August 2016

Alumni Stories

FY16 Fundraising Total Second Largest in History

Grace Merritt

3 min read

UConn Foundation President and CEO Joshua Newton reported to the University’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Aug. 10 that the Foundation raised $78.3 million in new gifts and commitments in FY16, reaching its fundraising goal for the year and surpassing the previous year by $400,000.

The fiscal year’s totals—the second highest in the Foundation’s history—include $16.1 million for scholarship and student support, $25.4 million for research, $29.8 million for program support, $5.3 million for faculty support, and $1.7 million for capital improvements.

All told, $57 million of the dollars raised in FY16 was designated for current operations and $21 million was earmarked for the endowment, which now stands at nearly $375 million.

Eighteen months ago, the Foundation publicly launched its $150 million Transform Lives scholarship initiative. To date, the Foundation is one-third of the way to reaching its goal, having raised $54.5 million for student support.

“The Transform Lives initiative is about ensuring that UConn is financially accessible to all students,” Newton said. “We’re thankful to our donors for contributing more than $16 million the past fiscal year for this incredibly important mission.”

Giving designated for UConn’s schools, colleges, and programs—most notably the School of Engineering and the Office of Global Affairs—increased dramatically compared to the previous fiscal year.

“Philanthropic support from our donors is absolutely essential to UConn’s success today and in the future,” UConn President Susan Herbst said. “The Foundation is harnessing the passion of UConn Nation to create an even stronger and more dynamic university, and we are incredibly grateful for their support and commitment.”

One example of how philanthropy is benefitting UConn and its students is the recent $5.7 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to the UConn Humanities Institute. The donation will support research regarding the balance between humility and conviction in public life. It is the largest humanities grant ever awarded to UConn, and one of the largest humanities-based research grants ever awarded in the United States.

Eversource Energy is also contributing to research at UConn. It donated $9 million to the School of Engineering to help develop predictive modeling during storm outages. The research will help local officials pinpoint where power outages will occur and should drastically improve the reliable delivery of electricity in Connecticut.

“The incredibly generous gift that Eversource has given to UConn has created the Eversource Energy Center, which allows UConn Engineering, Business, and the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources to advance important storm and outage forecasting technologies,” said Kazem Kazerounian, dean of the School of Engineering. “That research is already paying dividends, as demonstrated by the recent partnering between the Center and Schneider Electric to combine and enhance their storm modeling technology. I am so grateful to Eversource for the important work they are doing through the center.”

Other notable donations and commitments include:

$4 million from Phyllis and Gary Gladstein ’66, and George Soros supporting the Human Rights Institute
$2.1 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the Center for Health Intervention and Prevention programs, and the School of Nursing
$1.5 million from John ’84 and Donna Krenicki ’84 supporting two professorships, one in the School of Fine Arts and one in College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
$1 million from FEI supporting scholarships and The Institute of Materials Science

Before each fiscal year begins, the Foundation sets a fundraising goal based on internal projections and discussions with potential donors. The goal for FY17 is $85 million—representing the largest fiscal year total in Foundation history.

“It’s a challenging goal, but we have a strong team and tremendous support from alumni and donors,” said Newton. “I look forward to reporting to the University’s Board of Trustees one year from now and hopefully celebrating the record-breaking year. UConn Nation is up to the challenge and so are we!”

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Alumni Stories

UConn Alumnus Proud Member of Team USA Track and Field

Tiffany Ventura Thiele

3 min read

UConn alumnus and chiropractor Dr. Norman Eng, DC ’99 (BUS) is thrilled to be a part of Team USA Track and Field as he accompanies them to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

He’s a member of the medical team that supports some of the finest athletes in the world, including sprinters Allyson Felix, Justin Gatlin, and Trayvon Bromell. The Olympics won’t be a vacation – Eng will be working 15-hour days, going back and forth between the on-site clinic and the practice track. But he loves every minute of it, as his job is a perfect marriage of his love of sports and helping people.

“One of the things I’m really excited for are the athletes performing and bringing home some medals on the biggest stage in the world,” said Eng. “This is something they’ve prepared for their entire lives. We’re here to support them in their lifelong dream. It’s like watching a son or daughter perform, because we have so much interaction with them.”

Eng, a native of Vernon, Conn. who now resides in Atlanta, Ga., began his journey at UConn, where he graduated in 1999 with a degree in Finance.

“The UConn experience really helped shape the idea of hard work and perseverance,” said Eng. “UConn gave me the tools to help me in any profession.”

Eng started his career with an internet company in Bloomfield, Conn. In 2001, he wanted to shift careers. He decided to study the practices of chiropractic medicine and graduated in 2007.
“I couldn’t sit in front of a desk anymore,” said Eng. “I’ve always been a very active person and enjoyed physical fitness. I also wanted to do something that would help people and would allow me to utilize my passion for exercise and health.”

Soon after, Eng was asked by his friend and now business partner to volunteer at Team USA Track & Field events. Eng agreed and volunteered several times, traveling to Eugene, Ore., to provide chiropractic treatment for athletes at events. He became more involved with Team USA, accompanying the team overseas to the Indoor and Outdoor World Championships in 2014 and 2015.
“It sounds cliché, but it was quite the honor and still is quite the honor,” said Eng. “I wake up every morning and can’t believe I have the privilege of representing the United States and the chiropractic profession in track and field.”

For Eng, his job is not only about keeping the athletes in top physical condition, but also providing a helping hand in any way he can.

“The way we describe our team here is ‘we are one team,’” he said. “If an athlete needs a pat on the shoulder or a hug, we’re there to help them in anyway whether it be chiropractic treatment or getting them a towel. Being there for them is the number one thing.”

With track and field events slated to start on Aug. 12 in Rio, Eng said that everyone on the team is ready for the competition.

“We have all of our athletes going in nice and healthy,” he said. “We just want to go out and show the world the talents of the United States Track and Field team. There’s a lot of wait time and anticipation, but once that time comes, we know that it’s go time and we’ll be ready to go.

“All the athletes for the track team are very excited to go,” he added. “There’s been a lot of negative press about Rio, but they’re here to do a job, and their job is to bring home medals for the United States.”

You can follow Eng’s Olympic experience on his Instagram account at @dorneng7.

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Five Questions With Lisa Cropper

Grace Merritt

2 min read

Lisa Cropper ’85 (ED) just returned from playing in the World Cup on the U.S. Masters Field Hockey team in Australia. Her team brought home the bronze medal, a first for any U.S. Masters team, male or female. Originally from Walpole, Mass., Cropper is a three-time All-American who helped lead the UConn field hockey team to the NCAA National Championship in 1981. Now a mother of two teenage boys, she is a personal trainer and coaches field hockey, ice hockey, and softball at Franklin High School in Franklin, Mass. We caught up with her recently to talk about her UConn memories and what she’s up to now in a new series we call Five Questions With.

Q. What’s the latest thing you’ve crossed off your bucket list?
A. The trip to Australia for the World Cup. I don’t know if I would have gotten there otherwise. It was a 30-hour trip – a 22-hour flight and eight hours by land after that. The experience was amazing. As exotic as Australia may seem, it was the people there who were just fantastic. They’re just genuinely friendly and hospitable.

Q. What is the most useful thing you learned at UConn?
A. To surround yourself with good people. I was very fortunate to have had outstanding teammates and good friends. I learned not to be afraid to be yourself, and, at same time, to surround yourself with good people who were a good influence.

Q. How did you feel when your team won the 1981 national field hockey championship?
A. It was kind of neat. I was just a freshman, but I was lucky enough to be a starter all year long, so I felt like a real contributor. My high school was expected to win the state championship the year before and we were seeded number one. But we lost in double overtime. So winning the national championship at UConn was exciting and gave me a sense of vindication and validation.

Q. What advice you would give to someone starting out in field hockey?
A. Be a real student of the game and practice your stick skills. If you want to be good at it, it can really take you far. Look at me. I’ve been around the world with it!

Q. What’s your best memory of UConn?
A. I had such a good time at UConn all around. It was really much more about my teammates and roommates. I remember playing club ice hockey on the old, outside rink. Also, we’d go past the Dairy Bar for runs. Sometimes we’d stop there for ice cream on the way back.

Do you know of a fascinating person who would make a great “Five Questions with” interview? We’re looking for a wide range of interesting alums and donors who have a compelling stories to tell—from authors, celebrities, business leaders, political leaders, community leaders, researchers, artists to everyday people doing extraordinary, quirky, and interesting things in their professional or personal lives. Please send any suggestions to [email protected].

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