Moving the College Forward With Donor Gifts
Flexible giving supports students like Carley Salerno ’23. By Carol Marcy Kathy Acierno Baron ’83 was the first in her family to graduate college and is still a passionate supporter of SUNY Geneseo. Although she has created two endowed scholarships, the Excellence in Residence Life Leadership Annual Scholarship and The Acierno Family Scholarship, Baron also makes donations to Geneseo that provide flexibility. Those gifts are for use...
50 Years of Creating Opportunities — A Campus Tour
From labs to landmarks, donors leave their marks on student experiences. By Carol Marcy Fifty years ago, Geneseo’s then-president Robert W. MacVittie made the visionary decision to create the Geneseo Foundation, in recognition that private support would be needed in the years ahead to supplement declining state support for the College. In the early years, contributions to the foundation from alumni and community members allowed the...
Giving Back Means Helping Others Pay It Forward
Ellen Leverich ’90 returned to her alma mater to increase individual and private support for Geneseo. See how philanthropy impacts Geneseo in this graphic. By Carol Marcy As an alum leading philanthropic efforts for the College, Ellen Leverich ’90, vice president for college advancement and executive director of the Geneseo Foundation, knows what makes Geneseo — Geneseo. “Geneseo is a place that nurtures community and connections...
A World of Mentors for Geneseo Scholars
Gifts making a difference A two-year program builds women’s leadership skills through scholarships, internships and seminars with global leaders. By Carol Marcy Since 2014, the SUNY Global Affairs Leadership program, established by Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women (JFEW), has awarded nearly $1.2 million in scholarships and stipends to 50 female scholars at Geneseo. As impressive as that dollar figure is, however, the...
Looking Ahead
Alumni and faculty are leaving legacies for future generations of students through charitable estate planning. By Carol Marcy Geneseo donors like Kate DeForest ’93 and Scott Ray, associate professor emeritus of theatre and dance, have designated Geneseo as a beneficiary in their estate planning so they can support future generations of college students. Their leadership gifts will benefit students like Josh DeBell ’21, who received...
Video: Ambassador Nawang Sherpa ’20
Nawang Sherpa ’20 struggled during his first year at Geneseo. It inspired him to explore his roots as a Sherpa-American and help other first-generation, Sherpa-Americans be introduced to and prepare for college. As the 2019 John A. ’87 and Mary Grace ’84 Gleason Ambassador in Student Affairs, Sherpa designed a three-part, immersive project in Nepal, Queens, N.Y., and...
First Words: First-Generation Success
Nawang Sherpa ’20 discovered his Sherpa identity in Nepal and created a program to introduce first-generation Sherpa-Americans to college at Geneseo through his ambassadorship. /Photo by Keith Walters ’11 Nawang Sherpa ’20 struggled to excel in his first year at Geneseo. It inspired him to explore his roots and prepare other Sherpa-Americans for the college experience. By Kris Dreessen Nawang Sherpa’s parents immigrated to...
A Lasting Legacy
Participants and volunteers of the 5K fundraising run in honor of Mark “Marco” Callanan ’10 show their spirit at the annual event, which raises money for a memorial scholarship in his name at Geneseo. Friends and family of alumni who have died have united to create endowed scholarships in their memory. /Photo provided by Kristi Altieri Friends and family unite to honor their loved ones by creating endowed scholarships for students. By...
Seeds and Harvest
While Geneseo’s mission is to foster student growth, faculty and staff learn and gain inspiration from students as well. By Kris Dreessen In higher education, we most often hear about how students learn from professors and staff. But just as often, those faculty and staff members say they learn from and are inspired by students. They are mentors, but their support of students comes back to them in many, sometimes revelatory, ways....
A Gift to Support Generations of Student Engagement
Frank Csapo came to America to pursue his own dreams. He has since helped more than 160 students pursue theirs, too. By Carol Marcy When Frank Csapo was 20 years old, he arrived in Montreal, Canada, from Europe wearing a label on his lapel with his sponsor’s address because he didn’t know English. He had left his homeland in Hungary to flee post-revolution and political turmoil. By 1962, he settled in Avon, N.Y., where he built a life...
