneurship course and pitch competition, thanks to a donation of more than $300,000.

The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, agreed to fund two proposals.

One is for a tutoring/mentor program that will run in the school’s Undergraduate Learning and Community Center, a new signature space in the lower level of Jacobs Management Center slated for completion in fall 2015.

The second proposal is to support the Entrepreneurship Lab (eLab), a boot-camp-style course that gives students the concepts and tools they need to function as entrepreneurs; and the Elevator Pitch competition, in which students generate novel ideas, connect with peers and learn how to pitch to potential investors.

Both the eLab and the pitch competition were designed by Yong Li, associate professor of operations management and strategy in the School of Management. Last year, UB’s Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach and the Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Academy partnered with the School of Management to offer both initiatives.

“We are so pleased to receive this funding because of the impact it will have on our students,” says Arjang Assad, dean of the School of Management. “The eLab and pitch competition will support our growing entrepreneurship focus, and the tutoring/mentor programs will significantly enhance learning opportunities for our undergraduate business majors and help build a sense of community.” 

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.