Creating pipelines to and from New York City
As UB School of Law builds on its connections to New York City and the nation’s biggest legal market, a new initiative will expand support to help create pipelines to and from the City.
That’s the goal of the New York City Pipeline Fund, recently established with a major gift from Dean’s Advisory Council member Bruce Karpati ’96, a partner and chief global compliance officer with the global investment firm KKR & Co. Inc. in Manhattan. The fund will provide the financial resources necessary to help recruit talented students from the downstate area and facilitate opportunities for UB Law students to work and learn in Manhattan.
Beyond the obvious career-building advantages for students, increasing pipelines offers benefits to the entire UB Law community – broadening perspectives brought to the classroom, and expanding the law school’s network downstate.
It starts with bringing more downstate students to Western New York by offering competitive scholarships.
“It can be hard to convince a student to leave their home and their support systems to come to Buffalo for law school, even though we’re the most economical choice,” says Emilie Rosenbluth, UB Law’s director of advancement, who serves as point person for the initiative. “One of the things this endowed fund can do is make it easier for these students to come to Buffalo.”
Jade Wilson '27
The scholarships are intended to offset the cost of room and board for New York City students who might otherwise stay closer to home in order to save money. For first-year law student Jade Wilson, it made all the difference. “Receiving my scholarship offer from UB was a major factor in my decision to attend,” she says. “First, because of the generous scholarship, my job search will not be dictated by a need to repay a huge debt. Second, the scholarship has allowed me to fully devote my time to my studies without worrying about working.”
With an immediate goal of $100,000, Rosenbluth says the New York City Pipeline Fund will enable the law school to double its scholarship offers to New York City-based students, from $5,000 to $10,000, as an example. The initial fund-raising goal could cover scholarship assistance for three downstate students for the full three years of their law school education.
Other objectives of the fund include offsetting living expenses for students interested in the law school’s New York City Program in Business and Law, a semester-long immersion in financial markets and institutions in Manhattan. The high cost of housing in the City can dissuade students from participating unless they can live with family or friends downstate, an option not available to most UB Law students.
“The New York City Program is an exceptional opportunity, and we must ensure that it is accessible to all our students,” says Dean S. Todd Brown. “We were able to secure affordable housing options for our students this semester and offset costs for those who needed it. As a result, 15 students were able to participate, and only one of them is from the downstate area. The Pipeline Fund will ensure that we can continue to remove barriers to participation in the years ahead.”
Bruce Karpati ’96
Bruce Karpati shares the dean’s enthusiasm for the initiative. “I am a proud supporter of the New York City Pipeline Fund,” says Karpati, an active participant in the New York City Program who frequently speaks with students and provides mentoring advice. “Over the past several years I have seen the exposure that students in the program gain to the business and legal community of New York City. Besides the great programming provided by both professors and legal practitioners, participants get real-time work opportunities in the corporate and financial services sector. Nothing can substitute experience-wise for being at the center of our financial services industry.
“I also directly supervise students during their externships, and as a proud UB Law alumnus, I have seen some of the best and brightest in the program. It is a great and worthwhile cause to support this program, and I encourage other alumni to support the Pipeline Fund.”
The initiative is one of several continuing efforts to solidify UB Law’s presence in the New York City market and create avenues between Buffalo and Manhattan. A robust digital marketing campaign focused on raising awareness of the State of New York’s law school in the downstate market is in its second year. And new summer externship opportunities are now available to students looking for experience in the City and surrounding areas.