From the Class of '13, a parting gift
Aaron M. Saykin ’13, Bradley S. Loliger ‘13, Michael M. Mohun ’80, Dean Makau Mutua, Paul S. DiCola ’13, David D. Burress ’13, Michael P. Ellman ’13, and Brittany A. Nasradinaj ’13.
Continuing a tradition of generosity at a critical juncture in their lives, members of the Law School’s Class of 2013 left something behind at Commencement: a collective gift that will ease the financial burden for a law student who follows them.
Throughout their final semester, the 3L class pitched in to fund a scholarship that will go to a second- or third-year student next year. Including a matching contribution that Michael M. Mohun ’80 offered as a challenge grant, the effort raised $4,277.
Though their immediate predecessors had a higher participation rate, says David Burress ’13, who chaired the 3L gift campaign, the new graduates raised more money, reflecting a higher average gift.
“We asked people to give $20.13 to represent our class year,” says Burress, who worked on the project with a nine-member committee throughout the spring semester. “We had about 40 percent participation, but the gifts we did receive were substantial. The people who donated were really committed.”
Burress, a Michigan native who had substantial fund-raising experience as a Cornell University undergraduate, had taken part in SUNY Buffalo Law School’s annual phonathon during all three of his years on campus. As chairman of the 3L gift effort, he assembled a student committee that reflected the diversity of his class.
“I looked for class leaders or people who were committed to activities at the Law School, who were involved and engaged in a lot of different groups,” he says. “What I learned is, you have to have committed people who are driving the campaign and the interest. The students we had on the committee were some of the most involved students in the school, and they’re really the ones who are dedicated to the school. It was their dedication that allowed us to be successful.”
The campaign began with a kickoff gathering in the Law Library reading room – an event that convened at the closing bell of adjunct instructor Heidi L. Forman’s huge Gratuitous Transfers class, popular with third-year students. “We got one-third of our overall gifts at that kickoff event,” Burress says. “And with that momentum, committee members individually solicited people they knew or could reach out to” by email or Facebook, staffing tables or simply making a pitch in person. “When you get a chance to meet face to face with somebody and discuss the importance of giving with them, they’re much more likely to give,” Burress says. “Everyone recognizes that the rising cost of tuition is an obstacle for students, and each of us making a small contribution adds up to a really significant impact for a student.”
Burress says the committee purposely made the criteria for awarding the scholarship aid very broad. “We wanted to put very little restriction on the use of the money and give it to a student who just really had a need for it,” he says. “A lot of students are already being recognized for the good things they’re doing, and we wanted to make sure the money was there for somebody who needed it regardless of their accomplishments in law school.” They also specified that the scholarship would go to a second- or third-year student, to minimize the possibility that the recipient would be transferring to another law school.
The fund-raising effort closed off with a wrap-up event at which the committee presented a symbolic check to Dean Makau W. Mutua.