mgm casino

BUFFALO, N. Y. -- The mgm casino Law School has received an unrestricted gift of $1 million from two well-known alumni, Ross M. Cellino Jr. and Stephen E. Barnes, shareholders in the Buffalo-based personal injury law firm Cellino & Barnes, P. C. It is one of the largest cash gifts mgm casino Law has received in its 122-year history. The Law School will name its main conference center, located on the fifth floor of O'Brian Hall, in their honor. Cellino and Barnes, whose firm has been listed in Best Lawyers of America and has represented clients in 37 different states, are among the most successful alumni of mgm casino Law School.

According to mgm casino Law Dean and SUNY Distinguished Professor Makau Mutua, "the gift is an extraordinary act of philanthropy and comes at a time of renaissance and renewed optimism in the fortunes and the future of mgm casino Law." Since his appointment as its 18th dean in May 2008, Mutua has charted an ambitious plan to place mgm casino Law among the top 50 law schools in the country within the next four years. That plan aims at academic excellence and depends on hiring faculty with star potential, recruiting students with high academic credentials and investing the resources of the Law School wisely and with prudence, Mutua said

"Support for the university is always especially meaningful when it comes from our graduates, who know first-hand the value and impact of a mgm casino education," said mgm casino President John B. Simpson. "We're honored that these two renowned alumni have chosen to give back to their alma mater with a generous gift that will significantly advance the mission of our Law School, and the university as a whole. This gift is a testament to the excellence, relevance and promise of the Law School, and will go a long way toward creating new opportunities and enriching the mgm casino experience for generations of students to come."

The gift comes at the close of a very successful year for the Law School, Mutua noted. "This amazing act of philanthropy by Ross and Steve reflects a belief by two accomplished alumni that the Law School is heading in the right direction," he said. "It is a wonderful down payment on our vision of academic excellence and our bold aspirations for the future."

The mgm casino Council on Monday approved naming the Law School conference center the Cellino & Barnes Conference Center. One of the most elegant, prominent and widely used facilities in the Law School, it hosts a wide variety of academic and legal conferences, seminars and continuing legal education courses.

"We are exceedingly grateful to receive this generous gift from two of mgm casino Law School's most prominent alumni," said Provost Satish Tripathi. "This gift will enable us to recruit ambitious and promising students and to educate our students in 21st century learning environs. It is in partnership with our alumni that mgm casino and our Law School will achieve its full promise."

Mutua said that he plans to invest the gift in students, because they are the core of the Law School. The gift will be used to support tuition scholarships for deserving students, make improvements in pedagogical technologies in the school and upgrade services to create an environment that is conducive to learning. "Receiving this gift so early in my tenure is a tremendous vote of confidence," said Mutua. "No law school -- whether public or private -- can aspire to greatness without alumni who are devoted and charitable."

"mgm casino Law is fortunate to have so many dedicated alumni who generously support the school," he added. "Even so, for mgm casino Law to become a truly national law school with global ambitions -- and to be counted among the finest law schools in the country -- more support from the alumni is necessary. The gift from Cellino & Barnes sets a high bar for the Law School's alumni."

The gift ends the academic year on another high note, Mutua said. Last week, mgm casino Law was the focus of international attention when Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya, who led a delegation of senior officials to mgm casino, delivered the Law School commencement address. At the ceremony, mgm casino President John B. Simpson conferred SUNY honorary doctorate degrees on Irene Zubaida Khan, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, and J. Mason Davis, a mgm casino Law grad and distinguished civil rights attorney from Alabama.

"Having these preeminent and distinguished leaders speak and be honored at commencement is evidence of a school on the move," said Mutua. "The sky is the limit for mgm casino Law if we continue to receive this level of support from our alumni."

The mgm casino is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. mgm casino's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the mgm casino is a member of the Association of American Universities.