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The William C. and Annette L. Rock Fund for College of Arts and Sciences Study Abroad

"As you can imagine, my experience abroad was invaluable. A traditional classroom setting, no matter how wonderful, cannot replace what I learned there. I strongly believe that in today’s and tomorrow’s world the ability to adapt to foreign situations, as well as communicate with others from different cultures, is crucial for our survival as a society. For many students like me, the opportunity to go abroad and learn these skills can only come with the help of scholarships such as this one."
-Laurel Triscari, Rock Study Abroad Scholarship recipient

For over two decades, many UB students majoring in Romance Languages and Literatures have enjoyed an opportunity to study abroad because of the Linda Diane Rock Memorial Scholarship—an opportunity that was otherwise unavailable to them without this scholarship. In 1979 Dr. William C. Rock, a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council, established this scholarship in honor of his daughter, Linda, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident shortly after completing her MA in French. In 2005, Dr. Rock and his wife Annette established the William C. and Annette L. Rock Fund for CAS Study Abroad to expand this effort to the entire College of Arts and Sciences.

Scholarship recipients with great frequency have raved about the rewarding nature of their study abroad experience; many have described their experience as “truly changing” their life. They relate how they became educated in ways unattainable in a classroom setting. And they express their new found appreciation of the advantages of learning about other people, other languages, and other cultures. These scholarships benefit not only the scholarship recipients, but also the society in which they become adult citizens.

No doubt you are aware that the costs associated with helping worthy students study abroad have increased dramatically in the past few years. Indeed, “dramatically” might be too understated a word. As a result, in order to continue to provide the opportunity for more students to study abroad, Dr. Rock is offering a challenge and a matching grant of $20,000 to expand this effort.

Now, perhaps more than ever, educating students to understand and respect other cultures has taken on a new importance and urgency because of what one writer has described as a “flattening” of our world and the ever expanding global economy. Contributions to either of the aforementioned funds will be matched up to a total of $20,000. Dr. Rock will also match contributions up to this total for any contribution made for study abroad to the College of Arts and Sciences at the University at Buffalo.

Make an online gift to the William C. and Annette L. Rock Fund for CAS Study Abroad

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