Ramapo Magazine

Continuing on the Road to Excellence

photo of Thomas Palmer, Chair, Ramapo College Foundation

Thomas Palmer
Chair, Ramapo College Foundation

I am very proud to state that the Ramapo College Foundation has excelled in meeting its mission to provide the resources that make the difference in Ramapo College's quest for educational excellence. This past year has been an exciting one at Ramapo and it is my pleasure to thank the College's many benefactors for their continuing loyalty and support.

Under the leadership of my predecessors, Manfred Edelman and Mark Grannon, the Foundation has been successful in planning, organizing, conducting, and completing a major $20 million capital campaign to build a center for performing and visual arts and to significantly enhance the Foundation's endowment. This vision became a reality when the Angelica and Russ Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts opened its inaugural season in the fall of 1999.

Another proud accomplishment that literally translates to a fine education for hundreds of students is that new endowments grew to exceed the $2.5 million goal for the campaign. During fiscal year 2000, the Foundation made available over $250,000 in 117 named scholarships and awards to students and faculty. The net assets of the Foundation now approach $10 million, giving us a strong base upon which to continue to build the "Road to Excellence" in programs, faculty, and facilities.

"The net assets of the Foundation now approach $10 million, giving us a strong base upon which to continue to build the "Road to Excellence " in programs, faculty, and facilities."

The final highlight, and one in which we are all very honored, is that the Ramapo College Foundation was awarded the prestigious CASE 2000 Circle of Excellence Award which honors superior fund-raising programs across the country. Ramapo was the only public liberal arts college in the United States to be recognized in the category of Overall Fund-Raising Improvement and the only New Jersey institution of higher learning to be named to CASE's Circle of Excellence for Educational Fund-Raising. This well-earned distinction is a tribute to countless hours of hard work by Ramapo staff and supporters whose dedication impacts each and every student on campus.

No institution of higher learning accomplishes its goals alone. The huge success of our Business Partners and Business Network programs evidences the tremendous support of local corporations through membership on our Foundation Board of Governors as well as through cooperative education and internship programs for our students.

Ramapo College is now at a crossroads on its continued journey to excellence. Robert A. Scott, president emeritus, whose vision led the College for fifteen years, has indeed left Ramapo a much better place than when he came. During this interim period, under the leadership of Dr. Alice Chandler, we continue to move steadily and strongly forward with the Foundation's strategic plan.

Many exciting challenges lie on the road ahead. In order to meet our mission and continue to make a difference at Ramapo College, the Foundation's role continues to expand and grow. The development committee of the Foundation will oversee the functions of fund-raising and our strategic plan.

Please join me in working for a successful future for Ramapo College through our work at the Foundation together we can continue the progress, the learning, and the excellence in education so highly valued at Ramapo.