Campaign Bulletin - May 2009

Gifts Essential in Quest to Improve Visual and Performing Arts Facilities

Visual and Performing Arts Department faculty members’ dreams for this program will soon be realized now that the Worcester State Foundation Board has endorsed the College’s Board of Trustees’ vote to create an alliance with the Worcester Center for Crafts, which has been in a “strategic pause” since January. Seen as a win-win agreement, it intends to quickly and affordably create more studio and classroom space for art students and to alleviate the worries the Worcester art community had about losing studio and training space. Plans call for students, who have been using classrooms and studio space in the basement of the College’s gymnasium, to begin taking classes at the Center in the fall. Meanwhile, renovations to the theatre in the Administration Building, funded with a $500,000 grant from The George F. & Sybil H. Fuller Foundation, are nearly complete. Performing Arts students will begin honing their stagecraft in the state-of-the-art, intimate theatre in the fall. The timing could not be better for the Visual Arts program. The Department of Higher Education (DHE) is reviewing the College’s proposal to add a Visual and Performing Arts major. The College believes the alliance and renovations of the Fuller Theatre greatly improve its chances of gaining DHE’s approval. The unrestricted endowment, which helps the College address immediate needs and top priorities, is playing a pivotal role in the Center for Crafts alliance. The Foundation Board unanimously approved using unrestricted funds to make a $412,500, five-year loan to the Center to cover some of its debt. The special campaign to continue modernizing the new art gallery will go on, and naming opportunities are available for the seating area and foyer of the Fuller Theatre. If you would like more information on these funds, you may contact Louise Taylor at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  or 508-929-8033.

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With a Scholarship, You Can Help Students Financially - and More

Ryan Hinson ’09 expected The Florence Vivian “Tippie” Holmes Scholarship to help her financially, but the benefits turned out to be much greater. In the two years she received the scholarship, Ryan learned more about herself and ways to succeed as a teacher from her scholarship donor, Robert Holmes. During her address to guests at the 15th Annual Scholarship Tea on May 3, Ryan called him “one of the most influential people I have had the pleasure to develop a relationship with.” Knowing Mr. Holmes, she said, taught her that personal attachments are “necessary to develop a passion for the things and the people you love.” She added, “I have developed a deeper love for teaching by having conversations with Mr. Holmes.” Read more>>

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Scholarship Applications Up by 25%

The number of applications submitted for next year’s academic scholarships is up 25 percent over last year. This increase is a clear indication that more students want to take advantage of this financial aid option and underscores the urgent need for new scholarships. As you may know, scholarships are a priority of the Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign. In fact, the goal is to raise $4 million for scholarships by the end of the campaign on June 30, 2010. You may be an alumnus or alumna who was asked recently to contribute to a scholarship fund for a particular major or to help with a reunion class appeal to create a new scholarship. The goal of each of these appeals is to endow a scholarship by December 2009 – in time to appear in the College’s 2010-2011 undergraduate scholarship directory. The generosity of our scholarship donors has enabled the Worcester State Foundation to build a strong scholarship program in just 10 years. The number of students who receive scholarships has risen steadily from 15 in 1998 to over 200 in 2008. In June, the Scholarship Review Committee will meet to select next academic year’s recipients. Students will be notified of the committee’s decisions in early July. You can make an online gift to the Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign’s general scholarship fund right now by simply clicking here. Thank you!

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Faculty and Staff Support Surges during Special Campaign

Looking to encourage new gifts to the Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign via payroll deduction, co-chairs of the special Faculty/Staff Campaign, Carol Donnelly, Francis “Tuck” Amory, Elaine Dukes, and Carolyn Dumais, enlisted the help of two colleagues. Associate Professor of Business William O’Brien Jr. ’84, Ph.D., and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Director of the Student Center and Student Activities Timothy Sullivan are loyal donors and prefer to give to the Worcester State Foundation via payroll deduction. They promoted the benefits of payroll-deduction giving in a flyer about the Faculty/Staff Campaign. “I see my contribution as a small way to give back to the College and the students that I have found so rewarding,” Sullivan said. His sentiments were echoed by O’Brien, who stated, “Setting up a payroll deduction plan is an easy and painless way to donate so that WSC students receive scholarship assistance.” A number of faculty and staff took their advice and signed up to give via payroll deduction. (The Payroll Department has made it easier for College employees to make gifts to the campaign over time through payroll deduction.) Overall participation by faculty and staff more than doubled. Because of this generosity, internal support of the campaign’s funding objectives (academic development, scholarships, and unrestricted endowment) is now stronger and will be noted in future grant applications. Those who signed up or made an outright gift by April 30th qualified for four drawings. Congratulations to the winners: Mary Zona – iPod Nano, Kristin Waters – iPod Nano, Denise Thomas – $50 gift card to Jumpin’ Juice & Java, and Dennis Lindblom – $25 gift certificate to Roma’s Grille & Pizzeria. 

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Survey Looks at Market Fairness through Students’ Eyes

Associate Professors of Business Administration and Economics Elizabeth Wark, Ph.D., and Janice Yee, Ph.D., were wondering how studying economics affected students’ perceptions of market fairness. They decided to survey students taking introductory micro- and macroeconomics classes during the fall and spring semesters. “Rational behavior, self interest, and incentives are some of the simple assumptions found in many introductory economics courses,” they wrote in an abstract submitted for the Celebration of Scholarship and Creativity. “Incentives impact the rational behavior or self-interested individuals, and the result is the price and quantity in the market. Is this fair?” As she stood in front of their display in the Student Center’s Blue Lounge on April 29, Wark explained, “We wanted to know whether or not big picture [economic] issues change opinion in the classroom.” Wark and Yee found that opinions varied between men and women as well as micro- and macro-economics students. Their preliminary findings suggest that students may recognize less cooperative economic behavior and deem it unacceptable. This may not reflect how students would act, but rather how they view other people’s behavior. The survey results were so intriguing that Wark and Yee are exploring the idea of extending the survey to other departments beginning next fall. Wark and Yee’s display was among the 140 research and creativity projects featured at the celebration event. Some were funded by the Faculty Mini-Grant program, which is partially supported by the Worcester State Foundation. Over 400 students, faculty, staff, and community members attended. Read more>>

Flagship Bank Renews Support for Diversity Lecture Series

Guest speakers and international lecturers funded through gifts to the Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign extend education beyond the classroom to enhance students’ awareness and career readiness. Flagship Bank will continue to support this effort with a new $16,000 pledge for the College’s Diversity Lecture Series. Flagship’s previous support of this series brought Jennifer Pozner, founder of Women in Media & News, and Camille Celluci, who was the head of visual effects producer for the motion picture Titanic, to campus this past academic year. Pozner gave a multimedia lecture on the media’s coverage of the presidential election. Cellucci spoke about succeeding in Hollywood’s special effects industry despite struggling with severe depression. This academic year, the College hosted seven Diversity Lecture Series speakers.

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