The University at Buffalo's new downtown medical school will be named after the Jacobs family. Jeremy Jacobs on Monday delivered a $30 million gift to UB.WBFO's Eileen Buckley reports on the naming of UB's downtown medical school.
Jacobs and his family joined university leaders at UB’s downtown Clinical and Translational Research Center on Ellicott Street to announce the historic gift and naming of the medical school.
Jacobs is the chairman of Delaware North and Boston Bruins. This is the second largest gift in UB's history.
Jacobs said the financial gift is from his family and Delaware North Associates.
"The new medical school will be the catalyst that pushes the medical economy of Western New York to the next level," stated Jacobs during a news conference. "We look forward to the day when visitors from across the country and the world travel to Buffalo for lifesaving treatment."
UB President Satish Tripathi said it was "fitting" to name the school after the Jacobs family, who have made many commitments to the Buffalo region.
"It's exciting news. It's really a major milestone for UB. It's fitting to name this school to the person and family who has been so support of UB and the community. I had no doubt, but we had to get that to a stage where the family was comfortable and Mr. Jacobs was comfortable," Tripathi said.
Jacobs spoke with reporters following the announcement. He noted the growth in the Buffalo Medical Corridor and a brand new medical school downtown is "unprecedented."
"It's a great honor to us to have a school named after us," said Jacobs.
This is also the first naming of a school in UB's history. It will be called Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Jacobs is the brother of the late Dr. Lawrence Jacobs, who served as chairman of UB's Neurology Department and worked on treatments for Multiple Sclerosis. He died in 2001. Jacobs made a $10 million donation in honor of his brother's work for the Jacobs Institute.
UB said it will use some of the gift to build its medical school faculty and conduct student recruitment.
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