Campaign Bulletin - April 2010

In This Issue

Dear Friends:

While the Worcester State campus landscape is literally blossoming with the arrival of warm weather, our students are once again very busy wrapping up their academic year. On the sunny, warm days, I see them out on the lawns, picnic tables, and benches around campus reviewing their coursework and gathering with friends.

Spring happens to be a time when you can see donations working hard for our students. Earlier this month, applications for 2010-2011 scholarships were due to the Financial Aid Office. The process of awarding scholarships to recipients will begin shortly. At the end of April, our top students will be recognized at the annual Academic Achievement Awards ceremony. Many of the monetary awards that will be given out that night are a direct result of our donors’ generosity. That same week, the College will hold the Celebration of Scholarship and Creativity, which features many student and faculty projects funded by generous contributions. You will read about each of these springtime activities and recent donations that are supporting them in this newsletter.

The incredible gifts that we feature in this issue are moving us closer to the Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign’s $12 million goal. We have raised nearly $11.3 million to date! It is heartwarming to see our loyal alumni and friends respond to the needs of our students at a time of tremendous need. The campaign’s video speaks to how important these gifts are and how grateful our students are for your support. (I invite you to click here to view it.) The impact these gifts have on our students’ lives is truly an inspiration for our reliable donors and those who are considering making their first gift to the campaign.

There are only two months left to go in this historic campaign. However, it’s not too late to participate. With your help, Worcester State will make history and raise an unprecedented $12 million. If you would like to contribute right now, please visit http://worcester.imodules.com/opportunity.

Thank you for caring so much for our students!

Sincerely,

Thomas M. McNamara ’94
Vice President of Institutional Advancement

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President Ashley with Gene and Julianne DeFeudis at the 2007 President's Circle reception.

Gene DeFeudis Doubles His Scholarship Awards

The steady climb to the campaign’s $5 million scholarship goal continues, in part, with a magnanimous gift-pledge of $100,000 by Worcester State Foundation Board member Gene DeFeudis. He has seen what Worcester State’s bright and ambitious students can accomplish through meetings with recipients of his scholarship, and his belief in WSC’s mission motivated him to increase his scholarship fund. “I feel very strongly about Worcester State and its academic quality,” Gene says. The deep impact scholarships have on Worcester State students is another inspiration. “They go a long way toward helping people go to Worcester State—more so than to schools like Harvard. It is a greater benefit to them,” Gene explains. To date, the Gene J. DeFeudis Family Endowed Scholarship has made a difference in the lives of 26 students. This gift doubles the number of students helped by this fund every year from four to eight. Scholarships enable recipients to take advantage of opportunities, such as joining a student club or doing a research project with a faculty member, they might otherwise miss because they would be working more hours. “I like being able to give them the flexibility to do some of those things, to help relieve some of their financial burden,” Gene says. Gene’s incredible dedication to his scholarship fund may have generated some good karma on the golf course over Masters Weekend. On Sunday, Gene hit a hole-in-one. To inquire about creating a scholarship fund, you may contact Tom McNamara at 508-929-8033 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

George W. Tetler III

Scholarship Fund Gets a Boost with Tetlers' Gift

The scholarship program will also grow through a generous gift-pledge of $25,000 from George and Sheila Tetler. While a member of the Board of Trustees and Worcester State Foundation Board, George has witnessed the incredible growth of the scholarship program. Less than 20 students received scholarships when he joined the Foundation Board in 1999; last year, over 200 students earned scholarships. The announcement of The George and Sheila Tetler Scholarship comes in the final months of the campaign and when there is a special emphasis on increasing scholarship assistance for students. “We’re pleased to help grow this important part of the Foundation endowment,” says George. “Worcester State students need all of our support to make their dreams of earning a college education come true.” Meanwhile, George’s contributions to the College and Worcester community will be honored at the Scholarship Tea on Sunday, May 2 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Student Center’s Blue Lounge. He became a trustee in 2001 and was reappointed to a second term that ends in March 2011. He was board chair from 2005 to 2009. George has served on the Foundation Board for 11 years, including as its president from 2001 to 2003. Proceeds from the Tea will benefit the Tetlers’ scholarship fund. If you would like to attend the Tea, please contact Camilla H. Caffrey, assistant vice president of Institutional Advancement, at 508-929-8141 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Or, gifts to the campaign’s general scholarship fund may be made online at http://worcester.imodules.com/opportunity.

George and Lillian Albro will join the late Professor Emerita of Education Madelin A. Wilmarth ’25, the late Ruth Cohen Blumsack ’26, the late Helen G. Shaughnessy ’43, and Foundation Board member and former Education department chair David H. Quist, Ed.D., in supporting the high achievement of our Education students.

Albros Support Education Majors with Campaign Gift

Enthusiasm for education comes naturally to Trustee and Worcester State Foundation Board member George H. Albro ’65, M.Ed. ’68, and his wife, Lillian (Brooks) ’65, M.Ed. ’78. Therefore, when considering how to support the Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign, the couple decided to make a $10,000 gift to endow an academic award for Education majors. They will join the late Professor Emerita of Education Madelin A. Wilmarth ’25, the late Ruth Cohen Blumsack ’26, the late Helen G. Shaughnessy ’43, and Foundation Board member and former Education department chair David H. Quist, Ed.D., in supporting the high achievement of our Education students. In addition, they pledged $2,500 in support of the Men’s Basketball team for which George once played and coached. While at Worcester State, George majored in Middle and Secondary Education and Lillian in Elementary Education. George taught for many years before he became assistant principal of Leicester High School. Lillian taught second grade in the Leicester Public Schools for 37 years and continues to work as an English language learner tutor in the Leicester schools. Both have given back to their alma mater as volunteers and benefactors. George served as a member and officer of the Alumni Association’s Advisory Board and was a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and Scholarship Review Committee. Lillian and he have served on their reunion committees. George was also inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989 and received the Outstanding Service to Alma Mater Award in 1997. To find out how you can establish an endowed academic award fund, you may contact Tom McNamara at 508-929-8033 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

“It really opens the door to new and exciting research projects and also for us to offer new exercises in the coursework for biology and biotechnology students.”

- Ellen Fynan, Ph.D.

Equipment to Enhance Students’ DNA Analysis Skills

Biology and biotechnology students will begin learning modern DNA sequencing techniques as soon as this summer, thanks to James Carnazza’s generous donation of an automated DNA sequencer and related equipment and supplies. Jim graduated from WSC in 1982 and went on to found Sequegen Company in Worcester, a contract services company that provides timely and accurate processing of DNA samples for biopharmaceutical companies. The company recently purchased a new sequencing machine, and Jim, who has a longstanding relationship with WSC’s Biology department, thought the older model might find a home at his alma mater. “It really opens the door to new and exciting research projects and also for us to offer new exercises in the coursework for biology and biotechnology students,” explains Professor Ellen Fynan, Ph.D., chair of the Biology department. Particularly for biotechnology students, this experience will increase their job prospects because some local biotech companies look for new employees who have this skill, adds Associate Professor Maura Collins Pavao, Ph.D. Jim agrees. “Having this technology available definitely makes a Worcester State student more sought after in the workplace,” he says. Jim, whose late father established an endowed scholarship, has also supported WSC for nearly 20 years by offering internships at this company for biology and biotechnology students. To find out how you can help a department by donating specialized equipment, you may contact Tom McNamara at 508-929-8033 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

When completed, students will be greeted by a new circulation desk to the right of the main entrance and to the left will be the café.

Library Renovation Scheduled for the Summer

The creation of a wireless internet café and study lounge and modernization of the circulation desk in the library, supported by a $350,000 grant from The George I. Alden Trust, is slated to begin next month. This project is part of an extensive revitalization the library’s second floor that is anticipated to begin right after Commencement and to end in mid-August. When completed, students will be greeted by a new circulation desk to the right of the main entrance and to the left will be the café, which will include a coffee shop run by Chartwells, two conference areas with flat-screen TVs, and numerous soft chairs and assorted café tables and chairs. A walk to the right of the new circulation desk will take visitors to a new children’s library, replacing what is now the periodicals section. This aims to meet the programming needs of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle/Secondary Education students. The area will welcome both adults and young children, support youth reading programs, and provide space for classes or study groups. The rest of the main floor will be filled with new library stacks and plenty of soft seating as well as study carrels and group work tables. This section is expected to gain 670 linear feet of shelving for our library collection. While the Alden grant covers the café installation and circulation desk reconstruction, funds from the College budget and federal stimulus bill will be tapped to renovate the other areas. To support the various needs of the library, there are a variety of naming opportunities for gifts designated for the building and its services. A gift of $10,000 could establish an endowed library media, acquisitions, or subscriptions fund. With a gift of $25,000, a special collections area could bear your name or that of a loved one. For a gift of $750,000, you would be offered naming rights for the library. To inquire, contact Tom McNamara at 508-929-8033 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Faculty and students will be available to discuss their research projects again during this year's Celebration of Scholarship and Creativity.

Join in the Celebration of Scholarship & Creativity

On April 28th, faculty and students will have the chance to present their 2009-2010 research and creativity projects to the Worcester State College community once again at the Celebration of Scholarship & Creativity. This year’s event will be held in the gym from 3 to 5 p.m. Topics you can learn more about at the celebration include workplace health issues investigated by Professor of Nursing Stephanie Chalupka ’80, Ed.D.; African immigrant and refugee trends researched by Jenkins Macedo, a sociology major; and e-commerce strategies examined by international marketing students. Many of these projects are supported by the College’s Faculty Mini-Grant Program or government and foundation grants. “We are in our fourth year with the event, and it has grown in popularity each year. For our students especially, it provides a close-to-home venue for showcasing their hard work and academic growth,” says Professor William Hansen, Ph.D., the show’s organizer. Funds raised during the Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign help support this important work. If you would like to make a donation to the campaign’s general academic development fund, visit http://worcester.imodules.com/opportunity today.