Manhattanville Magazine Summer 2020

Simone Lutz ’73 has never put much stock in the idea of happenstance. “I have a little saying,” she explained. “‘Coincidence? I think not.’” But ask Lutz if she believes in “fate,” and she will tell you a story.

Two years ago, an unusual letter arrived in the mail addressed to Lutz. It was a solicitation sent by the children of Lutz’s longtime friend, a retired professor at a State University of New York. The kids were hoping to raise funds to establish an endowed scholarship in their mother’s name. Lutz recalled being a bit surprised. “They’re average people like me,” she explained. “And I just thought, ‘What a neat thing for them to do.’”

Titsa Fotopulos Pelzman ’49 in her early days as a nurse Fast forward to 2019. Lutz was speaking with her mother, Titsa Fotopulos Pelzman ’49, about the upcoming event commemorating the seventieth class reunion for Manhattanville’s original school of nursing, established in August of 1943 in response to the shortage of nurses created by World War II.

The school was called the Aloysia Hardey School of Nursing, which awarded degrees through 1948. According to Lutz, her mother made it clear that she had no intention of missing the reunion. In fact, the 96-year-old Pelzman had already arranged a car service to pick up two of her former classmates to make sure they could all attend. When Lutz heard this, she immediately nixed her weekend plans and instead got into her car and headed to Manhattanville.

When Lutz arrived at Reid Castle, the event was already underway, with President Geisler addressing the gathered alumni. Lutz was ushered to a seat by her mom and was still getting herself settled when she heard President Geisler announce to the audience that he had exciting news to share: Manhattanville was on track to open a brand-new School of Nursing and Health Sciences in 2020. Lutz remembered the invitation she had received two years earlier. “My heart just stopped!” she said. “The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I said, ‘This is exactly what I wanted!’”

That same afternoon, Lutz set about working with the Office of Institutional Advancement to see how she might establish the Titsa Pelzman Endowed Scholarship for Nursing. She learned that an endowment is essentially a one-time gift that keeps on giving. The initial capital—seed money—is held by the College, and the scholarship is funded by the interest it earns. This structure allows the scholarship and the honored legacy to live on in perpetuity. According to Laura Newman, the senior director of institutional giving at Manhattanville, scholarships can be named for one individual, as in Titsa’s case, or for a family, a faculty member, an alumni class, a geographic region, or an organization.

The Pelzman scholarship committee, led by nursing school Dean, Debra Simons, will choose a senior-year recipient who demonstrates financial need, a commitment to nursing and a spirit of compassion, academic merit, and who hails from an underserved community. “Mom is thrilled,” said Lutz, who remains amazed at the sequence of events that brought the scholarship into existence. At the same time, she has no doubt that this was always meant to be.