Annual Report Senior Officers
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2016 ANNUAL REPORT SENIOR OFFICERS Dr. Richard Guarasci Angelo Araimo Joseph Romano President Senior Vice President for Vice President for Administration Planning and Enrollment Dr. Lily D. McNair Ruta Shah-Gordon Provost and Senior Vice President John Carrescia Jr. Vice President for Internationalization, for Academic Affairs CFO and Vice President for Intercultural Affairs and Campus Life Finance and Business Wagner College 2016 Annual Report Editor Photographers Laura Barlament Vinnie Amessé Jonathan Harkel Designer Anna Mulé Natalie Nguyen THE WAGNER Year in Review 2016 ANNUAL REPORT From the Chair 3 Looking Back, Planning Ahead From the President 4 Reflecting on a Milestone In 2016, we celebrate new accolades recognizing Wagner’s value, a new undergraduate major that’s a first in the U.S., and the College’s first doctoral graduates, among many other highlights. 6 Winter/Spring 8 Summer 10 Fall The Financial Picture 12 An overview of the College’s financial status during fiscal year 2016. Honor Roll of Donors 16 Recognizing the generous individuals and organizations that help the College fulfill its mission and build community. FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD Looking Back, Planning Ahead s midwinter settled over the Wagner campus on lovely Grymes Hill, members of our Board of Trustees were busy planning for the annual retreat, which took place this year in early March. Each year, we gather for two full days at an off- Acampus site so that we may take a look back, undistracted, much like This school has this annual publication does, at the College’s performance and progress. “shown a great More importantly, we also look ahead and, in conjunction with President Guarasci and his senior staff, work to place Wagner in as deal of stability strong a position as possible in the coming months and years. This and resilience task is a challenge in the best of times, but even more so in our current higher education environment. over the years, Yet, I am heartened as I look at the past year, and encouraged as I and also has begin to review the proposed plans for Wagner’s future. This school has shown a great deal of stability and resilience over the years, and also great potential. has great potential, which we will continue to explore more deeply. I am eager to begin the discussions we will have during the retreat to consider growing successful programs in strategic ways, adding new ” ones that can bring new constituencies to the College, and finding other ways to ensure that we are serving our students to the very best of our capabilities in terms of human and fiscal resources. As we develop and refine these plans, we’ll share more with you on our digital and traditional media in the coming months. I wish you the best in 2017. WARREN R. PROCCI ’68 CHAIR, WAGNER COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT Reflecting on a Milestone t the quarterly meeting of Wagner’s Board of Trustees in October 2016, I was honored, and a bit surprised, when Chair Warren Procci announced that, as of July 1, I had become Wagner’s longest-serving Apresident. That is certainly a significant milestone in my own career, but it wasn’t a goal I had set when I started this job. Instead, since June 2002, when I had the privilege to become Wagner’s 18th president, I have worked every day to provide We achieved some of the vision and the leadership to make our College the very best. our biggest successes Even so, this recognition — this moment, as I like to say “ — prompted me to pause and think about all of the things over the past several we have accomplished together since I arrived at Wagner. I realized that we achieved some of our biggest successes over years, as the world’s the past several years, as the world’s economy sank. economy sank. In many ways, the past nine years were some of the most difficult for higher education in memory. The Great Recession forced students and parents to re-think college choices, especially the question of how to finance an education. ” Loans that they used to rely on became more difficult to obtain. Furthermore, many states have cut back aid to higher education, so that the grants students bring with them are often less than they would have been in 2007. But, through all of these changes, we have steered Wagner clear of most obstacles and created a strong, stable institution recognized around the country for our good work. 4 WAGNER COLLEGE New York City dignitaries including Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña visit the Wagner Raiders Center in Port Richmond High School and meet students in Wagner’s Port Richmond Partnership Leadership Academy, a college-readiness initiative. In the midst of the financial crisis, in 2009, we for excellence throughout higher education, has constructed the first new residence on campus helped our graduates become not only successful in four decades, Foundation Hall. It was, and practitioners in their chosen vocations, but also is, a symbol of our will to improve the student valued community members who contribute and experience, even as things were contracting around make a difference. us. At the same time, we also completed a major This work would not be possible without funding, and restoration of our signature building, Main Hall, the I was pleased to oversee the successful completion first such work in its more than 80-year history. of Wagner’s first major capital campaign in 2011. At We also built our civic engagement programs the same time, we have grown Wagner’s endowment to become a true model for other colleges and investments from just a few million at the time I universities. The Port Richmond Partnership, which became president to more than $86 million as of we believe has made a significant difference for March 2017. This lends Wagner a degree of stability those who live in this Staten Island neighborhood, and independence that many schools do not enjoy. has received acclaim from the White House, the Most of all, I am proud of our Wagner students Clinton Global Initiative University, the mayor of New and young alumni, and their devoted teachers, the York, and most of the major collegiate professional Wagner faculty. There will always be challenges, but organizations across the country. it is a privilege to serve in this office and to work Looking farther back, one of the accomplishments of with my wonderful colleagues each day. Together, we which I am proudest took shape even before I was are making Wagner stronger, and together with the Wagner’s president. As provost, I shepherded the support of our donors and friends we will continue process of creating an innovative curriculum that to see Wagner grow and prosper. we know today as the Wagner Plan for the Practical I look forward to seeing you on campus soon, Liberal Arts. Featuring cross-disciplinary and hands- and thank you for your all-important support of on work within learning communities, the plan trains Wagner College. students to become experienced problem-solvers in the real world. The Wagner Plan, recognized RICHARD GUARASCI, PH.D. PRESIDENT, WAGNER COLLEGE 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 5 THE WAGNER YEAR IN REVIEW Winter/Spring 2016 Helping in Global Crisis When Mallory Lee ’15, a recent graduate, was laid off from her tech start-up job in Brooklyn, she headed to Europe and joined volunteer efforts to help refugees from Syria and other war-torn countries who were flooding across borders and over the Mediterranean Sea. She worked in Greek camps on island of Lesvos and on the Macedonian border. The work is “heartbreaking one moment, joyous the next, and sometimes simultaneously,” she said. “It’s a place where desperation and hope intersect, and while I will never share the same experiences as these refugees, we are able to connect because we are all humans.” Now she is in Lebanon, where she volunteers with refugee children and moonlights as a bartender. WAGNER in the Media “ The Wagner Plan is first year through senior year. So it’s not just internships in your senior year but, from … your first year, you’ll be doing outside-of-the-classroom experiences. One of the awesome things about the school.” — Rob Franek, Princeton Review senior VP and publisher, on WPIX-11 news, February 23 FACULTY in the Media “ We are past the point of globalization. We’re really at the point of what we call the ‘globality,’ where markets are in sync, countries need each other.” — Richard LaRocca, assistant professor of business administration, on BBC Radio 5 Live show “Up All Night,” February 25 “ We need to be having frank discussions, leading to actions, about how our culture rewards greed at the expense of human life — especially the lives of the poor and oppressed minorities.” — Alexa Dietrich, associate professor of anthropology, “Teaching Environmental Crisis and Justice,” NYU Press From the Square blog, February 1 6 WAGNER COLLEGE THE WAGNER YEAR IN REVIEW Celebrating Achievement On May 20, the 610 members of Wagner’s class of 2016 commenced the next stage of their lives. The three commencement speakers shared inspirational stories and wise words. Brandon Stanton, creator of the well- known blog Humans of New York, encouraged students to trust themselves as they pursued their dreams. Nadia Lopez ’99 spoke of her educational journey to Wagner College and beyond. As principal of a school in one of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods, she says, “I have done there what I learned here at Wagner.