More than 150 Oswego upperclassmen networked with more than 35 alumni professionals at the annual New York City Career Connections event Jan. 10 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.

Citigroup’s Marcia Thompson-Young ’81 delivered a keynote speech at the networking event, which followed a series of alumni-hosted day visits around the city.

Doreen Mochrie ’85, seated at left, hosted an afternoon session at Perry Capital for students interested in finance. Marcia Belmar Willock ’50 Professor of Finance Mary Tone Rodgers is seated at right.

New York City Career Connections is a career networking program of the Oswego Alumni Association and receives support from The Fund for Oswego.

Public Justice majors, from left, Anthony Turnbull ’14, Kimberly Pikarsky ’13 and Gaston Owen ’13, shown here in the Peer Advisement Center, are among those benefiting from the Public Justice Excellence Fund endowed by David Cutler ’74.

Cutler augmented his Public Justice Excellence Fund with an additional gift of $170,000, bringing the total of the fund to $420,000. He is motivated to help Oswego students because of his love for his alma mater, which he feels provided a great education that helped him build his successful career. “We need good leaders in corrections and law enforcement. It’s a really challenging time right now in the field,” said Cutler, who noted that the field was “shrinking,” due to a drop in crime rates and smaller budgets.

He feels motivated to support Oswego because of his own experiences. “Oswego changed my life — that’s why I really wanted to contribute back to Oswego State,” he said. “I had a great time up there and learned so much.”

Using the Cutler fund money, the public justice faculty sends eight students each year to the Criminal Justice Educators Association of New York State, where they attend presentations and seminars and take advantage of opportunities to enhance their career searches.

“Our students make an excellent impression on faculty members of other colleges and they wish they could take their students to the conference,” said Public Justice Professor Diane Brand. “But they don’t have the blessing of Mr. Cutler to provide them with that opportunity.”

In addition, Cutler’s gift funds field trips for 40 students each year to maximum security Auburn and medium security Butler correctional facilities. As a result of one-on-one interaction with the inmates and corrections officers, some students are inspired to take courses toward a career in corrections and others have gone on to graduate school in counseling to work with inmates and those with substance abuse issues.

The Public Justice Excellence Fund endowed by David Cutler ’74 funds field trips to prisons and attendance at conferences for students like Rachel Lanphere ’13, a public justice and psychology major; Gaston Owen ’13, a public justice major; Katherine Blake ’14, a public justice and psychology major; Michael Muller ’13, a public justice major; Monica Binder ’15, a public justice, communication and social interaction major; Kimberly Pikarsky ’13, a public justice major, and Jon Silva ’13, a public justice major.

“It was very different than the textbook or reality TV shows,” said Gaston Owen ’13, a public justice major and forensic science minor who went on the prison field trip during his first semester at Oswego. “It helps you tweak your career options and think of things you might never have thought of before.” He serves as a peer adviser for other public justice majors and is an active member of the Public Justice Club, which brings speakers to campus and sponsors trips like one this spring to Washington, D.C.

Mike Muller ’13 went to the CJEANYS conference in October, in addition to attending the prison field trips. The public justice major and forensic science minor says hearing presentations by an ex-state trooper and professors from other colleges helped him refine his future goals.

“It was great to have a real-world experience. You can read every day in a book but it’s nothing like this,” he said. “We got to sit down with people who do it every day and hear their experiences.” In addition to his participation in peer advisement and the Public Justice Club, Muller serves as a teaching assistant. At press time, he was awaiting results of a physical that would allow him to accept a job with his hometown police force in Port Jervis right after graduation.

—Michele Reed

“I feel it’s important to give what you can to an organization that’s important to you,” said McCormack, who has been giving to Oswego regularly since 1978.

“I loved Oswego when I went there, and think very highly of it.”

The love comes naturally. McCormack’s father, Leon N. Brown, went to the Campus School as a child in the early 1900s. Her mother, Helen Picken Brown ’18 took the train from Yonkers to enroll at Oswego Normal School.

McCormack herself attended the Campus School, literally following in her father’s footsteps as she walked from the family home several blocks away on West Mohawk Street. “In the winter snow, we sure were glad to see that pergola,” she said with a laugh.

McCormack met her first husband, John Murphy ’49, when both were undergraduates at Oswego. After his death, she married the late Robert “Rod” McCormack.

Her life is full of memories of the college, especially as a young bride working as a library assistant under legendary librarian Helen Hagger.

Even now, she loves to attend plays and musical performances on campus.

She supports Oswego with unrestricted gifts, giving to where the need is greatest, because of her high esteem for the college.

“I admire the school – they’ve done a wonderful job. It has a great reputation. Even people from afar know of Oswego. I know because I’ve lived afar,” said McCormack, who spent many years living in Montana and New Jersey.

Thanks to her loyal support and generosity, students today can benefit from the same great education McCormack enjoyed . . . and come to love Oswego as much as she does.

—Michele Reed

NEW PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE GIVING SOCIETIES will go into effect after June 30 of this year. Membership in the entry level of The President’s Circle will increase on July 1 from $250 to $1,000.

It is the first time since their establishment in 1984 that giving society levels will increase.

“Increasing the minimum donation for participation in The President’s Circle from $250 to $1,000 overcomes the inflationary forces that have eroded the real value of gift levels which have not changed for nearly three decades,” said Joy Westerberg Knopp ’92, director of annual giving. “Due to inflation, a $500 gift 28 years ago would be the equivalent of $1,070 today to make the same impact.”

See the chart at right for the new societies.

Also changing are the recognition levels for gifts from $250 to $999. Gifts from $250 to $499 will provide admission to the Green Club level, and gifts of $500 to $999 will designate members of the Gold Club level.

Donors wishing to stretch their giving to the next level so they continue to be a member of The President’s Circle will be able to make their gifts in installments.

Donors may make their gifts to be used in areas of greatest need or priority, or designate their gifts to support scholarships, one of the college’s four schools, an academic department, or a specific organization or program.

For more information on joining Oswego’s philanthropic leaders, call 315-312-3003 or visit alumni.oswego.edu/presidentscircle

Robert Utter ’93

AS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FOR PYRAMID Management Group, one of the largest and most innovative real estate developers in the Northeast, Robert Utter ’93 possesses a precise and comprehensive understanding of the factors that lead to success and fulfillment, whether for an individual, a company, or a country. He sees SUNY Oswego as poised to make a fundamental difference in the future of its graduates, as well as for the nation and the world, and that’s why he has made a leadership gift to Oswego.

“What makes this country great is the opportunity available to all of us,” says Utter, a steadfast supporter of The Fund for Oswego who invites his fellow alumni to follow his example in providing the financial support that will make that opportunity possible. “But now more than ever, in retaining our status in the international market, we have to stay competitive. We have to help motivate and support the entrepreneurial spirit in our talented and highly skilled young people.”

That all starts with a great education, Utter affirms, like the one he gained as an accounting major in Oswego’s School of Business and continued to build on as a young professional. “We all need to ensure that kind of quality education continues to grow and flourish,” says Utter, pointing to the valuable opportunities for practical application along with the diversity and professionalism of the faculty as highlights of his Oswego education. “With today’s economic pressures, and the escalating costs of private education, the value of a public education is more compelling than ever. Let’s do what we can to make it the best that we can.”

—Amy Speach

Is there anything more beautiful than a spring day in Oswego? Cherry blossoms outside Hewitt Union, sunbathing on the shores of Glimmerglass Lagoon, applauding the sunset from the Flat Rocks.

There is one thing equally beautiful. It’s the feeling you get from knowing that your gift to The Fund for Oswego is making a difference every day in the lives of current students.

Every gift counts.

If all of Oswego’s 77,000 alumni made a gift of $25 to The Fund for Oswego, that would add up to $1,925,000 in support for Oswego’s students.

Plus, your gift — of any size — makes a significant impact on the alumni participation rate. And, since alumni participation rates help Oswego to rise in prestigious rankings like the
U. S. News and World Report listing, your gift can increase the value of your own degree.

So do something beautiful — make your gift to The Fund for Oswego today!

More than 760 volunteers gave their time to Oswego as well – speaking in classes, serving on boards, mentoring students and planning Reunion, to name a few things.

We thank you all in our Honor Roll of Appreciation, posted online at oswego.edu/honorroll and in a short video produced by Tyler 
Edic ’13.

Hear Stephanie Gamboa ’12, M ’14, Julibeth Saez ’12 and Chad Brooks ’13 share their Oswego experiences made possible by gifts to The Fund for Oswego.

Whatever your role — donor, volunteer, loyal alum — your participation counted! We want you to know how very much we appreciate you!

“One of the things that I love about Oswego is its traditions,” said Jennifer Shropshire ’86, national chair of The Fund for Oswego. “For example, I vividly remember being part of the Torchlight ceremony as a senior. I’m also proud of another tradition that may not be unique to Oswego in theory, but certainly is unique in the way that Oswegonians carry out our daily lives personally and professionally.  We step up.

“We approach what lies ahead of us with enthusiasm and a strong and sincere intent to make a tangible difference. In that spirit, I’m thinking about how I can step up my financial support to Oswego this year. I want to continue to be a leader in a way that matches my commitment to the college as well as my personal circumstances.”

Shropshire was referring to the new societies, which go into effect after June 30 of this year. Membership in the entry level of the President’s Circle will increase on July 1 from $250 to $1,000.

See the chart at right for the new giving societies.

Also changing are the recognition levels for gifts from $250 to $999. Gifts from $250 to $499 will provide admission to the Green Club level, and gifts of $500 to $999 will designate members of the Gold Club level.

“While the economy certainly plays a role as I consider my future, I’m mindful that it has an even more significant impact on the lives of current students and their families,” Shropshire said. “For most families, it is a challenge — sometimes a straight-up sacrifice — to pay for someone to attend Oswego. During the School of Business Symposium in November, I witnessed firsthand how eager every student I encountered was to get the most out of his or her Oswego experience in order to make his or her family’s challenge/sacrifice worthwhile.

“To that end, I pledge to rise to the occasion and hope that you will join me in rising to a new level of philanthropic leadership,” she said.

Donors wishing to stretch their giving to the next level so they continue to be a member of the President’s Circle will be able to make their gifts in installments.

Donors may make their gifts to be used in areas of greatest need or priority, or designate their gifts to support scholarships, one of the college’s four schools, an academic department, or a specific organization or program.

New Giving Societies

(effective July 1, 2013)

The President’s Circle
$25,000 + Medallion Society

$10,000 – $24,999 Torchbearer Society

$5,000 – $9,999 Ambassador Society

$2,500 – $4,999 Ontarian Society

$1,861 – $2,499 1861 Founder’s Society

$1,000 – $1,860 Pillar Society

Green and Gold Club:

$500 – $999 Gold member

$250 – $499 Green member

A longtime member of the Sheldon Legacy Society, James recently took on leadership of this group of loyal Oswego supporters who have remembered the college in their estate plans.

Jack James ’62, right, met the latest recipient of his endowed scholarship, Joe Murdoch ’12, left, at King Alumni Hall last fall. Meeting the winners of his scholarship, who balance work and family life along with their studies, is “humbling,” James says.

“A legacy gift is the ultimate commitment a donor can make to Oswego. It means that you are making the college a part of your family,” James explains.

Calling a planned gift both “symbolic and meaningful,” he added that a legacy gift makes a lasting impact on the college and its students. “When you invest in education, you are investing in the future,” he says.

As chair, James will lead a core group of Sheldon Legacy Society members committed to growing membership in the society and spreading the message of the value of planned gifts.

James explains that a legacy gift could give a donor the ability to support Oswego to an extent that might not be possible during his or her lifetime.

By giving the proceeds of an insurance policy or making the college the beneficiary of a retirement plan, donors can make a substantial gift without impacting their family’s present income.

James leads by example, bequeathing 70 percent of his own estate to Oswego. He also established a charitable gift annuity in honor of his class’s 50th reunion.

His gifts fund The Jack C. James ’62 Endowment Fund, which supports a scholarship fund for non-traditional students, an equipment and facilities improvement fund and a School of Education student program fund.

For more information about the Sheldon Legacy Society or making a planned gift to Oswego, contact the Office of Development at 215 Sheldon Hall, email sheldonlegacy@oswego.edu or call 315-312-3003.

It is the first time since the founding of the President’s Circle in 1984 that the levels will change. Current giving levels will remain in place through June 30 of next year.

Membership in the entry level of the President’s Circle will increase on July 1, 2013, from $250 to $1,000.

See the chart at right for the new gift club levels and their names.

Also changing are the recognition levels for gifts from $250 to $999. Gifts from $250 to $499 will provide admission to the Green Club, and gifts of $500 to $999 will designate members of the Gold Club.

“Our President’s Circle donors are the leadership supporters of the institution,” said President Deborah F. Stanley. “Their generous gifts truly make a difference every day for our students.

“Alumni participation in giving is key to the college’s success. Not only do your gifts make a powerful impact on our students’ lives, but your participation helps keep Oswego strong in the college rankings,” she added.

Donors may make their gifts to be used in areas of greatest need or priority, or designate their gifts to support scholarships, one of the college’s four schools, an academic department, or a specific organization or program.

Learn more about joining Oswego’s philanthropic leaders in the President’s Circle.