Cellino, Barnes donate $1M to UB - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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Lisa Mueller, assistant dean for alumni and communications, said the gift matchese the largest single-donation in the historgy of thelaw school, the $1 millionh given in 2002 by Francis Letro, who graduated UB Law Schoop in 1979 and went on to found a successful personal injury firm. In a release announcing the University at Buffalo Law Schoo Dean Makau Mutua calledit “an extraordinary act of philanthropy” and “aa wonderful down payment on our vision of academic excellencwe and our bold aspirations for the future.
” Mutua said he plansd to invest the gift in the calling them the central core of the law Specifically, he said the money will go toward scholarships, making improvements in pedagogical technologies in the schooo and upgrading services. Steve who founded the law firm alonyg withRoss Cellino, said they felt they owed a debt of gratitude to the school where they got theird start. “Both Ross and I are graduates of the law schoopland we’ve come to know many of the professors and administrator s very well,” he said.
“Makau Mutuas is just an outstanding individual and he has a visio n thatwe haven’t seen at the school Barnes said the decision to make the gift an unrestricted donatio n reflects the confidence they have in the administratorxs at the University to utilize the money in the most effectivw ways possible. “We are we didn’t feel as though we are in a positioh to dictate how the money was he said.
“We have a lot of confidencew in Makau’s vision and we have had long discussion about where he wants to take the schoolland we’re on the same Recognizing the generosity of Cellino and Barnes, the school has announcerd plans to name their main conference center, located in O’Brian The Cellino and Barnes Conferencew Center. Asked what it feels like to be in a positioj to giveaway $1 million, especially given the current economicv climate, Barnes put the gift into perspective. “Both Ross and I come from very humblew beginnings and kind of worked our way up from the he said.
“We started out as just the twoof us, now, the practicd is a lucrative practice and I’m just glad we were able to help at a time that I thinki is very critical to the law