July 2015

A Meliora Message 

At the dedication for the new Golisano Children’s Hospital, May 27, the state-of-the-art facilities with its warm, playful features—not to mention the adorable parade of children—stole the show. And they were, again, on full display when the Hospital opened to the public earlier this month. Not as prominent, but equally as important, are the many programs benefitting from this space dedicated to children and their families.

Take, for example, the Wegmans Child Life Program. Specialists within this program care for the emotional and developmental needs of children and families, including coaching parents on communicating with their children during traumatic times. The program’s name recognizes the generosity of the Wegman Family Foundation. In April 2014, the Foundation committed $7 million to the Children’s Hospital, of which $1 million will be used to establish an endowment to increase the quality of Child Life programs, services, and facilities.

An area similar to the Wegmans Child Life Program is pediatric social work, which helps reduce the stress and emotional trauma that families experience when a child is injured or becomes ill. One of the biggest differences between the two areas is resources. Social work is one of many other programs that would benefit greatly from gifts and endowed support.

Thanks to you, we have a beautiful, world-class building to meet the health care needs of western New York’s citizens. Let’s keep working together to ensure that it is also filled with world-class services and programs.

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Cause for Celebration: Fiscal Year 2015 

It was March 25. President and CEO Joel Seligman stood before an audience of University volunteers, faculty, and staff when he announced an $11 million commitment from Trustee Bob Goergen ’60 and his wife, Pamela, had pushed The Meliora Challenge beyond its initial $1.2 billion goal. It was, without a doubt, the shining moment of the University’s 2015 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, but it was a much broader effort that made the year a success.  

Surpassing the goal for total Campaign contributions more than a year ahead of schedule was made possible by the entire University community. When the book on the fiscal year closed, the Campaign stood at more than $1.23 billion.  

The contributions of alumni, parents, friends, faculty, and staff enabled the University to exceed the year's goals for cash and commitments by more than 10 percent, reaching $110.9 million and $137 million, respectively. Building on the momentum continuously supplied by George Eastman Circle memberships (3,174 at year-end), the Annual Fund had its best year ever, finishing with $14.84 million for a ninth consecutive year of growth. And as a first for the Campaign, undergraduate alumni participation exceeded 20 percent.

In the year ahead, the University’s priorities will include creating more scholarships and fellowships, while focusing on support for additional capital projects and programs.

Overall, the fiscal year’s results warrant celebration. More than any other indicator, it is the community-wide participation that portends further goal accomplishment and success in the next fiscal year and beyond.

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