Ramapo College recently received a $4 million gift from longtime supporters of the school, Susan and Nick Vallario. The $4 million gift is the largest one-time gift in the college’s history, marking a historic trend for the school as they look to help students even more in the future.
The gift will both increase the chances of success for students attending the school, while also boosting the state’s economy. The gift will support Ramapo’s strategic plan, Boldly Ascending, by helping students on their paths to success through three key steps, which are listed below.
- Supporting student well-being
- Empowering students for a digital future
- Investing in NJ’s brightest minds
“This phenomenal gift honors the public good Ramapo provides as the state’s designated public liberal arts college,” said Cindy R. Jebb, President at Ramapo College. “Susan and Nick’s prescient generosity allows us to further the College’s mission by investing in and developing our students to be the empathetic problem solvers, ethical change agents, and responsible leaders our state, our society, and the world so desperately need.”
The college will be investing in the state’s young minds with a $2 million endowment for the school’s existing Presidential Scholarship Program. The Program will now be known as the Susan and Nick Vallario Endowment for Presidential Scholarships at Ramapo College. Their generous actions will attract the state’s brightest minds to the school and also help them with their financial aid as they pursue their studies.
New Jersey is also the national leader in net out-of-state migration of college students. Almost 75% of students that graduate from a NJ institution go on to be employed within the state. The gift encourages more students to attend school within the state, consequently boosting its workforce.
In October 2024, the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) and the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) announced a statewide campaign to display the value of a New Jersey college degree. This generous gift from Susan and Nick Vallario will help support this campaign.