LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

Thanks to you, Monroe Community College is able to change the lives of thousands of students who walk through our school’s doors.

Your generosity helps us nurture each individual’s unlimited potential. Last academic year, your generosity helped us achieve a record number of scholarships: more than 1,200 awards totaling more than $1,655,000, which helped more than 900 students! 

This report provides a small sample of private philanthropy’s extraordinary impact on our mission of transforming lives by fostering the success of diverse students through affordable and innovative academic, career, technical and workforce development programs. One such program donors support is MCC Emergency Assistance (MCC Assist), which provides funding to students with unexpected financial emergencies, like a simple flat tire, that could possibly cause them to drop out of school. 

Your generosity has helped numerous students realize their dreams—including Camilio, a father of two boys working to create a better life for himself and his family. With the scholarships he received, a quality education was placed within his reach. 

Our past, current and future success would not be possible without the dedication of our MCC Foundation Board of Directors, the leadership of MCC, and the commitment of our accomplished faculty, staff and countless community partners. We thank you for your unwavering commitment to making MCC an innovative leader in student success.

INNOVATIVE PROGRAM RAISES $730,000

More than 30 MCC Foundation donors were able to support Monroe Community College students this year while receiving tax savings because of an extraordinary opportunity through the New York State Charitable Tax Credit program offered by the SUNY Impact Foundation. Qualified contributions designated to the MCC Foundation were eligible to receive an 85 percent New York State tax credit.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we raised $730,000 to support student success at MCC. We were ranked #4 in dollars raised among the 21 participating SUNY campuses—and #1 among community colleges! 

With a minimum amount of $10,000 up to a maximum of $100,000, gifts to the MCC Foundation through this program are considered unrestricted, directed to establish or increase a named scholarship, or even qualified for a naming opportunity on any of the MCC campuses.

“This is an impressive benefits program and an exceptional way to support the MCC Foundation. As a long-time Foundation director, I have seen firsthand how the power of private philanthropy can make a difference for our students. I personally encouraged my colleagues to take advantage of this program and consider making their own significant investment in our local community college. Funds raised through this innovative program help make the dream of a college education a reality for so many students through scholarships, emergency grants and programs that ensure student success.”
—Lori Van Dusen, CEO and founder, LVW Advisors and MCC Foundation board chair

REMEMBERING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. ALICE HOLLOWAY YOUNG

On April 24, our community lost a founding trustee, board chair emerita, trailblazing educator
and lifelong champion of excellence—Dr. Alice Holloway Young.

Dr. Young received a Bachelor of Science from Bennett College and master’s and doctoral degrees in education supervision and administration from the University of Rochester. In 1952, she began a career with the Rochester City School District that would distinguish her as an educator, administrator and leader of the African-American community. A gifted teacher, an untiring advocate and administrator, Dr. Young has been recognized as an energetic champion for the schoolchildren of New York. She also had a profound influence on Rochester higher education.

Named an MCC trustee in 1961, Dr. Young helped establish Monroe Community College. She served as a chair of the MCC Board of Trustees for 20 years (1978-1998). Her commitment to the College lasted more than four decades and she was recognized as the trustee who has served the College and the New York state community colleges the longest.

Dr. Young’s legacy at Monroe Community College is enormous through her extraordinary leadership during her 63-year service on the Board of Trustees and her generosity in support of students. To help continue her mission and efforts to educate all of Rochester’s children, Monroe Community College inaugurated the Dr. Alice H. Young Teaching Internship for Underrepresented Graduates or Graduate Students in 1987. 

This unique program provides MCC students with a more culturally diverse faculty while giving them valuable teaching experience at a community college. The Alice Holloway Young Society for Planned Giving at the MCC Foundation was established to honor Dr. Young as a 20th-century American pioneer in education, and MCC’s residence halls, The Alice Holloway Young Commons, which opened in 2003, are named in her honor.

Dr. Young truly shaped the direction of the College and provided leadership that saw MCC become the premier institution it is today. Because of her lifelong work and her belief in the power of learning, the local community and the lives of over half a million students who walked through the halls and classrooms at MCC were filled with unlimited potential, ready to transform lives and communities.

“I am beyond grateful for the unparalleled dedication and service that Dr. Young offered to Monroe Community College. While the entire College community was saddened by the loss of Dr. Young, there is much to celebrate in her life’s work.” 
—Allen K. Williams, chair, MCC Board of Trustees

STUDENTS IN WELDING & FABRICATION INDUSTRY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM RECEIVE SUPPORT FROM THE VASANT N. ASGAONKAR SCHOLARSHIP

Created in honor of Vasant Asgaonkar and his dedication to fostering the next generation of skilled tradespeople, the Vasant N. Asgaonkar Scholarship awards two scholarships of $2,500 each year to hardworking students in the Welding & Fabrication Industry Certification program. This program, housed at the Arc + Flame Center owned by MCC Foundation Director Michael A. Krupnicki ’85, teaches the next generation of welders the relevant training necessary to get jobs in the exciting and rewarding field of welding. These scholarship recipients must demonstrate an aptitude for and interest in a welding career. This year’s scholarship recipients are Alex Stoffelsma and Jason Campbell.

Alex enrolled in the program while a senior at West Irondequoit High School and received honors from the National Technical Honor Society. He enrolled in the Welding and Fabrication program because of the many job opportunities the welding field provides.

Jason, an adult student, was looking to start a new career path. He began taking classes at the Arc + Flame Center, feeling a sense of accomplishment and excitement each day he attended class. He is grateful for this scholarship support that helped him on this journey. It was a sign that he is right where he needs to be!

Thank you to Vasant's daughter, Lisa Paulis, and her husband, Richard, for making opportunities available for students like Alex and Jason!

“Having served as a Foundation director since 2018, I have had the opportunity to meet many students who have succeeded at MCC because of the scholarships they received. Inspired by these students and their success stories, our family chose to establish a scholarship, and honor my father, by supporting students seeking a vocation in the trades. We are so proud to be able to help students in our community and the next generation of skilled tradespeople.”
—Lisa Paulis, MD, physician, Elizabeth Wende Breast Care and MCC Foundation director