The Fund for WP is the Foundation’s annual giving program through which alumni and friends alike can make unrestricted gifts to the University. Combined, these gifts of any size make a significant impact on students at William Paterson University. One of the most important areas of impact is in scholarship support, a strategic priority of William Paterson University. The Fund for WP adds to the University’s slate of scholarships by directly supporting nearly 170 annual scholarships across all disciplines. These scholarships help deserving students succeed.
In November, we traveled to DC to host an alumni reception in the Rayburn Building near Capitol Hill. Nearly two dozen attended the event. Alumni Dan Cimmino ’94, Gena Zak ’97, and Kisha Manning ’07 are providing leadership in organizing DC Chapter events for alumni.
William Paterson in Florida and Washington, DC In March, President Waldron, Pamela Ferguson, and Janis Schwartz, executive director of alumni relations visited with alumni, friends, and former faculty in Florida. We hosted receptions in Boca Raton and Naples. The chair of the Board of Trustees, Fred Gruel, joined us in Naples as did Bill Joosten ’66, a member of the Alumni Executive Council of the Alumni Association. President Waldron provided more than 100 William Paterson Floridians with a University update outlining new initiatives and programs, campus activities, and construction, and discussed the importance of alumni remaining close to their alma mater.
Tom Fitzgerald with DC Alumni
Heritage Society This year, we formally inducted a record number of 49 members into the Heritage Society, William Patersons’ recognition society for donors giving more than 20 years. Heritage Society members were recognized and received their induction pins at seven events which included the annual Scholarship Dinner, the Pioneer Society Luncheon, Florida alumni events in Boca Raton and Naples, the 50th Reunion, and the Hobart Manor Sunday Tea.
Sunday Tea at Hobart M anor
Naples Alumni
Boca Raton Alumni
Mark your calendars for the week of March 13– 17, 2017. Details and locations to follow! 6
On Sunday, May 1, the Hobart Manor Revitalization Committee hosted its annual awareness and education event, “Sunday Tea at Hobart Manor,” with a record number (over 100) in attendance. This years’ presenter was William Paterson University Professor of History, George C. Robb. who used the award-winning PBS television series Downton Abbey to illustrate a discussion of British and American class differences and voting rights in the early 20th century.