9 minute read
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open for Business THE NEW LOMBARDO COLLEGE OF BUSINESS BY JANET KACSKOS
May was a monumental month for Millersville University. On May 6, 2020, the University announced the first named college in its 165- year history, and three days later, 93 students graduated from the Lombardo College of Business.
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Dr. Samuel Lombardo and his wife Dena have been supporters of Millersville for many years. Their first major gift to MU was in 2015, when they gave $1.2 million to make the Lombardo Welcome Center a reality. During a virtual celebration on May 6, they announced a $3 million gift and the newest college at Millersville was named in their honor—the Lombardo College of Business. With other gifts throughout the years, it brings their total giving to Millersville to $5 million.
“During these extraordinary times in which we find ourselves, we thought it was important to step forward to ensure student success,” explained Sam Lombardo. “My companies have been very successful, and we are financially blessed. I like giving back and now, more than ever, seems to be the appropriate time.”
“This gift will change the lives of students at Millersville University and impact the local, regional and national business landscape,” said Dr. Daniel A. Wubah, Gasser Abousaif ‘20, president of Millersville Lombardo College of Business graduate University. “A gift of this magnitude not only ensures the lasting legacy of the Lombardo name, but it also confirms their commitment to the success of generations to come. The Lombardos’ transformative gift will establish endowments in perpetuity to ensure that the top-notch Millersville University education remains affordable to academically qualified students, who may otherwise not have the opportunity to pursue higher education.
“Dr. and Mrs. Lombardo could have easily decided to wait out the storm before confirming this transformative gift,” Dr. Wubah continued. “They could have said, ‘let’s wait
Lydia Shaloka, business major, talks about the impact the Lombardos’ gift will have on her future during a Zoom event.
and see how things shake out.’ However, my dear friends, Sam and Dena prefer to walk the walk rather than talk the talk. To them, leadership does not wait but rather acts! Their timing could not be better because of the significant impact that this gift will have in the preparation of the skilled workforce needed to catalyze our recovery from the current economic downturn. This impact will be felt in Lancaster County, South Central Pennsylvania and the entire Commonwealth.”
“I am humbled by this honor,” said Sam Lombardo. “I’ve been blessed to achieve success because of the great people around me. There are lots of entrepreneurial ideas out there, but unless you have a team to achieve it, the ideas are left on the garage floor. Millersville’s College of Business will offer a unique partnership of the best academics and of the private sector to bring in talented entrepreneurs and businesspeople to share in their experiences. I’ve emphasized with Dr. Wubah the need to offer mentoring and internships. It’s important to mentor and help young people from college to career path.”
Lombardo is a well-known insurance entrepreneur and the chairman and CEO of The Benecon Group, which specializes in developing innovative and effective employee benefit solutions. His companies gained national
LOMBARDO COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
recognition when they were listed four different times by Inc. Magazine as one of the “500 Fastest Growing Companies in America.”
“I’m a businessperson who started with nothing,” said Lombardo. “I started my company from scratch, built it into a boutique and grew it into an enterprise. To be able to help business students realize their dreams is very important to me.”
While plans for an on-campus event were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, there was a virtual announcement for this gift. Mike Warfel ‘84, chairman of MU’s Council of Trustees, was among those giving remarks.
“The Lombardo College of Business will engage and serve students, alumni, area employers and all community members. It will enhance the rich fabric of our business community and further innovation throughout the region. Additionally, with named prominence, the Lombardo College of Business will further assist students with career placement and increase alumni engagement,” said Warfel.
“I am so proud of Sam and his successes over the years,” said Dena Lombardo during the virtual announcement. “Here we are today, and to receive this recognition from Dr. Wubah and Millersville is a tremendous honor. Thank you all for sharing in this news. Stay safe.”
The Lombardo College of Business offers a bachelor’s in business administration with options in accounting and finance, or marketing and management. The gift will be used where it’s needed most: for student scholarships, faculty development, equipment and internships.
“I would like to thank Dr. and Mrs. Lombardo for providing Marauders like myself, and other students, with the tools we need to succeed,” said business major Lydia Shaloka.
The Lombardos have been very generous with other programs involving children and education in the region, giving to the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic, Schreiber Pediatrics, the Clinic for Special Children, Franklin & Marshall College and the United Disabilities and Veterans Honor Park.
In light of the magnitude of the challenges facing Millersville University students and their families as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Millersville President Daniel A. Wubah announced an extension of the “Imagine the Possible” fundraising campaign to support student success. When the campaign launched in July 2017 with a $32 million goal to raise funds for student scholarships, athletics and student experiences, no one imagined that as of June 2020, the campaign would be at more than $44.8 million in support—over 140% to goal.
One event that greatly contributed to the success of the campaign was the One Day Give in February. In total, the event raised $291,867 through 1,331 gifts. A new Athletics Leaderboard spurred competition between teams and resulted in more than 802 gifts.
To date, generous donors have given over $14.3 million in new scholarship funds for students, over $4.6 million in funds to support Marauder Athletics and over $25.9 million to support student experiences. The length and goal for the campaign extension will be determined at a later time.
MAKE A LASTING IMPACT with Scholarship Support
Giving to the Millersville University Scholarship Fund provides transformative academic experiences for students and fulfills a need that is greater now than ever before. Creating a scholarship is one of the greatest gifts you can make to support student success for years to come. To make a gift today, visit mville.us/give2mu.
For more information, please contact the Development Office at 717-871-7520 or by email at givetomu@millersville.edu.
One Day Give Athletics Award Winners
NATE WARDLE ’10, ‘13M
Press Secretary Key in Department of Health Response BY GABRIELLE BUZGO
In this time of uncertainty with the coronavirus pandemic, we have all looked to experts for guidance. Whether your news source is television or Twitter, in Pennsylvania, you were likely tuning in to the daily updates from the Department of Health (DOH), where you’ll find Millersville University alumnus Nate Wardle ’10, ’13M working diligently behind the scenes as press secretary.
When Wardle started at Millersville, he planned to be a broadcast meteorologist. He was a member of the Campus Weather Service, worked on MUTV, found an internship at CBS 21, and completed three mission trips with University Christian Fellowship to areas affected by natural disasters. With the guidance of his faculty, Wardle realized that emergency management was an area that would allow him to combine his passions for public service and science. Shortly after graduating in 2010, Wardle began working as a web producer at CBS 21 and began the emergency management graduate program back at the ‘Ville.
Whether he realized it or not, Wardle was repeatedly tapping into one of the greatest benefits of Millersville—its network. Just as his undergraduate internship with CBS 21 landed him his first professional role, his graduate mentor, Duane Hagelgans, aided him in getting an internship as a graduate student with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, where he made lasting connections within the communications office. In 2016, Wardle became the Emergency Preparedness Public Information Officer for the DOH. Thanks to the lessons he learned from the Millersville communications department, and the support of his new boss—then Press Secretary April Hutcheson—Wardle was able to take on duties outside of his purview so that when the opportunity came, he was promoted to press secretary in 2018.
While the DOH did not know what or when, they knew that they needed to be prepared for the arrival of an infectious disease outbreak. The department had conducted countless exercises and worked through various outbreak scenarios to prepare.
Wardle interviewed on FOX43 about COVID-19.
“It is essential to provide information to the public in a clear, concise manner,” says Wardle. “We knew we needed to be first, be right, be honest and show empathy. People have to know you care before they care about what you say.”
Wardle also serves as the emergency management coordinator for his hometown of Mechanicsburg, where he lives with his wife, a local hospital nurse, and their three children. At home, Wardle has found it challenging to maintain balance between his concerns for the lasting impact of the virus and taking the necessary precautions to protect his own family.
As press secretary, Wardle is faced with the challenge of poor funding for public health within the Commonwealth.
“Trying to provide data in real-time has been a struggle,” he says, “but I have a great group of collaborators on our Department of Health communications team, which includes Maggi Mumma ’17 (deputy press secretary), and we are able to share these experiences and help each other.”
Looking ahead to a post-pandemic world, Wardle anticipates the increased need for crisis and risk communication, advocates for increased public health funding, and the addition of pandemic preparedness in any emergency manager’s toolbox.
“While we are far from being through the crisis as of today, I think that the planning in place has helped set the department up well to address the needs of Pennsylvanians amidst COVID-19,” he continues. “I hope that as we move forward, we remember that we are all in this together.”
Save the Date FOR THE CLASS OF 1970’S 50TH REUNION SPRING 2021
At the time of publication, Homecoming plans were still tentative. Please check Millersville.edu/homecoming for details on all upcoming events.
