Philanthropy News
Randy Lumia is director of corporate human resources at C.R. Bard, Inc. in Murray Hill
Dear Friends:
On behalf of The College of New Jersey Foundation, but also as a proud alumnus, I am delighted to offer my heartfelt appreciation to all those who had a hand in what proved to be the most successful fundraising year in the history of the College. To a large extent, the financial numbers, which will soon be available online at www.tcnj.edu/gifts07 after December 1, speak for themselves. However, the truth of the matter is that behind each and every single gift is a story.
Alumni, in particular, gave back in record numbers during the 2006–07 fiscal year—to the tune of an 18 percent increase. What’s more, TCNJ faculty, emeriti, and staff, in a display of wonderful passion and confidence, joined the effort in significant numbers.
I’m sure that for some, the motivation to support TCNJ stemmed from a personal experience, perhaps with an influential faculty member, coach, music director, or family member who pointed the alum in a meaningful direction. Perhaps it was, as in my case, fond memories of achieving an education milestone while having the time of your life at one of the premier colleges in the nation. For others, the choice to provide a financial gift resulted from an earnest desire to help a young person realize his or her dreams and aspirations.
Regardless of your motivation, please know how much your support means to a volunteer network that has evolved in support of one of the true gems of higher education. My colleagues on the foundation and I are resolute in our quest to support the College and, to the best of our ability, to help sustain and expand upon the quality that many of us experienced firsthand as students.
It is also important that I extend my appreciation, too, to the many other volunteers in this effort. They include, but are not limited to, class agents, the Alumni Association, the Board of Trustees, parents of past and current students, and current students themselves who spearhead the annual Phonathon effort. Please know that you all share in this wonderful achievement.
It’s only the beginning, and we need to continue the progress and momentum we have achieved. Again, I thank all of you for your support in the past and your anticipated support and encouragement for the future!
Sincerely,Randy Lumia ’84Chair, The College of New Jersey Foundation
Highlights from last academic year
The following is a selection of significant highlights at TCNJ from the 2006–07 academic year:
• TCNJ was selected as one of just 15 colleges and universities nationwide to win the 2007 award for the Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program, sponsored by the Merck Institute for Science Education and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
• The Alfred Harcourt Foundation and the Jeffrey Ralston Foundation doubled the number of scholarships it awards to TCNJ students.
• Civil Engineering Professor Nabil Al-Omaishi was named Educator of the Year by the American Society of Civil Engineers ’ Central Jersey Branch.
• For the second year in a row, a group of civil engineers placed first in aesthetics at the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Institute of Steel Construction Steel Bridge competition.
• Bonner Scholar Neil Hartmann Jr., a communication studies major, was named the Outstanding Student Leader of the Year.
• Reports indicate that 96 percent of the Class of 2006 were either employed or in graduate school within 12 months of graduation. Top employers included such corporate leaders as Merrill Lynch, Johnson and Johnson, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, as well as the state of New Jersey and, of course, TCNJ.
• The average salary for the graduating class of 2006 was up four percent over the year before; 25 to 26 percent entered graduate or professional school within the first year of graduating from TCNJ.
Fiscal year 2007 fundraising at TCNJ establishes “high-water” mark
The College thanks its alumni and friends who helped us complete the most successful year ever in fundraising. During fiscal year 2007 (July 1, 2006
to June 30, 2007), The College of
New Jersey Foundation, TCNJ’s fundraising arm, exceeded its annual goal by approximately 10 percent.
Records were set in the number of alumni contributing, and the amount of cash received from private donations and foundations was up significantly from previous years. Except for three bequests totaling $383,000, last year ’s fundraising total is the most ever raised by TCNJ Foundation from actively solicited donors.
Just a few of the highlights from this fundraising year included:
• $8.5 million in gifts to the foundation, its largest cash total ever received.
• 5,760 gifts from alumni, yet another record level of gifts in a single fiscal year.
• $1,030,000 given by TCNJ alumni, representing a 19 percent increase over fiscal year 2006.
• A single gift annuity of $5 million from Tom and Carol Loser, two dear and longtime friends of the College, to support the School of Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science.
• Significant gifts to enhance TCNJ Library, the School of the Arts and Communication , and the School of Education.
“We are so very grateful to our donors and to the volunteers who helped us with our effort, ” said John Marcy, vice president for development and alumni affairs, who also serves as secretary of TCNJ Foundation. “Not only does this success mean so much to TCNJ, but it also bodes well for the future. It is a strong base from which to build, which we must continue to do. ”
Last year began positively enough with the contribution from Tom and Carol Loser—the largest contribution in the College’s history—and we remain ever grateful to them for their steadfast support. However, the other $3.5 million from alumni, parents, corporations, foundations, and friends collectively also represents the largest amount ever received by the College.
The Foundation also received three major endowment pledge commitments totaling $850,000, to be funded over the next three to five years. A pledge by Joan Padula Campbell ’56 in the amount of $500,000 was used to establish an endowed scholarship fund to support students in the School of Education. A second pledge of $250,000 by Barbara Myers Pelson ’59 was used to establish a permanent endowment in support of music scholarships within the School of the Arts and Communication. A third pledge of $100,000, provided by Kim Turner Wentworth ’80, created another permanent endowment fund whose earnings will be used to supplement the library acquisitions budget and other library programs.
“Although we fell short of achieving the 10,000 gifts we had hoped to receive through our Target Ten Thousand campaign, the number of gifts we did receive still represents a solid increase of 28 percent over the amount of gifts received from alumni last year, ” said Marcy. “The ideal of reaching 10,000 gifts from alumni is emerging as a very reachable goal. I remain convinced that there are 10,000 alumni out there who feel good enough about their alma mater to make a gift, of any size. ”
Corporations contributed $438,000 last year, and private foundations added $1,209,310, which also represented new standards for such philanthropy. Among members of the TCNJ community, 160 faculty and staff members made contributions totaling $85,446, a 31 percent increase in gifts over a year earlier. “We laud and deeply appreciate the effort of the Faculty and Staff Senates for taking a very active role in this endeavor, as both volunteers and contributors, ” said Marcy. “We also appreciate the efforts of individual faculty and staff members for helping us with alumni solicitations.”
Complementing the fundraising effort was a higher level of activity from the Alumni Affairs program. Beginning with Summer Splash last June, gatherings were held locally, statewide, and nationally on an almost weekly basis, in the homes of alumni and at selected corporate locations by companies who have contingents of TCNJ alumni. “At every event, we encountered alumni who had good feelings about their college and who were becoming newly engaged, ” observed Marcy.
“Our message was simple and consistent: ‘You are a part of the extended TCNJ family. You should be proud of your alma mater. There has never been a more important time to get involved, stay in touch, and support the College.’ We also never missed an opportunity to make a case for building endowment, and we will continue to emphasize this point. More and more in today’s environment, the capability of colleges to sustain excellence over time must be supported by the strength of endowment. And for the most part, alumni are the key. ”
Marcy also complimented the work of the Alumni Association Board for partnering with the Office of Alumni Affairs to strengthen the “connection” between alumni and their alma mater.
The College of New Jersey’s 2006–07 Report of Philanthropy, which acknowledges all donations to the College via TCNJ Foundation from fiscal year 2007, will be available online by December 1 www.tcnj.edu/gifts07.
These TCNJ students are also Phonathon callers
Each year, our Phonathon team reaches out to alumni, parents, and friends to inform you of campus events, update your contact information, and ask you to support TCNJ ’s Annual Fund.
With December 31 just around the corner, there is no better time to answer our call and make a tax-deductible gift to help support today ’s students.
Annual Fund gifts create opportunities for our students through scholarships, program enhancements, new initiatives, and more! Every gift, regardless of the amount, helps to ensure student success at TCNJ.
Please consider donating online at www.tcnj.edu/give, by phone during business hours at 800.347.9621, by mail using the enclosed envelope, or by saying “YES!” the next time a Phonathon caller contacts you!
Thanks to the class agent volunteers
TCNJ’s Class Agent Program was created two years ago to increase attendance at alumni events, encourage participation in Annual Fund giving, and put active alumni back in touch with one another. Once annually, these volunteers assist the College in writing letters to their classmates, encouraging their participation in the Annual Fund Campaign, and by participating in reunion activities.
We wish to thank the following individuals who, as of September 10, are serving as class agents. Please know you are making a difference at your alma mater!
1945 Ethel Cummings Scott
1950 Roy Berenotto
1951 Raymond Kuzava
1952 Arlene Fritz
1953 Grace Starrett
1954 Arthur Frank
1955 Robert Schmidt
1956 Wanda Howell
1957 Elizabeth Groeger
1958 Doug Beavers
1960 Ernest Rydell
1961 Bernice VanSteyn-Weiss
1967 Rosie (Rosen) Hymerling
1969 John Anastasio
1972 Theresa Martinac
1974 Keith Figgs
1977 John Infosino
1979 Greg Caiola
1980 Eileen McCarthy
1986 Reg Burroughs
1992 Debra Corrington
1993 Amy Gazaleh
1994 Rob Barletta
1995 Jennifer Keyes-Maloney
1996 Meredith Quinn Olearchik
1997 Jennifer Perno
1998 Anthony Perno
1999 Matthew Manfra
2000 Melissa Platt
2002 Derek Wan / Albert Ribeiro
2003 Karen Martin
2004 Christina Puglia Brady
2005 Pedro Khoury
2007 Jason Ackrivo
© Double Exposure
Prat Vyas (left), a member of the Class of 2007, is pictured with Ed Bambach ’50 at last spring’s President’s Scholarship Reception, where the two met for the first time. For years, Bambach has sponsored an endowment scholarship for a student in the School of Business, and Vyas was a beneficiary of that endowment. “When I had the opportunity to meet both Mr. and Mrs. Bambach, I realized how passionate they were about the success of the students here at TCNJ, ” Vyas observed. “I can’t thank them enough, and someday I hope to follow in their footsteps.” Vyas is currently employed as an investment analyst for J.P. Morgan in New York City.
