Diane Bessel, PhD, LMSW, CNM
Associate Professor and Chair of Social Work & Sociology, MSW Program Director, Director of the Institute for Government and Nonprofit Innovation, Training and Evaluation (IGNITE)
Project Director
- US Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program, five-year grant to increase local capacity to address behavioral health needs and provide MSW scholarships, June 2025
Contract Awards
- Journey's End Refugee Services, strategic planning contract, November 2024
- Go Local! Comprehensive Transportation Needs Assessment for Seniors, November 2024
- Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer's Project, strategic planning contract, February 2025
- Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, social system mapping and social network analysis project for the Health Leadership Fellows Program, 2024–2026
Laura Edsberg, PhD
Professor of Natural Sciences
Principal Investigator
- National Science Foundation Scholarships for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S-STEM), six-year grant to increase retention and graduation rates of low-income academically talented students in STEM programs, April 2025
- Co-Principal Investigators:
- Caitlyn Montross, PhD, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences
- Diane Ramos, PhD, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences
- Matthew Ward, PhD, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences
Grace Huff, DBA, CPA, CGMA
Assistant Professor of Accounting
Project Director
- Internal Revenue Service Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), subaward with the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County to provide free tax preparation for low-income households, October 2024
Dan Shanahan, MA
Associate Professor and Chair of Visual & Performing Arts
Project Director/Grantee
- National Endowment for the Arts, awarded to Torn Space Theater for a digital arts performance series with the Buffalo audiovisual collective Groupwork, August 2024