CAMPAIGN UPDATE
photo by Sally McCay
Pizzagalli gift will fund nursing scholarships
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences is the recipient of a $350,000 gift to support scholarships for undergraduate and graduate nursing students.
The Remo and Donna Pizzagalli Endowed Scholarship Fund will provide annual scholarship awards, with preference given to Vermont residents who do not qualify for need-based financial assistance.
The Pizzagallis said their scholarship giving — $350,000 each to UVM, Saint Michael's College, and Champlain College — is to support the institutions their children attended by providing assistance to deserving students. Their daughter Maria Pizzagalli Bradley earned undergraduate degrees from UVM in 1992 and 1998, in business administration and in physical therapy, respectively.
“Donna and I had initially thought about making a million dollar gift to one local institution,” said Remo Pizzagalli. “But our three children graduated from UVM, St. Michael’s, and Champlain College. As we talked it over, we decided it would make sense to divide our gift among these three institutions that are so important to the local community and beyond.”
Pizzagalli said limiting the scholarships to students who do not qualify for need-based grant aid is intended to help students from middle-income families who increasingly must rely on loans to finance their education.
Donna Pizzagalli is a graduate of Mary Fletcher School of Nursing and a former operating room nurse. She served on UVM’s nursing board of advisors from 1996 to 2000.
“This gift from the Pizzagallis is exceptionally meaningful during this time of profound challenges in health care,” said Betty Rambur, dean of UVM’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “The scholarships will enable highly qualified individuals to study nursing at the University of Vermont and serve critical health needs in our region and our world. We are deeply grateful.”
One enchanted evening
New York campaign kicks off in style
It was a memorable September evening for UVMers in and around the Big Apple as The Campaign for the University of Vermont brought its uplifting message of pride and possibility to New York’s American Museum of Natural History. More than 300 alumni, parents, and friends were in attendance.
Hosted by President Daniel Mark Fogel and Rachel Kahn-Fogel, the event featured remarks by Max Ansbacher ’57, Chairman of the New York Regional Campaign Committee; National Campaign Steering Committee co-chairs Joan Kalkin and Robert Cioffi ’90; and President Fogel, who was joined at the podium by Rachel Kahn-Fogel for a presidential toast to UVM and its future.
In his remarks, Fogel spoke of the impressive array of accomplishments at the University over the past several years, from record enrollments to financial strength to the success of the Campaign itself. “We cannot miss the opportunity this moment represents,” he said, and stressed the importance of UVM’s New York-area supporters in achieving the Campaign’s $250 million goal. A highlight of the evening was his announcement that the Campaign had just passed the $200 million milestone, or 80 percent of the goal.
Also featured was a presentation spotlighting UVM people making a difference in the world, hosted by Philip Baruth, professor in the Department of English, and featuring the late James B. Petersen, former professor and chair of the Anthropology Department; Emmy award winning documentary film producer Julie Anderson ’80; Bill Ruprecht ’80, president and CEO of Sotheby’s; Mary Cushman ’85, MD ’89, associate professor, in the College of Medicine; and Bob Corran, UVM director of athletics.
Entertainment was provided by the outstanding UVM Jazz Band.
The goal for the New York Campaign is $20 million to be raised by June 30, 2006, which will bring the total from UVM’s New York supporters to more than $55 million since the overall Campaign launch in 2001.
Campaign exceeds $214 Million, Stands at 86% of Goal
The Campaign for the University of Vermont has passed the $214 million mark on the way to its $250 million goal. The total stood at $214,365,254 as of the end
of November with just eighteen months remaining in the six-year campaign timeline.
Student support in the form of undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships is the top campaign priority, with $59,442,077 of a $105 million goal in that category raised, or 56 percent. Faculty support is the second priority and has exceeded its $90 million goal, with $116,450,703 committed to faculty teaching and research.
“This is another significant milestone for the campaign that puts us within sight of our overall goal,” said a statement from campaign co-chairs Joan and Eugene Kalkin ’50. “It has been immensely gratifying to be a part of an effort so important to the future of an institution in which we so earnestly believe.”
Co-chairs Meghan ’91 and Robert Cioffi ’90 expressed their appreciation for the many alumni, parents, and friends whose generosity has kept the campaign moving forward. “Over the remaining eighteen months of this historic campaign, we need to generate the broadest possible support from our alumni, parents, and friends to get us to our goal, particularly for the top priority on scholarships for deserving students,” they said. “Every gift is important.”
This is only the second major fundraising campaign undertaken by the University of Vermont. The first campaign, launched in 1989 with a $100 million goal, concluded in 1993 having raised $108 million toward endowment, programs, and facilities.
(for UVM staff)