HAMBURG, NY -- The John R. Oishei Foundation has awarded Hilbert College and St. Bonaventure University an additional $175,000 to support the two schools’ efforts to create a strategic alliance. The Oishei Foundation supported the schools’ efforts with a $250,000 grant in December 2013.

“We made the first grant because we found the proposal from presidents Carney and Zane to articulate a vision that is exactly what Western New York needs in the realm of higher education: more collaboration, a greater sense of entrepreneurship, and better, more affordable opportunities for students,” said Oishei Foundation  president Robert Gioia. “This additional grant represents our confidence in the process to date.”

The John R. Oishei Foundation strives to be a catalyst for change to enhance economic vitality and quality of life for the Buffalo Niagara region through grantmaking, leadership and network building. The foundation was established in 1940 by John R. Oishei, founder of Trico Products Corporation.

The two Franciscan schools located 60 miles from each other in Western New York announced in early October that they were embarking upon a feasibility study to determine whether there are significant opportunities to build upon their20-yearpartnership.  St. Bonaventure has offered graduate programs on the campus of Hilbert College in a weekend format for the past two decades.

About St. Bonaventure 

The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. We are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition. Our students are becoming extraordinary.