Donor Profile: Ross Kenzie

“I believe you need to encourage students to get out there on their own and make something happen. You can choose to sit back; then often nothing happens,” Ross Kenzie claimed.

A true friend to Buffalo State, Kenzie established the Ross B. Kenzie Family Presidential Scholarship program, which funds 25 high-achieving underrepresented minority students. The Kenzie program assists undergraduates, emphasizing academic achievement, leadership development, and community service. The $2,300 award is renewable each year provided that the student maintains a 3.0 GPA. Preference is given to students seeking admission to the All College Honors Program. Taking a cue from his business-savvy background, Kenzie also offers a cash bonus of $500 each semester the scholar makes the dean’s list.

The scholarship intends to create an experience where a relationship is built around leadership, empowerment, and mentoring. Real communication provides connections and advice among the students and mentors.

Kenzie’s connection to the college began with his appointment to the Buffalo State College Council in 1980 by Hugh Carey, then governor of New York State. He served as chairman from 1982 until he rotated off the board in 1998. His deep commitment remains strong through his position as director and vice chair of the Buffalo State College Foundation Inc.

“The kids begin to feel that somebody cares. It begins to be a personal relationship rather than a checkbook relationship that one finds with many scholarships,” Kenzie noted. A few times a year, Kenzie scholars come together to discuss leadership and challenges, in addition to good conversation through campus luncheons and a summer barbecue at Kenzie’s home—October House Farm in Derby, New York.

Kenzie, 80, maintains two offices and two assistants, keeping active in retirement and holding many director positions with various boards and organizations. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a native of Prattsburgh, New York, Kenzie was the former chairman and chief executive officer of Goldome Bank until his retirement in 1990.