BY THE NUMBERS
$26.5 MILLION RAISED
First comprehensive and largest fundraising campaign in our history
“I have borrowed thousands of dollars in student loans and I paid my own tuition bill while I was in school. The generosity of the Gassett-Schiller family has alleviated some of my financial hardships and allowed me to allocate more of my focus onto my studies.”
Proud group of Eastern Bank employees who are Salem State students and alumni.
29,834
GIFTS MADE
UNRESTRICTED GIVING BOOSTS STUDENTS’ SUCCESS
$3.6m
$11.8m
49 new scholarship funds created DONORS
VOLUNTEERS
94%
lumni 312+ • • AFriends
• S tudents • S taff
of full-time faculty/staff
140%
increase in Crosby Society (planned giving)
SSU FOUNDATION
$2.4m
$39.3m $18.9m
Assets more than doubled
$620k
Transferred nearly 4x cash to the university
“We grow by serving individuals, families, companies, and organizations throughout the North Shore and beyond, with a commitment to support and advocate in this region we call home,” says Nancy Huntington Stager, Eastern’s executive vice president and chief human resources officer, and a member of Salem State’s Board of Overseers. Eastern Bank’s most recent university gift, $10,000 in unrestricted funds, brings its total Salem State giving to over $700,000. Over the past decade, they join over 7,000 other donors, both individuals and corporations giving at all levels, to provide the university with critical, flexible dollars to primarily aid students. “We are so very proud to work with Salem State, to help advance higher education, workforce development, and economic opportunity in our community,” says Stager. “We’re even prouder to see the educations and careers of so many in our community thrive because of our work together.” “Helping individuals, families, and businesses achieve their goals and dreams is core to our mission,” says Laura Kurzrok, the recently retired executive director of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation. “Making it possible
Affordability struggles are evident at Salem State, where nearly 95 percent of undergraduate students request financial aid and 35 percent are first in their families to attend college. To further help students overcome these hurdles, Eastern Bank employs more graduates from the University than from any other school—filling roles from bank teller to executive vice president—and supports numerous career readiness and educational programs. One such employee is Filipe Gomes ’19, who works at Eastern Bank as an assistant branch manager in Peabody. “I started working at Eastern Bank three years ago, during my freshman year,” Gomes says. “My experience has been absolutely invaluable. I have made life-long connections and expanded on my financial education.” Lauren Hubacheck, assistant dean of student success and transition in career services, echoes Gomes’ sentiment. “Eastern Bank remains one of the top employers for Salem State University, solidifying a longtime partnership that truly benefits both organizations,” she says. “It’s really branded itself as a ‘go-to’ for our students and graduates.”
Cheryl Crounse Vice President, Institutional Advancement Executive Director, Salem State Foundation 352 Lafayette Street • Salem, MA 01970 978.542.7527 • ccrounse@salemstate.edu
to financial aid
Established just down the road from Salem State’s main campus in 1818, Eastern Bank has long recognized higher education as fundamental to the community’s vitality.
QUESTIONS
$5.5m+
Scholarship endowment market value more than tripled
Thank you for your support of Salem State University. We are grateful for the impact you have made on the lives of our students.
donors gave
for students to stay in school aligns with this mission. With the cost of education today, many students struggle to balance work and school, and still do not have sufficient funds to cover all of their expenses.”
THANK YOU
2,698
It’s a little-known fact: the nation’s largest and oldest mutual bank launched in Salem more than 200 years ago.
Institutional Advancement 352 Lafayette Street Salem, Massachusetts 01970-5353
STUDENT AID
Leeanna Singleton ’19 Kim Gassett-Schiller ’83, ’18H Tutoring Scholarship
YOUR IMPACT
In 2016, Salem State completed 10,000 Reasons, the first comprehensive and largest fundraising campaign in the university’s history. Gifts of every size from alumni, students, faculty, staff, and the greater community helped us raise $26.5 million. The campaign’s success dramatically boosted many important needs across campus.