NU receives $600,000 grant from Oishei Foundation

Lewiston Porter Sentinel, August 19, 2006

The John R. Oishei Foundation has awarded Niagara University a $600,000 grant to implement the Buffalo Niagara Cultural Assets: Research into Action Initiative. The project will enable the university to provide leadership for cultural tourism research, as well as industry training.

“Countless studies have been done in Erie and Niagara counties,” said Dr. Gary Praetzel, dean of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, “but Niagara University will be a leader in actually implementing programs to promote the cultural, historical, and heritage treasures in this region.”

Thomas E. Baker, president of the John R. Oishei Foundation, agreed. “The region has a pretty clear sense of what needs to be done. We have the assets, and we have people. We’ve been preparing for this for some time, and the foundation is pleased to support Niagara University’s excellent plan to help push forward.”

The four-year initiative will also make Edward Friel an “expert-in-residence.” Friel, a native of Londonderry, Northern Ireland, has spent more than 35 years in both the public and private sectors of the tourism industry in the United Kingdom, the United States, and in Canada. “The funding provided by the Oishei Foundation provides an excellent platform on which to build for the future,” said Friel. “I am looking forward to working with all stakeholders in helping to create self-sustaining growth for the sector in the coming years".

Friel is widely considered the person most responsible for the economic revival in Glasgow, Scotland, after the city lost its manufacturing base. He is an expert in place marketing, and has spent much of his consulting activities in making cities and destinations competitive.

“Eddie Friel has helped revitalize communities around the world, and the same can happen here given the cultural, historical, and heritage treasures in our region and the worldwide name recognition associated with Niagara Falls,” said Praetzel.

The Buffalo Niagara Cultural Tourism Initiative responds directly to two serious unmet needs in Western New York and across the nation – high-demand occupation training and workforce retention and capacity building within cultural organizations. The Binational Tourism Alliance will be one of Niagara’s partners in the initiative.

The John R. Oishei Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for Buffalo area residents by supporting education, healthcare, scientific research and the cultural, social, civic and other charitable needs of the community. The foundation was established in 1940 by John R. Oishei, founder of Trico Products Corp.

For more information, contact Praetzel at 286-8270.