January 2015

Press Releases

RELEASE: Hall H.S. Valedictorian Stars in Conn. Scholarship Campaign

Jennifer Doak-Mathewson

2 min read

WNPR spots part of effort to double amount raised for scholarships over next 5 years

Jan. 20—The co-valedictorian of Hall high School’s 2013 class is about to gain statewide recognition as part of the UConn Foundation’s efforts to raise $150 million over the next five years for scholarships and fellowships. Ashwini Joshi, a sophomore studying biomedical engineering at UConn, will be featured on WNPR radio spots beginning Feb. 2. The reoccurring segments will run for a six-week period and describe how scholarships have helped to transform Ms. Joshi’s life.

“I was surprised and thrilled that I was selected for this important cause,” said Joshi. “Scholarships have helped me to afford a college education and I hope that by telling people about their importance, I will inspire others to donate to students like myself.”

After graduating from Hall, Joshi was awarded the Stamps Leadership Scholarship, entitling her to full scholarship support to attend UConn, as well as funding for enrichment activities, including summer research projects, national conferences, international travel and study. The funding enabled Joshi to study in France and pursue volunteer and research opportunities at UConn, as opposed to searching for work.

Over the past five years, the UConn Foundation has raised an average of $15.6 million annually for student support—including scholarships like the kind Joshi earned. In total the University offers aid to more than 10,000 students each year year. The new initiative calls for the Foundation to increase the amount raised for scholarships, fellowships and assistantships to $30 million annually.

“The Foundation’s initiative will not only help UConn attract and retain students like Ms. Joshi, but also combat student debt levels after graduation,” said Josh Newton, President of the UConn Foundation. “Right now 83-percent of UConn undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. Scholarships truly are transforming lives.”

The average student loan debt at UConn for 2013 graduates was $24,600 – nearly 20 percent lower than the national average ($30,000) for students at private and public institutions.

“Being able to graduate from UConn without incurring a lot of debt is a dream come true and will help me pursue my career goal of becoming a doctor,” said Ms. Joshi.

Coleman B. Levy, a West Hartford resident, is Chairman of the Board of the UConn Foundation. “Our mission at the Foundation is to ensure that UConn not only remains competitive with other nationally ranked universities, but that we are a leader in terms of affordability and accessibility. The marketing campaign will play an important role in raising awareness and motivating people to give.”

The Foundation’s student support initiative comes at a time when UConn has risen dramatically in stature. It currently ranks No. 19 on the U.S. News & World Report list of the nation’s top public research universities. Investment in facilities and faculty has played a key role in UConn’s ascent, enabling the University to attract greater numbers of high-caliber students. In recent years, each incoming freshman class has exceeded the previous one in academic accomplishment. This year’s freshman class has an average SAT score of 1234, the highest in UConn history.

Last year the UConn Foundation received philanthropic gifts and commitments totaling $81.1 million, a 23 percent increase over the preceding year and the highest level of giving in the 50-year history of the UConn Foundation.

Hall graduate to star in UConn Foundation campaign – West Hartford News

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RELEASE: Manchester UConn Student Featured In Statewide Scholarship Campaign

RELEASE: West Haven physician stars in statewide campaign promoting UConn scholarships

Co-Valedictorian Chooses UConn Thanks to Scholarship

News & Stories

Physician Creates Fellowship for Future Practitioners

Jennifer Doak-Mathewson

< 1 min read

“When I look back to when I was accepted at the University School of Medicine, it was one of the greatest days of my life,” said Dr. Lindsay Schine (’89 MD).

Thanks to her, other students can feel that rush of excitement—and know that they have the support of someone who walked their path. Dr. Schine, along with husband Michael Klingher, established a fellowship fund that provides support for students in the School of Medicine. She hopes that it will enable more students to choose primary care as their vocation.

Along with scholarship recipient Ashwini Joshi ’16, Dr. Schine is starring in a WNPR radio segment that will be broadcast statewide in early February:

[Listen to Schine’s NPR Segment]

Since receiving her M.D. from UConn, Dr. Schine has enjoyed a successful 25-year career practicing internal medicine at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven, Conn.

Now she feels that it’s her turn to give back to the University that has given her so much.

“Receiving a scholarship to UConn changed my life,” she said. “I’m eternally grateful for the opportunities it provided me. I hope my story will inspire others to invest in scholarships.”

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Foundation Chat: The Future of Pharmacy with Dr. Marie Smith and Dr. Kate Steckowych

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Supporting Future Community Leaders

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Fund Will Create UConn’s First MPH Fellowship

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RELEASE: West Haven physician stars in statewide campaign promoting UConn scholarships

Jennifer Doak-Mathewson

3 min read

WNPR spots part of effort to double amount raised for scholarships over next five years.

Jan. 27 – Serving as a physician for the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven since 1992, Dr. Lindsay Schine is about to gain statewide recognition as part of the UConn Foundation’s efforts to raise $150 million over the next five years for scholarships and fellowships. Dr. Schine, a 1989 graduate from the UConn School of Medicine, will be featured on WNPR radio spots beginning Feb. 2. The reoccurring segments will run for a six-week period and describe how scholarships have helped to transform her life.

“I am truly honored for the opportunity to share my story on WNPR,” said Dr. Schine. “Receiving a scholarship to UConn changed my life. I am eternally grateful for all the opportunities it has provided me. I hope my story will inspire others to invest in scholarships so UConn can continue to attract the best and brightest students.”

Since receiving her MD from the UConn School of Medicine in 1989, Dr. Schine has gone on to enjoy a successful 25-year career practicing medicine. Now she feels it’s her turn to give back to the University that has given her so much. In 2014, Dr. Schine and her husband Michael established the Lindsay Schine and Michael Klingher Fellowship Fund, which provides financial support for students in the UConn School of Medicine.

“We are grateful to have supporters like Dr. Schine and her husband Michael Klingher who’ve shown their commitment for providing deserving students with financial resources to pursue their dreams,” said Josh Newton, President of the UConn Foundation. “In order for UConn to continue its tremendous growth, it is vital that we increase our funding for scholarships.”

Over the past five years, the UConn Foundation has raised an average of $15.6 million annually for student support and scholarships. In total, the University offers aid to more than 10,000 students each year. The new initiative calls for the Foundation to increase the amount raised for scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships to $30 million annually.

“The Foundation’s initiative will not only help UConn attract students, but it will also combat student debt levels after graduation,” said Newton. “Right now 83 percent of UConn undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. Scholarships truly are transforming lives.”

The average student loan debt at UConn for 2013 graduates was $24,600—nearly 20 percent lower than the national average ($30,000) for students at private and public institutions.

Coleman B. Levy, chairman of the Board of the UConn Foundation, said, “Our mission at the Foundation is to ensure that UConn not only remains competitive with other nationally ranked universities but that we are a leader in terms of affordability and accessibility. The marketing campaign will play an important role in raising awareness and motivating people to give.”

The Foundation’s student support initiative comes at a time when UConn has risen dramatically in stature. It currently ranks No. 19 on the U.S. News & World Report list of the nation’s top public research universities. Investment in facilities and faculty has played a key role in UConn’s ascent, enabling the University to attract greater numbers of high-caliber students. In recent years, each incoming freshman class has exceeded the previous one in academic accomplishment. This year’s freshman class has an average SAT score of 1234, the highest in UConn history.

“In Other Business: Schine to Promote UConn Foundation Scholarship Efforts,” New Haven Register, Jan. 31, 2015

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Press Releases

RELEASE: Hall H.S. Valedictorian Stars in Conn. Scholarship Campaign

RELEASE: UConn Alumnus Featured in Statewide Campaign to Promote Scholarships

Physician Creates Fellowship for Future Practitioners

News & Stories

Co-Valedictorian Chooses UConn Thanks to Scholarship

Jennifer Doak-Mathewson

2 min read

Thanks to the Stamps Leadership Scholarship—which provides a gift match for donations and full financial support for extraordinary students—a co-valedictorian can study abroad, participate in research opportunities, and work toward her dream of becoming a physician.

“I was surprised and thrilled that I was selected for this important cause,” said Ashwini Joshi ’16, who is studying biomedical engineering at UConn. “Scholarships have helped me afford a UConn education and I hope that by telling people about their importance, I will inspire others to donate.”

Hear Ashwini’s WNPR segment, which will broadcast early this year:

[Listen to Joshi’s NPR Segment]

Joshi graduated from Hall High School in West Hartford, Conn., and shared the top academic honor with another student. Thanks to the Stamps Scholarship, which she was awarded in 2013, Ashwini was able to focus on her studies and participate in extracurricular activities. She studied in France, joined the engineering sorority Phi Sigma Rho, and is active in the UConn Honors program.

“A major reason why I decided to attend UConn was, in fact, the Stamps Scholarship,” she told the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, which provides the dollar-for-dollar match for scholarships. “I felt I could distinguish myself at UConn more than at any other university. Also, UConn’s school spirit and beautiful campus make for a great college experience!”

During her summer abroad in France, Ashwini was able to take an intensive language course in Toulouse. “We also had the opportunity to participate in cultural activities, visiting museums and the Airbus factory, and exploring villages in the French countryside,” she said. “Through this study abroad program, I learned more about French language, culture, and history than I ever would have been able to otherwise.”

The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation not only supports the full cost of attendance for extraordinary students like Ashwini, but also provides funding for summer research projects and a yearly conference, where Stamps Scholars can share their experiences and ideas. UConn is one of a select group of universities chosen by the Foundation to participate in this opportunity, along with institutions like the University of Virginia, UCLA, University of Texas at Austin, Purdue University, and the College of William & Mary.

Support the Student Excellence & Scholarship Fund and have your donation, of any size, doubled automatically.

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Alumnus, Student Star in UConn Scholarship Campaign

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Deep UConn Roots Inspire Meaningful Scholarship

UConn Athletics Celebrates Endowed Scholarship Donors

News & Stories

A Lost Brother’s Memorial Helps a First-Generation Husky

Jennifer Doak-Mathewson

2 min read

Cynthia Gowani '17 — Drotch Scholarship recipient Cynthia Gowani ’17

When Peter Drotch ’64 was 18 his brother Paul Drotch ’57, a U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot, died during a training exercise out of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Lt. Drotch’s A-4 jet, designed to support ground forces by flying low, was lost in May 1960, a time when tensions were running high between the U.S., Cuba and the Soviet Union.

To recognize Paul’s accomplishments at UConn and UConn’s role in his aspirations, in 1960 the Drotch family established the Lt. Paul L. Drotch, USMC, Class of 1957 Memorial Scholarship. Originally awarded to a single student in Bacteriology—Paul’s major—over time the fund grew substantially, in part because of generous contributions by Peter Drotch. It now provides scholarships to several high-achieving students each year and has expanded to include students in Molecular and Cell Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Physiology and Neurobiology, and Biological Sciences.

In 2009, Peter Drotch and his wife Hinda established the Drotch Family Scholarship, the second to honor Paul’s memory. Because Peter was an Accounting major at the School of Business, the award is open to students in either the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or the School of Business and is based on merit and need.

This year Cynthia Gowani, a freshman in Biological Sciences, was the very happy recipient of a Drotch Family Scholarship. As the first in her family to attend college, Cynthia was worried about the cost and the financial stress on her family. Now, she says “a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders by this generous scholarship as my family was struggling to pay for my first semester . . . I am truly beginning to believe in myself and am getting closer to my goals.”

Attending medical school has been Cynthia’s lifelong dream. Thanks to the Drotch family, her dream is attainable.

Peter Drotch recalls a time when letters from scholarship recipients were a source of comfort to his mother. As steward of the family’s scholarship legacy, he welcomes opportunities to meet awardees and appreciates the kind words they write.

In her thank-you letter, Cynthia Gowani expressed the hope that someday she will be able to help others the same way the Drotch family helped her. She has joined a growing cadre of grateful UConn students whose lives have been changed by a family’s gift in honor of a loved one.

Paul Drotch ’57 will never be forgotten. The scholarship funds established in his name are living memorials that will endure forever, transforming lives for generations to come.

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Inside UConn Nation

A Parental Tribute Supports Future Students

Jennifer Doak-Mathewson

2 min read

Beverly and Harold Samuels worked hard to support their children, David and Nancy. To supplement his position as a banking executive, Harold had his own business preparing income tax returns for more than 200 clients each tax season. Both were dedicated civic leaders, serving on the boards of several Hartford-area community organizations. Their children learned at a very young age that it was essential to give back to the community.

To honor his parents’ memory, David Samuels has established the Beverly and Harold Samuels Scholarship Fund at the UConn School of Business. “I hope to enable even one more student to complete his or her degree at UConn,” he said.

David was the first in his family to graduate from a four-year college when he obtained his bachelor’s degree from UConn in 1983. “Attending the University of Connecticut enriched my life immeasurably,” he said. David was an active member of business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi, graduated magna cum laude, and went on to obtain his M.B.A. from The George Washington University. He began his career with KPMG and has worked in both the real estate and technology industries. David is currently the CFO for a Maryland-based health care IT company.

David has taken his parents’ example to heart in other ways, too, serving as chairman for the Charles E. Smith Life Communities, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit eldercare service providers, and holding fundraising roles for the D.C. chapter of the National Kidney Foundation, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, and several other organizations.

While he has found much success in the D.C. area, David has not forgotten his roots. “College was an expensive endeavor for my parents,” he said, recalling how hard his father worked to support part of his children’s education. “Thirty years later, it is almost impossible for students in the financial situation I was in to fund his or her own college education,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to establish this scholarship.”

David’s commitment to philanthropy is affirmed with a bequest intention, which will take the form of a life insurance policy that will add to the fund after his passing. If you’d like to follow David’s example, take a look at our planned giving section.

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