GRIST FROM THE MILL
EAS SOCIETY EVENING RAISES $81.5K TO BENEFIT STEVENS The Edwin A. Stevens Society enjoyed a successful fundraising event on March 1, bringing in $81,595 to help benefit Stevens—from student scholarships to faculty support. “An Evening at Maritime Parc”—at Maritime Parc restaurant inside Liberty State Park in Jersey City—attracted more than 180 people, mostly honored members of the society, which includes alumni, faculty, staff, parents and friends who make generous annual gifts to Stevens. This year, the event included a cocktail party and a live auction as well as a silent auction that featured everything from autographed photos to student scholarships. Fetching the top bids were several student scholarships and an Italian vacation, with a portion of that bid benefiting the Stevens Fund. Stevens President Nariman Farvardin called the EAS Society, which was founded in 1974, a great tradition at Stevens that he believes will grow even stronger, as the university enjoys a steep rise in its profile, moving up 13 spots in the latest U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” rankings. The Edwin A. Stevens Society auction featured memorabilia from famous athletes and celebrities.
New members in the Edwin A. Stevens Society received pins prior to the auction.
Just as Stevens’ profile has risen, so has financial support for the university. But rising higher education costs are unsustainable, Farvardin told the audience, and students of modest means can’t keep up. That’s where the EAS Society comes in. “You are the base of this support, you are the source of inspiration,” Farvardin said. Society members traveled from the tristate area and beyond to attend the event. Michael Bertucci ’09 came from Chapel
Hill, N.C., where he’s pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of North Carolina. He was excited to see old friends and to support Stevens, he said. “I think it made me who I am today,” Bertucci said. At Stevens, he had so many varied opportunities—to do meaningful research, play sports and hold leadership positions that helped shape his character, he said. “Only at Stevens could you do this,” he said. Indeed, a number of younger EAS members said that they give to Stevens to support the student groups that meant so much to them as students. Keith Cassidy ’09 gives to his beloved WCPR radio station, where he was business manager and now helps head the WCPR Alumni Association. Knowing that his donation helped buy a specific piece of equipment for the station, for example, is such a great feeling, he says. “You know where it’s going to go—it goes to what you care about,” Cassidy said. “It continues the culture of giving.” ❖ —Beth Kissinger
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