As part of this year's Genesee Community College annual scholarship campaign - "Our Best Investment" -- M&T Bank gave $21,000 to support the college's growing Honors Program.
"The recognition of our Honors Program by M&T Bank is greatly appreciated," said College President Stuart Steiner, PhD.. "The program encourages academic work of depth, originality and quality by students who demonstrate superior potential.
"Under the guidance of faculty advisors, students enrolled in the program select and develop independent themes to study, and they work on special, interdisciplinary projects focused on these themes throughout the academic year. Their contribution is valued both inside their classrooms, as well as across the campus."
M&T Bank representatives Joseph Brennan, Vice President, WNY Commercial Banking, and also a GCC graduate, Class of 1999, and Joshua Heim, Assistant Vice President, Government Banking presented a $21,000 gift on June 26, 2009 to Steiner, Richard Ensman, Executive Director of Genesee Community College Foundation and Roger Hungerford, GCC Foundation Board Member and President of SIGMA International General Medical Apparatus LLC, who was instrumental in securing the gift.
"The Honors Program reinforces the foundation goal of excellence," Ensman said. "Students successfully participating in it are eligible for a financial stipend to cover additional expense incurred during their independent study and additional academic endeavors."
The mission of the Genesee Community College Foundation is to enrich the programs and initiatives of Genesee Community College by providing human and financial resources. The foundation, which was formed in the mid-1980s to provide philanthropic support to the college, is a not-for-profit organization led by a 30-member board of directors comprised of business and civic leaders. It provides academic scholarships and need-based grants for students, and President's Innovation Awards to stimulate student, faculty and community involvement in the life of the college. Last year, the foundation awarded 464 scholarships and grants to Genesee students totaling $265,488. Gifts may be sent to the Genesee Community College Foundation, One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020. For further information, call (585) 345-6809, or email foundation@genesee.edu.
