It is the largest planned gift in the school’s history, and will affect the lives of generations of students who otherwise might not be able to afford a college education. By supporting math and science education for New York state students, the gift will potentially lift the whole area economically.

But, at the donor’s request, his identity will remain anonymous.

“This is a transformative gift that will make individual dreams come true and can help boost the economy of our state,” said President Deborah F. Stanley.

An anonymous donor has announced his intention to bequeath $5 million to benefit the Possibility Scholarship program. The initiative supports students in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.

“With this gift, our generous donor is opening the door to a college education and a better life for many of our future students.”

The Possibility Scholarship provides talented students from New York state who want to study in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, with the financial help they need to attend SUNY Oswego.

The alumnus made clear that his intention is to promote the study of math, which he feels is crucial to success in most fields. “Math is a universal language and supports every other subject,” the donor said. “Regardless of what career path one takes, a strong math background is important to excel.”

As a soldier toward the end of the Vietnam War, he used his math skills to help the Pentagon determine which troops to bring home first. After his service he began a career in real estate, where math again helped him succeed. “I made most of my money from real estate investing,” he said. “Math was very instrumental in helping me to evaluate investments.”

The donor wants to keep America more competitive in the global economy, he said, by reversing a trend toward the acceptance of poor math skills in this country’s students.

The alumnus focused his generosity on the Possibility Scholarship program because it covers all tuition, fees, and room and board, in coordination with any other grants or scholarships awarded, for qualifying students for four full years.

The donor knows how important such aid can be. A Regents Scholar, he worked hard to pay his way through college. Scrubbing pots and pans in the dining hall, serving as resident assistant in a Lakeside residence hall, and bartending at a local establishment helped him pay for his college degree.

The Possibility Scholarship’s tuition benefit “takes away one more fear or impediment to concentrating,” he said. “Most people, when they have problems in life, it is usually financially originated. Remove that element and it makes people’s lives more stress-free.”

The alumnus said he wants to give back to Oswego because of the great experience he had at the college, and he wants to help others — who might not otherwise be able to afford higher education — to have the same great experience.

He made the most of his time at Oswego as a very active student, taking part in varied and enriching experiences, including student media.

A third-generation American, he formed a bond with a foreign language professor, Dr. Joseph Wiecha, who helped him get a scholarship to study one summer in the land of his ancestors. “I considered that the highlight of my life, going over there,” he said. Possibility Scholars travel to one of several Global Laboratory partners that Oswego has on every continent to study and work on science projects with researchers in their fields.

Despite wanting his name kept private for now, the donor said he hopes that his gift will inspire others to support Oswego and its students with an estate gift,

Julibeth Saez ’12 aims for a career as a veterinarian.

especially since state budget support for the college is diminishing.

“You have to give back, especially if Oswego’s been good to you,” he said.

He also pointed out that bequests to a charitable organization given during or after a donor’s lifetime reduce the taxable portion of the estate, thus avoiding the maximum potential 55 percent estate tax. “I would rather give a dollar than pay 55 cents to Uncle Sam,” he said.

The bottom line for this savvy investor and philanthropist is investing in the next generation.

“It all starts with an education. That’s the foundation of any life,” he said. With his generous bequest, he will provide that foundation for countless students who follow in his footsteps at Oswego.

—Michele Reed

“I always preached to my kids [that] you need to get an education,” she said. “I always tell them this, but I never set the example.”

Pam Delfino '10, left, and Ashley Thompson '10, who were practicum partners, celebrate at the Commencement Eve reception.

Although she had entered college shortly after high school, she soon needed back surgeries, which derailed her educational dreams.

All that changed, thanks to the generosity of donors to the college and the encouragement of her friends and family, including her second husband, Rich; and her daughters Victoria (Tori), 17; Olivia (Livi), 14; and Alexandria (Alli), 8.

And on Dec. 19, Delfino walked across the stage in the Campus Center to receive her diploma, wearing the gold gown of a summa cum laude, having achieved a 4.0 grade point average on the way to a degree in childhood education with a social studies concentration.

Proud Sponsor

One of the people proudest of Delfino’s achievement is Frances Moroney Whited ’44, who endowed the John P. Moroney and Frances Murphy Moroney Merit Scholarship in memory of her parents. The third recipient of the scholarship, which supports a student in the quest for an education degree, Delfino was able to receive the scholarship aid for three years, because she maintained her grades at a high level.

“She shows her passion for teaching and her love of literacy,” Whited said of Delfino. “She is a very worthy recipient of the John P. Moroney and Frances Murphy Moroney Merit Scholarship and I know she will carry on their love of and support of education.”

Whited called Delfino an outstanding student, who “set the bar high for others with what she has achieved.” She praised Delfino for taking advantage of the many opportunities Oswego offers.

For her part, Delfino was eager to take advantage of all those opportunities, observing and learning from teachers in her college classrooms. Professors like Geraldine Forbes and Greg Parsons of history, Tim Delaney of sociology and Linda Lord of education became important role models for her in how to present lessons so that children would learn from them. Lord’s course in literature and literacy inspired Delfino to seek a master’s degree in the field, a program she hopes to begin at Oswego in the fall.

‘The Best Gift’

Delfino takes her own role as a teacher very seriously. “I think education is the best gift you can give a child,” she said. “You can’t replace that — especially reading.”

Fances Moroney Whited '44

In one of her letters to Whited, she wrote, “I realize that being a teacher is an incredible responsibility, and I appreciate the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children.”

Delfino is thankful for the help from Whited and other donors. She was also the recipient of the Edward Austin Sheldon Scholarship, Class of 1945 Scholarship, Gillespie/Pietroski Scholarship and Dorothy Rogers Scholarship.

The support from earlier graduates is all part of Oswego’s strong alumni network, something Delfino appreciates since her days of working with the alumni and development department offices. Two of her host teachers were Oswego graduates, Brandie Noyes Norton ’97, M ’00 and Mary Ann Bullard ’89, M ’95. After Delfino’s graduation, Bullard recommended her for substitute teaching assignments.

Delfino’s daughter Tori is now a junior in high school and soon to begin her own college education. Delfino says she is happy that she was able to put her words into action and model the effort she has so long preached to her children.

“The decision to go back to school was not easy,” she wrote. “It requires diligence, sacrifice and hard work. However, every time I have the opportunity to work with the children, it only reaffirms the commitment I have made.”

Mark Baum ’81, co-chair of the Possibility Scholarship subcommittee of the Oswego College Foundation Board of Directors, and his wife, Cathy, aren’t just urging others to support the new initiative, they are leading by example.

The Baums have endowed a possibility scholar in perpetuity. Their gift will fund the full tuition, room and board; Global Laboratory experience; and summer research experience for a new scholar every four years.

Cathy, right, and Mark Baum '81

“For us, philanthropy falls into three buckets: professional, practical and personal,” said Mark Baum. The Possibility Scholar program met their criteria on all three counts.

He noted that, according to the Daily Beast.com, by 2020, the United States will need 120 million workers for highly skilled technical jobs, but will have only 50 million trained.

“In part, that’s why Oswego’s Possibility Scholar campaign is so
important,” he said.

The second bucket is practical. “The Possibility Scholar campaign is at the intersection of the two great planks of public higher education: accessibility and quality. The Possibility Scholar program is geared to students who have the academic credentials but lack financial means,” Baum said.

“It’s literally global in scale,” said Baum. “We have an energized and enthusiastic faculty to drive the program, and willing partners around the world to
create a high quality comprehensive experience in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields.

“So it‘s really in that respect at the heart of the mission of public higher
education,” he said.

Finally, for the Baums, the third bucket of their philanthropy is personal, with their earlier giving coming from very personal experiences at Oswego.

He said he and Cathy donated to the Campus Center because they viewed it as “the heart and soul of the revitalization of the Oswego campus and campus life, and worthy of that kind of support.”

Their scholarship for a fallen friend and support of the 9/11 Memorial Garden was based on friendships formed at Oswego.

“Now we want to endow a part of a program that gives us great satisfaction, knowing that this Possibility Scholar intitiative will last into perpetuity and will give present and future students the very best of those opportunities,” he said.

— Michele Reed

As a teacher and mentor, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Richard Shineman touched the lives of thousands of Oswego students. Since his passing in May of this year, he will impact generations more, thanks to his generous $100,000 bequest to the college.

“He had a very strong, committed, loyal feeling about Oswego — where it was going, what it was trying to do,” said his wife, Barbara Palmer Shineman ’65, professor emerita of education.

Professor Emeritus Dick Shineman

Dick Shineman was one of the founders of Oswego’s chemistry program and its first chair, as well as part of a cadre of professors who helped design the science facilities in Snygg Hall.

Thomas Weil ’66, one of the first class of chemistry majors, remembered Shineman as an important mentor to him. “He was a great teacher and along with Professor (Augustine) Silveira played a key role in my becoming a chemistry major and going into the field,” wrote Weil, who is a part-time chemistry professor after retiring from three decades in research and development at Amoco Chemical Corp.

Philanthropy was important to Shineman, who nonetheless insisted on anonymity during his lifetime. He would, however, acknowledge his support of the Freshman Chemistry Scholarship, with four awarded to incoming Oswego students each year. But his generosity to the college went far beyond that one program. In addition to his monetary gifts, Shineman gave of his time, serving on the Oswego College Foundation board of directors. He encouraged his brother, who was on the board of the Arkell Foundation, to consider Oswego students when it came time to award grants.

“The college was a very important part of his life,” said Barbara Shineman. “And along with it, he had this allegiance in the community to the church, the hospital and to the Rotary Club.”

With his generous bequest, Dick Shineman will share his love for the college with generations of students to come.

— Michele Reed