Eight international students who have received scholarships toward their studies at Buffalo State were formally recognized during a ceremony on May 3 in Cleveland Hall.

Four students received the Frances Siu Lan Tyau International Scholarship and four received the Eleanor Blackburn International Alumni Scholarship. Both scholarships are named for longtime supporters of international education at Buffalo State, Frances Siu Lan Tyau and Eleanor Blackburn.

Tyau, a native of Hawaii, joined Buffalo State in 1959 as a faculty member with the College Learning Laboratory, later known as the Campus School. During her 26 years of service to Buffalo State, she was deeply involved in student, campus, and community life.

She established the Frances Siu Lan Tyau International Student Scholarship in 1978 to honor her father, Henry Akui Tyau, on his 91st birthday. Tyau believes international students are vital to the diverse educational environment of the university. Moreover, she believes, international students return to their home countries with democratic principles and a philosophy of freedom that benefit the entire world.

The Tyau scholarship aids international students of junior standing who have completed at least three semesters and 45 credit hours at Buffalo State. Recipients must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, demonstrate financial need, and be scheduled to graduate from the college in August or May of the following year.

Recipients of the Tyau scholarship for 2010–2011 are Xiaolu Deng, a business administration major from China; Minami Okajima, a fashion and textile technology major from Japan; Paige Ottaviano, a career and technical education major from Canada; and Tin Wai Sze, a computer information systems major from Hong Kong.

Blackburn, a longtime Buffalonian who lived within walking distance of Buffalo State, first opened her home to international students in 1971, serving as a volunteer host family. Since then, she has spent countless hours introducing international students to the Western New York area and helping them settle in at Buffalo State, arranging tours of the region and activities to acclimate them to American culture and society.

When the university established a scholarship in 1992 to encourage and support international students who choose to pursue their studies at Buffalo State, the scholarship was named in her honor.

The Eleanor Blackburn International Alumni Scholarship Fund provides annual scholarships to international students of sophomore standing who are in their fourth semester of study at Buffalo State. Recipients must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and must have a declared academic major.

Receiving the Blackburn scholarship for 2010–2011 are Lauren A. Mallo, a biology major from Canada; Trevor R. McKinney, a business administration major from Canada; Hao Sun, a computer information systems major from China; and Yi Yi Wang, an applied mathematics major from China.

To support international student scholarships at Buffalo State, contact the Buffalo State College Foundation at (716) 878-3467 or nocelj@buffalostate.edu.

Tyau and Blackburn scholarships presentation ceremony photo gallery.