West Herr Auto Group President Scott Bieler has made a substantial donation to Villa Maria College to fund a new academic support center to be named for him.
Villa Maria President Matthew Giordano announced the future Scott Bieler Center for Academic Excellence with Bieler on campus Wednesday. They did not disclose the amount of Bieler’s gift, but said Villa plans to invest a total of $2 million in renovating and upgrading the college’s library to include a wealth of student support services.
Villa’s old 1960s-era library is already gutted and under construction, with a planned opening date for the new center this coming fall.
The project will allow Villa Maria to put its library, advising, tutoring, mental health counseling, career services and its Achieve Center for students with learning differences under one roof and stands to become a new hub for students to gather on campus, Giordano said.
Villa is on a mission to upgrade its facilities to match its focus on increasing access to college and support for all students, Giordano said. Last year it opened the new Russell J. Salvatore Commons dining and student center funded with a $1 million gift from the Buffalo restaurant and hotel owner.
“We are a commuter campus, so it’s very important that our students have space to receive support and also to study, meet with other students and form connections,” Giordano said. “With the Bieler Center, students will be able to go to one place to get a whole range of support services. They will know exactly where to turn for all kind of help.”
While Villa is the region’s smallest college, with about 500 students, it is also the most diverse, and it’s growing. Villa serves a majority of students who are “severely limited by a lack of financial resources,” Giordano said.
More than 90% of its students hail from Western New York, half of them from Buffalo and a majority of those from the city’s historically underfunded East Side. In addition,…
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