HAMBURG, N.Y. – Hilbert College announces it will award David Rust with the Hilbert College Medal at the College’s 2022 Commencement ceremony on May 20. Rust is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Say Yes to Education Buffalo. The Hilbert College Medal, one of Hilbert’s highest honors, recognizes individuals who embody Franciscan values, demonstrate excellence in their profession or career, and excellence in community service.
“I am so pleased that the Hilbert College Board of Trustees has selected Mr. Rust to receive the Hilbert College Medal,” Hilbert President Dr. Michael S. Brophy said. “He was selected for his tremendous service to the citizens of Western New York, and he is an excellent role model for our students and our Franciscan community.”
Some of Rust’s accomplishments include:
- Providing tuition scholarships to 1,096 scholars who have already completed academic programs and launching a Say Yes Forever $100 million endowment campaign to fund the scholarships in perpetuity.
- Developing agreements with Erie County, Buffalo Public Schools, and the City of Buffalo to support social services and mental health services in every public school building and provide additional services for students and families including legal clinics, mobile health clinics, mentoring, internships, postsecondary supports, and comprehensive extended learning time programming including K-12 after-school programs, summer camps, and Saturday academies.
- Contributing to double-digit increases in the number of Buffalo public or charter school graduates completing the FAFSA and applying to at least one college by coordinating with higher education and district partners.
- Working with area colleges to provide greater retention and support services to Say Yes scholars including mentorship programs, casework counseling, and mental health services on five area campuses.
Rust is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University where he earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration marketing/management from the Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Hilbert’s commencement ceremony will begin at 1:00 p.m. on May 20, 2022 in the Hafner Recreation Center on Hilbert’s Hamburg campus.
Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With over 800 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs in criminal justice administration and public administration, including a track in health administration.