blueprint fall 2014

To those who have earned the right, this is our responsibility.

With more than $35 million raised in the first two years of the Financial Aid Initiative, people like you are helping the university answer the call.

News of Giving, Growth, and Gratitude Fall 2014

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Martin Richard “Dick” Asher, A53, remembers putting pennies in Jumbo’s trunk, back when the legendary elephant held court in the Barnum Museum of Natural History. The tradition reportedly brought good luck at exams. “I guess it worked,” he says. “I graduated cum laude!”

Now Jumbo is having some good luck of his own. Asher and his wife, Sheila, have made possible a beautifully landscaped site for the new statue.

The Dick and Sheila S. Asher Jumbo Garden transforms a corner of the academic quad next to Barnum Hall. The new Jumbo, which will be lit at night by low spotlights, will be encircled by a harmonious mix of decora-tive grasses (emblematic of an African savannah), winter-tough evergreens, and drought-tolerant perennials.

When Asher attended Tufts he always felt that Jumbo was a great symbol of school spirit. Losing the original Jumbo left a void, so he hopes the Tufts community will enthusiastically receive the new Jumbo as its new mascot.

Above: Steven Whyte with the life-size clay model for his bronze sculpture of Jumbo.

A look into Tufts’ archives, insets from top: Circa 1882, Jumbo being fed by a policeman; 1889, moving Jumbo into Barnum Hall; in 1952, undergraduates put pennies into Jumbo’s trunk for good luck; a sports fan, circa 1970.

Jumbo Celebrations on Campus The 125th anniversary of the original Jumbo’s arrival on campus is being celebrated with an exhibition of Jumbo memorabilia at the university’s art gal-lery. Curator Andrew McClellan, professor of art and art history, showcases eight years of research in the exhibition and a richly illustrated accompanying book.

For the love of

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University AdvancementTufts University, 80 George St., 200-3 Medford, MA 02155 USA 617.627.3200 • [email protected]

Chairman, Board of TrusteesPeter Dolan, A78, A08P

PresidentAnthony P. Monaco

Provost & Senior Vice President David R. Harris

Vice President for University AdvancementEric Johnson

Published by Advancement Communications. Heather Stephenson, editor; Michael Sherman, design director.

FROM THE PRESIDENTTo those who have earned the right, this is our responsibility.


From the Fletcher School graduate who wove rugs

to help support his family in Afghanistan during

Taliban rule to the gifted young computer science

student who had never written a line of code

before she came to Tufts, our students remind me

every day that a Tufts education transforms lives. And it does

more than benefit individual students: It also generates new

ideas and discoveries that change our world for the better.

That is why I have made ensuring the widest possible access

to a Tufts education one of my highest priorities. I am pleased to

see the progress we have made. Thanks to generous people like

you, we are opening the doors of Tufts wide, welcoming students

from all walks of life.

Our Financial Aid Initiative has been so successful—

raising more than $35 million over the past two years—that

I have decided to extend it by another two years. Our goal now

is to raise an additional $50 million in new gifts by the end of

June 2016.

The Financial Aid Initiative offers you a unique opportu-

nity to have a profound and enduring impact on the lives of

Tufts students. When you give to the Financial Aid Initiative, you

double the value of your gift and directly support promising and

deserving students. You relieve them of the burden of loans and

debt and speed them on toward achieving their full potential.

The Financial Aid Initiative:

• Includes all schools of the university.

• Matches endowed scholarship gifts of $100,000 or

more. There is some variability at each school, based

on scholarship needs.

• Extends through June 2016.

When this initiative concludes, our generous supporters will

have greatly expanded endowed scholarships at Tufts. This will

be a landmark achievement that will benefit Tufts students for

generations. In addition, by developing active citizens with the

skills and experience to tackle tough challenges, such gifts will

ultimately transform the broader community.

I have been deeply inspired by the generosity of our alumni,

parents, and friends over the past two years, and I want to take

this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks. I look forward to

building on our significant momentum in the coming years.

Best wishes,

Tony Monaco

New sculpture will stand at heart of Medford campus By Laura Ferguson

Dick Reynolds, A67, wanted to thank Tufts for some unexpected “late-career fun”—serving as the university’s interim vice president of operations for three years. A colleague suggested a gift in line with his obsession for details like improved landscaping, lighting, and walkways. How about, for instance, a new sculpture of Jumbo?

The idea was a perfect match and soon, a majestic new likeness of the Tufts mascot will arrive at the university thanks to Reynolds’s generosity.

Cast in bronze, the life-size statue will weigh close to 5,000 pounds and stand just over 11 feet high. Steven Whyte, a California-based sculptor, has mod-eled it after a photograph taken when P. T. Barnum purchased Jumbo for his “Greatest Show on Earth.”

“To me, this Jumbo represents the quality of the uni-versity,” says Reynolds, who joined the Tufts adminis-tration after retiring from a long career in real estate. “The detail is phenomenal—and it’s a true represen-tation of an African elephant. It will always convey gravitas—and that’s what Tufts is all about. It can be a unifying character for all our schools.”

The new Jumbo will look over the academic quad on the Medford/Somerville campus in a special gar-den that a fellow alumnus has made possible (see sidebar). It will replace a smaller replica of an Asian elephant, a gift from the Class of 1958, which has stood outside Barnum Hall since 1993. Barnum was the home of the original, stuffed Jumbo from 1889 until the elephant was destroyed by a 1975 fire. The new sculpture will greet prospective students and other visitors because it will face a central tri-angle between Ballou, Packard, and Bendetson, home of undergraduate admissions. “He’s looking right at the historic heart of the university,” says Reynolds, “and it gives me great pleasure to know he’ll be looking at that center point forever.”

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Four Friends

Team Up to Make One Big

Aid FundBy Joanne Barker

Staying connected after life on the Hill are, from top: Brian Gerson, James Bartlett,

Fotis Hasiotis, and Brad Bernstein.

5

Fall 2014 News of Giving, Growth, and Gratitude

Tufts served as a springboard for these four alumni,who have enjoyed successful careers in finance since graduation. “All of us have thrived, in no small part thanks to our experience at Tufts, and we’re appreciative of that,” says Bernstein, a partner with FTV Capital.

Inspired by their 25th reunion, the four friends have established the Class of 1989 Endowed Scholarship Fund. Each has committed $125,000. The fund will be matched through the university’s current Financial Aid Initiative for a starting value of $1 million. “We all liked the idea that by combin-ing forces, we could do something larger and more meaningful than we could do on our own,” says Bernstein.

They also were unanimous in wanting the fund to have their class’s name on it rather than their own. Bartlett sums up the group’s feelings this way: “Being able to turn our loyalty into something that’s good for the institution is the best way we can give back.”

Bartlett, now president of LS Power Equity Advisors, and Gerson met on the first day of their freshman year, when both were assigned to Hodgdon Hall. By sophomore year, the four friends were members of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. “None of us knew what we wanted to do at the time, but we all wanted to do well,” says Hasiotis, head of European Financial Sponsors Group for Lazard, based in London. All four moved to New York City after graduation and compared notes as they started interviewing with financial services firms.

Gerson believes the lessons he learned at Tufts guide him to this day, including advice from Professor Sol Gittleman to treat learning as a life-long experience. “On Wall Street, where you must constantly evaluate new ideas and information, it’s especially important to always embrace learning,” he says.

For 25 years, their friendship has thrived along with their careers. Still getting together about once a month, they’ve attended each other’s weddings and their children’s christenings and bar mitzvahs. Bartlett, who married Sonja Weinkopf, J90, was the best man in Hasiotis’s wedding. “These friends are like my brothers, my family,” says Gerson.

Brian Gerson, A89, remembers being amazed by his professors’ ability to distill complex mathematical concepts into simple proofs and formulas.

James Bartlett, A89, AG89, wrote his thesis on the economic impact of the greenhouse effect before most economists were paying attention to the issue.

Fotis Hasiotis, A89, talked about the Cold War with students in Moscow by tele conference and in person as part of the Global Classroom Project.

Brad Bernstein, A89, helped bring the top witness against the Medellín cartel to campus for a symposium on the war on drugs.

As part of an initiative to increase financial aid, Tufts is offering to match qualifying gifts of $100,000 or more to endowed scholarships, doubling the impact of these gifts.

For more information, please contact Jeff Winey, senior director of principal gifts and university initiatives, at 617.627.5468 or [email protected].

To those who have earned the right, this is our responsibility.


Double Your Impact


6 By Ian Aldrich

In the winter of 2013 Cristina Mezdrea, F14, felt like her

career was missing something.

It certainly wasn’t credentials. The 32-year-old Romanian

lawyer had an impressive résumé. As a new attorney with

degrees from the University of Bucharest and the Sorbonne

in Paris, she’d helped sort out her home country’s admittance

to the European Union (EU) in 2007, working on a range of

issues from trade to corruption. From there, she landed a job

with Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in 2011 was

assigned to the Permanent Mission to the United Nations,

where she was in charge of legal and political affairs of the

General Assembly and the Security Council.

But she began to feel constrained by her focus on law.

“I wanted more perspective, on politics and the economy,”

she says. “But I didn’t want to just read some books. I wanted

to interact with a diverse group of minds.”

That meant the Fletcher School’s Global Master of Arts

Program (GMAP). Catering to mid- to senior-level interna-

tional professionals, the one-year program blends three two-

week residencies with 33 weeks of online study.

Mezdrea came to GMAP as a Fred Pakis Global Master

of Arts Scholar, receiving tuition assistance she says literally

made it possible for her to enroll.

She was a fitting recipient of the scholarship. Its creator,

Fred Pakis, F04, had arrived at Fletcher 10 years before her,

also looking to broaden his horizons. In the wake of 9/11,

Pakis, an Arizona resident who owned a software develop-

ment company at the time, wanted to help. But he felt his

background in math, engineering, and business was inad-

equate preparation to make him effective.

“I thought the first step was to ground myself in a top-

notch formal education in international relations,” he says.

A year after graduating from Fletcher, Pakis, now a full-

time philanthropist, joined the school’s Board of Advisors.

Not long after, he launched the Pakis GMAP Fund.

“To help someone have the same experience that I did,

who might not otherwise because of the tuition, seemed to

be such a direct and measurable success,” he says. “It’s a very

personal, rewarding type of philanthropy.”

For Mezdrea, who in April was hired as a legal advisor

for the EU at the United Nations, the opportunity to earn a

degree from Fletcher as a Pakis Scholar has proven invaluable.

“Just to know that your work is valued and appreciated

by someone is very motivating,” she says. “The program has

given me confidence and knowledge; [the scholarship] makes

me want to give back.”

“To help someone have the same experience

that I did…seemed to be such a direct and

measurable success. It’s a very personal,

rewarding type of philanthropy.”

—Fred Pakis

Cristina Mezdrea, a graduate of the Fletcher School’s Global Master of Arts Program, is now a legal advisor for the European Union at the United Nations.

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By Brenda Conaway

Michael Och, M57, A81P, understands the challenges many

students face when it comes to getting a medical education.

Och wanted to be a doctor since the age of 11, “And my par-

ents appreciated that, but we didn’t have any money.”

The family’s financial situation meant that Och had to live

at home in Roxbury and apply for scholarships. “I went to col-

lege and medical school never having lived on campus.” Unlike

students in dorms who could take full advantage of college life,

Och spent his days taking trains to school, attending classes,

then traveling back to do homework into the wee hours.

Yet Och remains grateful for his experience at Tufts

University School of Medicine (TUSM) as well as for the

assistance he received that allowed him to finish medical

school debt free. Inspired to help others as he once benefited,

Och and his family are giving $500,000 to create the Michael

Och, M.D., M57 Family Scholarship. The family members

participating are Och’s son Jonathan Och, A81, and his wife,

Rita Halbright, J84; son Daniel Och and his wife, Jane; and

daughter Susan Och and her husband, Brian Kalver. Their

gift, which will help medical students in need, will be

matched dollar for dollar through the Financial Aid Initiative.

Och, now retired, remembers his time at TUSM fondly.

“I enjoyed going on house calls in my senior year to poor

families all around,” he says. “At Tufts there was always an

emphasis on general practice.” Initially interested in pediat-

rics, he was inspired to specialize in radiology by an elective

class with Carroll Berman, M.D., a founding member of the

Society for Pediatric Radiology.

After residency, Och did a two-year stint as a radiologist

at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Quantico, Virginia, to fulfill his

military service under the Berry Plan. He went on to practice

radiology and teach residents for 43 years at Newark Beth

Israel Medical Center.

Along with their desire to help young people become

physicians, Och and his family hope that their gift might

inspire others to do the same. “I said to my kids, ‘Why wait?’

There are still plenty of students going to TUSM who could

use scholarship assistance. And if someone else reads about

this, and decides to do a similar thing, it would be very

gratifying.”

Radiologist and his family fund scholarship for would-be doctors

“I said…’Why wait?’”

Dr. Michael Och

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By Heather Stephenson

When Carolyn O’Connor Birmingham, E57, was at Tufts, just three female stu-

dents in her class studied engineering—

and she was the only one in her major.

“I was very much aware that it

was unusual to be entering a ‘man’s

field,’” she says. But scholarship aid, a

supportive dean, and the friendships

Birmingham forged with young women

in her dormitory helped her thrive. She

became the first woman to graduate

from the Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering.

Now, by supporting Tufts’ Center

for STEM Diversity, Birmingham helps

a wide variety of students flourish as

they study science, engineering, and

technology at Tufts. “My own experi-

ence has shown me the importance of

diverse viewpoints,” Birmingham says.

“We best address challenges when peo-

ple from many different backgrounds

are involved.”

Birmingham and her husband,

Jim, decided to contribute to the center

after previously creating a scholarship

for low-income students at Tufts. Their

new gift supports staffing for programs

including Bridge to Engineering Success

at Tufts (BEST) and the Program for

Retention in Science and Engineering

(PRISE).

“BEST provided a social and aca-

demic support system that’s unmatched

anywhere else,” says Edwin Diaz, E14, a

member of the first group to gradu-

ate from the four-year program.Taking

calculus and other courses at Tufts

with fellow BEST students the sum-

mer before his freshman year gave

him an academic boost and helped

him develop lasting friendships, learn

to navigate the campus, and find out

where to go for advice.

Diaz credits BEST staff with

encouraging him to get involved with

the National Society of Black Engineers

(NSBE). He became co-president of the

Tufts chapter his senior year and was

recruited to his first job after college—at

Eaton in California—through an NSBE

career fair. He started work in July.

Classmate Corey Christian, E14, is

pursuing a master’s degree in chemi-

cal engineering at Columbia University.

“BEST is the reason I am where I am,”

he says. BEST mentors encouraged him

to get involved in conducting research

the summer after his first year at Tufts,

he explains. “Without that research, I

question whether I would have gotten

into graduate school.”

The impact of such support can be

seen long before graduation, though.

Sophomore Aristana Scourtas, a

participant in PRISE whose parents

did not finish their college educations,

entered Tufts knowing she was inter-

ested in biology and psychology. When

a professor came to speak at a weekly

PRISE meeting, she discovered a new

passion: computer science.

“He made computer science sound

so cool,” she says. “I didn’t realize before

how much of computer science is about

thinking differently and solving prob-

lems.…Now I’m considering changing

majors, and I was already coding during

my summer internship.”

Birmingham says such stories dem-

onstrate the impact of Tufts’ programs

on students. “It’s clear that they’re

flourishing, because of their motivation

and also the support they’re receiving.

It makes such a difference to have men-

tors and colleagues in the field.”

Pioneering engineer guides students toward success

9


By Laura Ferguson

Joanna Bezubka was 15 and newly orphaned

when she moved into the Fernald Development

Center in Waltham, Massachusetts. Born with a

severe form of Down syndrome, she was acutely

intellectually disabled and might have faced a

lonely future.

Fortunately, she had the Mavridis family. They

made periodic visits and brought Joanna home for

overnight visits biweekly and for holidays. They

scheduled Department of Developmental Services

meetings and medical and dental check-ups so

one of them could attend.

“I was part of the first team caring for her—

our maternal grandmother, my mother, father,

and myself—we were the big four,” recalls George Mavridis, E61, who was 27 when Joanna’s mother,

his aunt, died during heart surgery. “Maybe it was

because, being immigrants, we tended to band

together—those were values ingrained in our fam-

ily. Whatever life deals you, you stick together.”

Mavridis would indeed take those values

to heart, assuming Joanna’s guardianship when

his mother died in 1991. That loving connec-

tion, started by a working-class, close-knit Greek

and Polish immigrant family in Somerville,

Massachusetts, continued for another 21 years,

until Joanna’s death at age 60. He chronicled their

journey together in a published memoir, Joanna,

God’s Special Child.

Mavridis, a retired structural engineer, is honoring his

cousin with a gift to the School of Dental Medicine’s General

Practice Residency Program. The program, the largest of its

kind in the country, provides clinical and educational expe-

riences for dentists in training, including treating patients

with developmental disabilities. Residents in the program

rotate through three of the eight Massachusetts clinics that

serve developmentally disabled people. They assist attending

faculty dentists in all aspects of care—from referrals to treat-

ment and follow-up care.

“It makes sense that my money goes where I believe it

will do good,” says Mavridis. “This way I can continue to

advocate for the care of people similar to Joanna.”

The gift reflects his longstanding respect for the dental

school’s leadership serving people with intellectual and devel-

opmental disabilities. He is especially pleased that it

has brought him back in touch with Dr. Gina Terenzi, direc-

tor of the residency program. They first met nearly 20 years

ago when he was president of the Fernald League, a fam-

ily advocacy group, and invited her to speak to parents of

Fernald residents.

Dr. Terenzi, an associate professor of Public Health and

Community Service, is grateful that their paths have crossed

again.

“George wants his philanthropy to have meaningful

impact and this gift certainly will,” she says. “George has

a generous heart and unfailing determination to see that

specialized care for this vulnerable population continues.

It’s inspiring to know him and an honor to be a beneficiary

of his philanthropy.”

His Cousin’s KeeperWith gift to dental school, George Mavridis, E61, continues tradition of caring for the disabled that started close to home

Above: Mavridis with his late cousin, Joanna Bezubka. Top: With Dr. Gina Terenzi of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.


10

Emily Piltch, NG16, found her passion in a Sacramento community garden 13 years ago.

There she saw how gardening gets children active and inspires them to eat the tomatoes, snap peas, and other vegetables they grow. She wondered if it could also help prevent and reduce child-hood obesity, but she couldn’t find much research on the question, so she set out to study the evidence.

“We need more than anecdotes and good intentions to promote healthy food,” she says. “My goal is to show what works.”

Piltch has conducted research to help rural and Native American communities strengthen their health by returning to their roots.

“Particularly among the Native American communities I’ve worked with, there’s a lot of interest in bringing back some of their traditional agriculture,” she says. But barriers, such as lack of healthy soil and limited access to water, and the ever-growing penchant for processed foods have caused current generations to

move away from farming. The resulting poor nutrition has led to chronic health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

Piltch’s research on agriculture led to her current project, working with partners in New Mexico to understand the economic, social, and cultural factors affecting Native American infant nutrition and breastfeeding. Piltch is a Friedman Fellow at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, part of a select group of Ph.D. candidates and researchers nationwide who have been identified as future leaders in health and nutrition. Her fellowship is funded by the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman New York Foundation for Medical Research, which has recently increased its support of promising graduate students like Piltch with two significant gifts that create two endowed funds at the school.

In honor of the passion that the Friedman School’s most recent former dean has for graduate education, the Robin B. Kanarek Excellence in Graduate Student Research Fund will support doc-

toral student research and related travel. The Joan M. Bergstrom Fellowship hon-ors the memory of the late Dr. Bergstrom, J62, a former trustee emerita and chair of the Friedman School’s Board of Advisors. This new fund will provide financial aid to exceptional Friedman School doctoral students, with a preference for students who are studying global nutrition issues. The Bergstrom Fellowship is the first gift to the Friedman School that will be matched dollar for dollar under the uni-versity’s Financial Aid Initiative, doubling the impact of the foundation’s gift on future Friedman School students.

Of her Friedman fellowship, Piltch says, “I’m extraordinarily grateful for the freedom that comes with the funding”—freedom to pursue her calling, diversify her projects, and collaborate with schol-ars and scientists in the health field from across the country. She adds, “My passion is to figure out how to…bring people together and to be the research arm to achieve the access to healthful living that these communities deserve.”

Reviving Their RootsFriedman Fellow helps Native American communities boost health

By Kathy Hubbard

11


Newfoundland’s Care Inspires Support for HospitalBy Kristin Livingston

What’s in a name? For Blue, a two-year-old Newfoundland with big brown eyes and a majestic black coat, a simple bit of fam-ily history. “When our first Newfoundland, Bella, whelped her litter of eight, we placed a blue Velcro collar on the firstborn puppy,” says Katie Dolan, A08P, a member of the Board of Advisors for Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and wife of Peter Dolan, A78, A08P, chairman of Tufts’ Board of Trustees. “The name just stuck.”

And after what Katie calls a miraculous recovery at Cummings, she says, “We nicknamed him Super Blue.”

Last year, one of Blue’s hind legs had swollen with infection and his breathing was labored. With great effort, he would try to sit up to fill his lungs with air before slumping back to the floor in exhaustion. Cancer, pneumonia, and sepsis were a few of the terrifying possible causes.

After taking Blue to the local vet in Connecticut, who said he needed special treatment, Dolan drove him to the Foster Hospital for Small Animals, where he was immediately admitted. Dr. Claire Sharp and her staff tested him for every possibility, but found no cause for his symptoms. However, Blue healed under a close watch with plenty of fluids. And Dolan was grateful that the Cummings staff had left no stone unturned.

“The care was just amazing,” says Dolan. “Someone called every morning for an update every day he was there. He made it home and now he’s healthy as a horse.”

Dolan, a conservationist and animal advocate, has been a fan of Cummings for years. And because of the exceptional care Blue received, she has given $250,000 to the Foster Hospital renovation. “The Cummings School and Foster Hospital is a one-two success story,” she says. “The school produces incred-ible graduates with a great track record of caring—and caring globally. They understand wildlife conservation as well as domestic animal care, and they’re trained with Tufts’ mission of making a difference in the world.”

As a retired health-care executive, Dolan especially appreci-ates the efficacy of the hospital and its plan for renovation. “It’s one of those investments that is going to be sustainable for long-term improvement,” she says. “It’s nice to be a part of something where the benefits are so clear and where I know so many people and animals will benefit.”

Help Meet the ChallengeThe Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund has given the Foster Hospital renovation project a huge boost: If the hospital raises $5 million in gifts or pledges by December 31, 2014, the fund will donate $2.5 million in matching funds. That’s $1 extra for every $2 raised.

Increase the impact of your support by making a gift today: Contact Ana Alvarado, senior director of development, at 508.839.7905 or [email protected].

“It’s nice to be a part of something where the benefits are so clear and where I know so

many people and animals will benefit.”

—Katie Dolan

ChampionsLast season 13 Tufts teams advanced to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships, which culminated with two teams and two individuals from Tufts being crowned national champions. The softball team captured its second straight NCAA title with a dominant shutout win; the men’s lacrosse team won its second NCAA championship in four years; Jana Hieber, A14, won the NCAA outdoor 400-meter hurdles title; and Johann Schmidt, A14, capped his diving career with his second NCAA one-meter championship.

From the rower who rises before dawn for practice to the mechanical engineering major who organizes intramural volleyball matches, the Hill is alive with dynamic student-athletes. They give their all every day, rain or shine, win or lose. They earn our respect—and make us proud. To learn more about supporting Jumbo Athletics and our student-athletes, contact Jason Factor, associate director of development for athletics, at [email protected] or 617.627.0376.

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blueprint fall 2014

Documents

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