Focus on Philanthropy

All too often, donors don’t get the chance to put a “face” on their philanthropy, to see how their generosity is changing and enriching lives. Likewise students seldom get an opportunity to meet the people who help them complete their education. To personalize philanthropy, the University is hosting periodic donor/recipient gatherings. Here are stories about two such meetings:

Senior Travis Roberts, center, the recipient of the Stephen M. Kaufman Memorial Scholarship, meets donors Donald '62 and Anita Kaufman.

History in the Making

Travis Roberts’ journey to college wasn’t easy or guaranteed. Often during his childhood, his parents had to decide whether to use the little money they had for food or for rent.

By the time he was a senior at South Kingstown High School, most of his friends were involved with drugs, had committed crimes, and dropped out of school. Intent on college, Travis attended the Community College of Rhode Island for a few years before transferring to URI.

His father, Ray, works in the maintenance department of South County Hospital and his mother, Stephanie, works as a physical therapy assistant.

But when the URI student’s mother was laid off and his federal loans failed to cover his educational expenses, Travis worried that he wouldn’t be able to complete his senior year. Then he got a letter from URI notifying him that he was the recipient of the Stephen M. Kaufman Memorial Scholarship. (See photos on page 25.)

“It was both a relief and an honor,” says the 23-year-old history and political science major who told his story during an autumn luncheon designed to introduce donors to their student recipients.

“He’s such a sincere, humble young man,” said Anita Kaufman, who with her husband, Donald, established the scholarship in 2000 for bright and needy Rhode Island High School graduates. “We can appreciate what he went through, although our experiences weren’t the same. Neither of us had parents of wealth. They were working people.”

Her husband agrees. His mother was widowed when he attended URI. “I can remember when the $100 tuition was hard to meet,” he recalls. After graduating with a degree in pharmacy in 1962, he went to medical school and is now in private practice at Gastroenterology Associates in Providence as well as serving as chief of gastroenterology at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island in Pawtucket.

The couple named the endowment after their middle child, Stephen, a college student who died unexpectedly during surgery. “The scholarship is a way to honor his memory,” Anita said. “He loved history and he loved politics.” Her husband agrees, “It’s a perfect fit.”

History has always captivated Travis. “History offers amazing stories about the human race, our greatest achievements and our worst failures...everything we were capable of and might be capable of again in the future. In history, I find hope.”

Travis’ plans include graduate school to become either a history professor or an advocate for the poor, or perhaps to combine his two interests.

“It’s only by the Kaufmans’ gracious generosity that I am able to complete my degree,” he said. “One of my major goals is to work on behalf of the underprivileged, so they can live better lives and attend college on a scholarship program of my own design one day.”

Peter Pelletier '67 with Alison O'Malley, the recipient of the Peter A. Pelletier Endowed Engineering Scholarship.

Multiple Interests Merge into Success

When Alison O’Malley looked at colleges, she struggled to find one that could combine her love of dance, her desire to travel to Spain, and her academic interests in math and science.

Then she discovered that she could pursue them all at URI. She competed for a spot with the Ramettes as one of the skilled dancers who perform during basketball half-times and timeouts. She had a leg up on the competition, having taken dance classes since she was two. “I do tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, point. It’s my favorite hobby,” she said.

She also became a member of the International Engineering Program, which requires that students major in a foreign language and an engineering discipline and spend a year abroad taking classes and working in an internship.

“I took four years of high school Spanish and two more years in middle school,” explained the 20-year-old sophomore. “I also knew that I liked math and science, so when I was looking at career choices, I settled on either pre-med or engineering. I chose biomedical engineering because it balances out the math and science with my desire to help people, and I can still go to med school after I graduate.”

Named as an engineering ambassador by the College of Engineering, O’Malley represents the college at campus events, meets with prospective students, and participates in a variety of leadership programs.

Last fall, at a scholarship breakfast attended by nearly 100 students, administrators and URI donors, O’Malley met Peter Pelletier.

O’Malley said the Peter A. Pelletier Endowed Engineering Scholarship she received played an important role in her URI success. “I don’t have time for a part-time job, so the scholarship funds allow me to keep up with my dance and my grades.”

Pelletier, a 1967 alumnus, created the scholarship to help engineering students pay for their education. “I established the scholarship because of the tremendous value I received from my engineering degree,” Pelletier said. “I have always remained loyal to URI and the engineering program, and I always felt the students who are qualified to enter the program are the best and brightest. It’s a very challenging program and worth all the energy expended.”

Pelletier worked at Raytheon, Arthur Andersen, and New England Merchants Bank before forming his own consulting practice in 1980 to help financially troubled companies. He serves on the College of Engineering Advisory Council and frequently meets with current students and faculty.

“I was very pleased to meet Alison at the scholarship breakfast,” said Pelletier, who grew up in Newport and now resides in Norwell, Mass. “She is very bright and personable, with great varied interests. She has the type of balance you need in your life to be successful.”

Filling the gap

Did you know that 71 percent of our fulltime undergraduates needed some form of financial aid in 2004 but only 72 percent of that needy group received any? And the scholarship or grant aid they received met only 57 percent of their need? To find out how you can fill the gap, contact Paul Witham, associate vice president for development, at 401-874-5569 or paulwitham@advance.uri.edu.