College
Inspired by Students’ Determination,
a Vision for Giving is Created
By Diane Couzens | Fall 2025
In March 2025, Ramapo College announced a transformative gift—$4 million from longtime supporters and friends of Ramapo College, Susan and Nick Vallario—the largest one-time gift in the college’s history. Half of the gift established the Susan and Nick Vallario Endowment for Presidential Scholarships, fueling the existing merit-based scholarship program designed to attract the brightest minds in New Jersey to study at Ramapo.
The Vallarios are easily recognized across campus by students, faculty and staff. Susan, who has served on the board of trustees for ten years and is concluding her final year as chair, is just as comfortable leading a board of trustees meeting and offering remarks to a crowd of thousands at commencement as she is quietly observing a student research symposium or Student Government Association meeting. Nick can be frequently found in the classroom as a Friend of Ramapo, or chatting up a faculty member about their recent publication. You only need to meet them once for them to remember your name. They are both curious, humble and down-to-earth, sharing counsel and advice with everyone from college leadership to first-year students, serving and engaging with the entire community and unassumingly investing in student-centered initiatives. The Vallarios lead by example, and this gift is no different. They hope that others will be inspired to follow their lead. Susan commented on the gift: “The ultimate goal is to help future-proof Ramapo for generations to come by inspiring future generations of students and donors to emulate this endowment-building model.”
“The ultimate goal is to help future-proof Ramapo for generations to come by inspiring future generations of students and donors to emulate this endowment-building model.”
— Susan Vallario
Susan articulated their view on higher education: “Nick and I have long believed in the transformative power of higher education in general and Ramapo College in particular. One of the key values of higher education is that it prepares students to be better, more engaged citizens who contribute to society as a whole.”
She reflected, “Neither of us received scholarships during our educational journeys. We are inspired by the determination of Ramapo’s students to succeed despite the many challenges they face, so our purpose in providing scholarships is always to encourage and help our high-performing students seek success right here in New Jersey. Our gifts are designed to serve as a model for growing Ramapo’s endowment with targeted programmatic, innovative and student-centered funding. We hope this new endowment for Presidential Scholarships reflects the critical importance of understanding, engaging with and giving back to one’s community.”
Susan and Nick Vallario
The Vallarios have a laugh at the annual Distinguished Citizens Gala.
Susan Vallario and former Student Trustee Susan Glisson converse at a board meeting.
According to Anthony Dovi ’05, director of admissions, the Presidential Scholarship Program at Ramapo College began about 25 years ago. “The scholarship’s genesis was to attract the highest achieving high school students to enroll at Ramapo. It is the most prestigious merit-based award offered by Ramapo College through the Office of Admissions, generally to students within the top 5% of their high school class who have successfully worked through a rigorous academic curriculum. Coupled with their extracurricular and leadership activities, it draws the best and brightest to make their impact at Ramapo College.”
He went on to say, “The students who study at Ramapo with this award bring a diverse set of experiences, both academic and personal, to our community. They are student leaders who immerse themselves and their talents into Ramapo and create a bold undergraduate experience as they prepare for graduate school or the workforce.”
Presidential Scholars can be found in every major and school at Ramapo, and nearly 70% of alumni Presidential Scholars still reside in New Jersey after graduation—demonstrating the program’s success in fostering ethical, empathetic, inclusive and responsible leaders for the state.
Valerie Rivera ’28 reads her original work to the Vallarios at the announcement ceremony.
Valerie Rivera ’28, a Presidential Scholar hailing from Butler, N.J., was part of the private gift announcement ceremony. “Ramapo was the first school I toured in high school. Everyone was so nice, and it seemed like there were a lot of opportunities; it was my top choice school since that tour,” she said. “It was amazing when I found out I had received the scholarship. It was the first day of winter break my senior year in high school. I had been out with friends, and after getting home late, I decided to check my email for some reason. I saw the email, and my jaw was on the floor. I woke my mom up, and she sprang out of bed. After that, there was no question that I’d be going to Ramapo. Even now, when I see the email applying the scholarship to tuition, it’s amazing. Sometimes I wonder, how did this happen to me? A lot of it is because of generous donors like the Vallarios.”
Rivera was in her second semester at Ramapo when she was asked to compose a poem for a few scholarship donors. She didn’t have much information to go on and wasn’t even told the donors’ names, but with her lifelong love of reading and writing, several years of working part-time in her hometown library and a major in English and literary studies with double-minors in creative writing and psychology, she responded with enthusiasm. About her work, she shared, “I wanted to convey not only how important writing and storytelling are to our lives, but also that these two things wouldn’t be possible without a community to inspire and support us.” In just one year at Ramapo, Rivera has built a community for herself, having met several friends from her First Year Seminar course, her volunteer work with the Women’s Center and as a member of the Literature Club.
Susan and Nick Vallario received a standing ovation for their generosity and commitment at the March 2025 State of the College Address.
When she submitted the poem, she was invited to a small event which turned out to be the private announcement ceremony about this historic gift. On March 12, she, along with several other Presidential Scholars who created unique artwork and poetry for the Vallarios, were present when the announcement was made. Moments later, Rivera read her poem to the Vallarios in front of the small group who had gathered for this momentous occasion.
At she concluded the reading, the group began applauding—for Rivera’s writing and for the Vallarios’ remarkable dedication—and Susan and Nick applauded with them, as humble as ever, as true teammates of Ramapo College.