News from and for Our Loyal Supporters - February 2008

Save the Date: Campaign Committees Meeting

We believe that our campaign volunteers are essential to the success of this campaign. Therefore, our effort to make you comfortable with donor identification, cultivation, and stewardship continues with the next Campaign Committees meeting on Tuesday, March 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Blue Lounge of the Student Center. We encourage all committee members to attend. The agenda will feature follow-up information to the lively role playing and prospect screening exercise performed at the November committee meetings, a viewing of the powerful new campaign video, and enjoying some wine and cheese—and each other's company. RSVP to 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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Graduate Experiences Opportunities for a Lifetime

Afrakomah Agyeman '07 believes so strongly in WSC's ability to transform lives that she has given her time, image, and story to the Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign. She is featured in one of the campaign logos and the new campaign video. A small portion of what Agyeman talked about is shown in the video, which will be shown at the Campaign Committees meeting on March 18. But for over 10 minutes, she spoke in depth about the ways WSC has helped her get closer to fulfilling her dream to be a president of a hospital or university. We thought you would be interested in some of what she had to say.

In high school, Agyeman was first introduced to WSC through her involvement in the YMCA's Minority Achievers program. She applied to the College and was notified, right before her graduation, that she not only had been accepted to WSC, but also would be awarded a full Presidential Scholarship.

Agyeman enrolled in the biology program, a necessary step, she believed, to becoming a president of a hospital or university. She also landed a part-time job in President Ashley's office. "Right there was a dream come true, which opened a lot of doors for me," she said. Today, with a biology degree from WSC in hand, Agyeman is now pursuing a master's degree in the College's Health Care Administration program.

She credits several of her professors for her success. "I have met some great faculty members who have helped me, paved the way for me, and directed me as to what I should do in order to reach my goal," she said. "Now that I look back, I thank God that they pushed me more and more everyday when I was in their class. I will always, always be grateful to those professors."

Agyeman's enthusiastic pride in WSC was unmistakable during her interview for the campaign video. "I personally believe in this campaign, and I believe and I think and I hope that this campaign will succeed for many reasons," she said. "Being one in a family of nine, money doesn't come by that easily, and I know there are a lot of people like me who would love to go to college, who would love to have a higher education. However, they can't afford it."

The College has "made a huge impact in my life right now," she said. It also propelled an older sister to a successful career and is beginning to shape the destiny of a younger sister. "An opportunity for a lifetime, it sure is."

The campaign seeks to raise $4 million in gifts to increase annual scholarship aid by 50 percent and to give more students the chance to experience an "opportunity for a lifetime."

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Underwriting Research Benefits Students, Too

Although the Worcester State Foundation and Office of Academic Affairs' mini-grant program currently supports some scholarly and applied research, more private funding of faculty research will increase the prominence of the College in several ways. Not only will it establish WSC as a teaching and research college, but it will also sustain this new direction. Additionally, it will ensure that WSC uses state-of-the-art teaching methods to enrich the academic experience of students.

Dr. John Goodchild, assistant professor of chemistry, explained the changes in undergraduate teaching during his 11-minute interview for the new campaign video. He was asked to speak about this because the campaign seeks to raise $3 million for academic development.

"Nowadays, research is a mainstream tool for teaching," Goodchild said. "At a college like Worcester State, which is primarily a teaching college, it is very difficult for faculty to get outside funding for their research programs."

"We're talking about undergraduates that can maybe spend an afternoon a week [doing research]. That's not competitive with a Harvard [grant] proposal," he explained. "So we need sources of funding that will enable us to do research on this campus that undergraduates can participate in."

Goodchild spent most of his career as a chemist in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. He yearned to teach to "follow the example of the teacher who got me into the subject," and looked for a teaching college to fulfill that dream. "When…one became available at Worcester State, I was very keen to apply," he said.

Today, he is part of a new initiative at WSC: green chemistry. "This is a new approach, a fairly new approach to making chemistry less damaging to the environment," Goodchild said.

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Alumnus' CGA Supports the Endowment

Thomas Todd Jr. '52 is an example of a WSC alumnus who has given back to his alma mater through a charitable gift annuity (CGA). His $50,000 CGA will help the College grow its endowment by an additional $3 million, an objective of the campaign. Todd earned his bachelor's degree in history from Worcester State Teachers College. At the encouragement of his professors, he applied for a National Science Foundation grant to enroll in a master's program in mathematics. He ultimately received his master's degree from Harvard University. Todd had a long career teaching math and was teaching at Lexington High School at the time of his retirement. More details about Todd and his planned gift will be featured in the spring issue of the Worcester Statement.

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Math Degree + Alumnus = Scholarship

When Francis Crimmins '58, M.Ed. '62, C.A.G.S. enrolled at Worcester State Teachers College, his strong mathematical skills made him a natural fit for the math and science education major available at the time. He led the life of many of today's hardworking WSC students. He worked part-time when he was taking a full course load and full-time in the summer, and he lived at home to keep his costs down.

Following his graduation, Fran began a long career teaching math. He also worked as a guidance counselor for a brief time and led a middle-school math department for 15 years. Fran returned to WSTC to obtain his master's degree and later attended the University of Massachusetts-Amherst to earn a certificate of advanced graduate studies while he was working and raising two children, Michael and Kathy, with his late wife, Donna. He left the education field in the early 1980s to run his building and development company, Crimmins Associates, full-time.

Fran spent over 20 years not only teaching math to middle- and high-school students, but also trying to inspire them to like math. "It was a subject that girls in particular did not like. It took a lot of work to get them to turn the corner and see that math can be fun," he recalled.

Fran is now part of the movement to increase the number of math teachers in the nation's public schools. With a $26,000 gift, he established this scholarship with the goal of rewarding WSC students who are planning a career teaching math. "First and foremost, I would like them to be successful in life," Fran said of recipients of his scholarship. "But I also hope that this will inspire a number of WSC students to fulfill their dream to become math teachers."

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Endowment Gets Another Boost

In addition to assisting first-generation college students through The McGinn Family Scholarship, Howard '83 and Jayne '97 McGinn regularly and generously support the Worcester State Foundation Annual Fund. Their most recent contribution of $20,000 helps build the College's endowment. A primary goal of the Annual Fund, increasing the unrestricted endowment is also an integral part of the Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign. The campaign seeks to raise $3 million to expand flexible and readily available resources essential to meeting the College's urgent needs.

The McGinns are steadfast supporters of WSC students as well as the campaign. The couple graciously hosted the campaign's kickoff gala at their lovely home in Northborough. The celebration entertained 200 distinguished guests who, like the McGinns, have demonstrated their strong commitment to WSC. The June 2007 event was the "center spread" feature in the fall issue of the Worcester Statement.

Their devotion to WSC students stems from their personal experiences at the College. Howard helped pay his way through WSC as a work-study in the Financial Aid Office; Jayne also worked in that office as a student. Today, Jayne is the director of Financial Aid, and Howard is the founder and president of Academic Financing Corporation and a Foundation Board member.

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Alumni Board VP Contributes to Scholarship Fund

Alumni Association Advisory Board Vice President Sharon (Valiquette) McDonald '86 and her husband, Andrew, have made a $10,000 commitment to the campaign's scholarship fund. (They donated $1,000 toward this commitment at the end of 2007.) This is the most recent way the couple has supported the College. Dedication to supporting and enhancing the quality of education in Massachusetts motivates not only the couple's financial support of WSC, but also Sharon's countless hours of volunteerism. Through her leadership positions with the AAAB, the Class of 1986 Reunion Committee, and the Scholarship Tea Committee, Sharon has led many fundraising efforts on behalf of students. The Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign seeks to raise $4 million in gifts to increase annual scholarship aid by 50 percent.

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