Harvey Kaminski helps to upgrade classrooms

Kaminski with his wife.

Harvey L. Kaminski ’77 with his wife, Dr. Helene Kaminski

Thanks to a recent major gift by Harvey L. Kaminski ’77, the Law School will use his gift – $100,000 in cash and a $100,000 bequest commitment – for technology upgrades to classrooms in O’Brian Hall.

When Harvey L. Kaminski ’77 was at SUNY Buffalo Law School, the height of educational technology was an overhead projector.

Few could have imagined how legal education – and the practice of law – would change so dramatically with the advent of digital projection, legal research using electronic databases, Web conferencing, even the smartphone.

That revolution was tailor-made for Kaminski. “I strongly advocate the concept of economy of time,” Kaminski says. “Efficiency guarantees proper utilization of time which is critical to success. Technology facilitates that goal.”

That lesson, and the means to achieve it, is taking shape at SUNY Buffalo Law School thanks to the most recent major gift by Kaminski, president and CEO of Prestige Capital Corp. in Fort Lee, N.J. The Law School will use his gift – $100,000 in cash and a $100,000 bequest commitment – for technology upgrades to classrooms in O’Brian Hall.

“In my day legal research was extremely laborious,” Kaminski says. “You ended up in the law library late at night. Now, with technology, it’s so much easier. And for law schools in general, the competition is fierce. It’s critical to maintain our edge and keep up with these advances.”

Kaminski’s gift is already bearing fruit. Over the summer, Room 406, a seminar room, was equipped with a document camera and desktop computer, with full-projection video and DVD capability. The school plans to continue to add technological capability, especially in the first-floor lecture- hall classrooms. The recently renovated basement classrooms also are fully tech-enabled.

“Harvey very kindly gave us an undesignated gift with the discretion to fund one of our highest priorities,” says Dean Makau W. Mutua. “For us, installing more technology in our classrooms is vital so that our faculty can better train our students for the complexities of practicing today.”

Kaminski has been exceptionally active with his alma mater. A longtime member of the Dean’s Advisory Council and a member of the Capital Campaign steering committee, he also teaches in the Law School’s New York City Program in Finance and Law and supports that signature program financially. With this most recent gift, his total philanthropic commitment to the Law School exceeds $400,000.

“I’ve been fortunate in my career, and we believe in giving back,” he says of himself and his wife, Dr. Helene Kaminski. “SUNY Buffalo Law School has always been on top of my list, because the years I spent at the Law School and working in Buffalo afterwards were some of the best years of my life, both in terms of education and in the nurturing and warmth of my friends there. I always have pleasant memories when I think of it, and my education was first-rate.

“Most importantly,” he says, “my education was inspiring. It motivated me. I had professors in my time at UB who were unbelievably enthusiastic and inspiring. They were so good, you sat in awe.”

Now he tries to carry on that tradition in his own teaching, which deals with secured transactions and commercial finance. “I like teaching,” Kaminski says. “I’m a high-energy guy, and I like the feedback and interacting with the students. By teaching, I can gauge the quality of the students and make sure that the Law School is maintaining high standards.” He also has served as a mentor for SUNY Buffalo Law students and fielded plenty of calls from students seeking career advice.

“We all benefited from our wonderful experiences at the Law School,” he says. “It is important that I remind my classmates of these memories as an impetus for them to give at a higher level.”