Message from the Chair, Board of Trustees

Fellow Jaspers, Loyal Friends and Generous Supporters:

This year’s Honor Roll of Donors celebrates the successful completion of Invest in the Vision: The Campaign for Manhattan, as well as the Annual Fund, thanks to so many generous supporters of Manhattan University. I am, of course, especially proud to express my gratitude at this remarkable time. All of you understand what makes our University such a special place and why it needs to thrive for generations to come. Thomas Mauriello, senior vice president for university advancement, details the campaign’s phenomenal conclusion at approximately $250 million in cash and pledges. Please read more on our campaign page.

This Honor Roll is just that — a list of those we wish to thank for their support of the Campaign and the University itself. This marks an important time in Manhattan’s history. It is now a little more than 100 years since the University moved to its beautiful Riverdale campus. Many gifts to the campaign, including mine, have provided necessary repairs and enhancements to our buildings. Others will enable the University to make vital technology upgrades while growing scholarship support for current and future students.

For me, supporting the refurbishment of Squeri Hall, which houses Smith Auditorium and the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers, was an important way to be a caretaker of the University and the campus. Squeri Hall has been a focal point of the campus since the beginning. Generations of students have gathered on the steps in between classes as they enjoyed a moment on the Quad. Those who first came to the campus celebrated graduation under the shadow of the cupola. More recently, students have gathered there after Commencement to celebrate with their families and friends, as do alumni who come back to reminisce at Reunions. The Quad has always been a place where Jaspers meet, and the buildings that form that space continue to create one of the most important centers of learning at the University.

As you flip through the pages, you will read about some of the notable alumni who have supported this campaign. Many of their stories begin the same way: affording a higher education was a struggle, and now that finances are no longer an issue, they want to give back to the place that helped put them in this position in life.

I told my own story the day Squeri Hall was dedicated: “This is a very special moment for me, my brothers and my entire family. But it is even more of a special moment for all those members of the Squeri family who are no longer with us: my grandfather, my grandmother, my aunts and uncles and my parents — because they made the sacrifice, they made the investment and they instilled the values in me that made this day possible.”

I thank all who have given to this campaign. Each name on the list has a story behind why so many support Manhattan University. We are grateful to each one of you. Look at what we can accomplish when we work together!

I will conclude the same way I closed my remarks on the day of Squeri Hall’s dedication. “I hope that the students here today, and for generations to come, will continue to be shaped by the same values and principles my parents and Manhattan instilled in me. If you work hard and value education, that will bring success. I know my grandfather and my father would be proud to know there is now another marker that says the Squeri family was on this earth, and that the name Squeri will be a part of the future of this great University forever.”

Thank you, and God bless you all.

Stephen J. Squeri ’81, ’86 (MBA)
Chairman, Board of Trustees