Introducing Thrive On

Since 1946, Utica College has been an institution guided by its values and an entrepreneurial spirit. Through innovation and reinvention, the College has not only endured, but flourished amid a changing academic landscape and in the face of our nation’s greatest challenges.

Now in its 75th year, Utica College is a dynamic institution with a national reputation for excellence; a diverse and vibrant community that inspires students to create bold futures; a place for learning, opportunity, and hope — a manifestation of its founding mission.

But as we approach the College’s centennial, philanthropic support from alumni and friends is critical in propelling the institution forward to embrace the challenges and opportunities of a new era—and helping Utica College’s ambitious vision thrive on.

About Thrive On

On Nov. 4, 2021, Utica College launched Thrive On, a five-year, $30 million fundraising initiative to strengthen the College’s ability to recruit and retain top students, make education accessible to all, and support academic and athletic achievement at the highest levels.

Read on to learn how you can support innovation, opportunity, discovery, and community and UC—and why NOW is the time to give back.

THRIVE ON INNOVATION

Utica College’s mission relies upon the continuous pursuit of excellence in the classroom and in the world. Philanthropic support enhances our faculty’s ability to develop new research and deliver innovative instruction across disciplines, enriching the academic experience and positioning Utica College as a trailblazer on a national stage.

Projects supporting innovation:

• Endowed professorships to advance teaching and scholarly activity, benefit the intellectual life of the college, and promote students’ learning in a particular field of study.

• Endowed institutes that allow for the focused study of one emerging area or field and help position the College as a nationwide thought-leader.

THRIVE ON COMMUNITY

A key component of Utica College’s mission is to foster a rich diversity of perspective, background, and experience. Only in creating an equitable, inclusive community can we thrive as individuals. Contributions from donors will help create spaces for students, faculty, and staff to come together—physically and metaphorically—in the pursuit of knowledge and a greater understanding of our collective place in society.

Projects supporting community:

• Community Greenhouse, a teaching tool and gathering place promoting sustainable agriculture on campus.

• Unity Promenade, a visual landmark where students, faculty, and staff can reflect on social justice.

Why I Give: Ann Roman ’87

Ann Roman '87

Ann Roman enrolled at Utica College interested in accounting, but criminal justice and law classes—especially those with Professors Ted Orlin and Bruce McBride— ignited her passion for criminal justice. She switched her major, and the rest, as they say, is history. She is now retired after a fulfilling 26-year career as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service.

Roman gives back to Utica College to provide current and future students with that same incredible opportunity to discover their passions and build their dream careers. Says Roman, “Through giving, I know I am part of the incredible journey of an institution that is focused on individual student success.” Why I Give: Anne Burton ’63

Why I Give: Anne Burton '63

Along with her professional accomplishments as a microbiologist and the births of her three children, Anne Burton ranks her philanthropy with Utica College as one of her proudest achievements. Through establishing a scholarship for students interested in environmental studies, Burton hopes to “leave a legacy,” she says. “I’m proud that my passions and ideals will live on, along with my love for science and the environment.” Those ideals, she says, are rooted in her experience at UC. “Utica College provided a foundation in the sciences for me,” says Burton. “My instructors cared about me as a person, and that made all the difference to my future success.”

THRIVE ON DISCOVERY

Completed in Fall 2021, the new Utica College Science Center features state-of-the-art laboratory and classroom spaces for innovative science education and research.

In classrooms, research laboratories, and on the playing field, Utica College students make discoveries with the power to impact the world. Support from donors will provide greater opportunities for students to explore their full potential through career-driven internships and immersive learning experiences, preparing graduates to take on complex global challenges and become tomorrow’s leaders.

Projects supporting discovery:

• Utica College Science Center, a 25,000-square foot facility containing state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms for science education.

• Experiential and immersive learning initiatives, dynamic educational opportunities to promote career-readiness.

THRIVE ON OPPORTUNITY

Since its founding, Utica College has strived to make education accessible to learners from all backgrounds. Today, ensuring accessibility remains a pillar of UC’s strategic plan. Philanthropic support will enhance the College’s ability to recruit top students of all racial and ethnic identities regardless of financial means, and foster athletic and academic achievement in the state-of-the-art facilities today’s students need.

Projects supporting opportunity:

• Locker room team center, located in the Harold T. Clark Jr. Athletic Center, providing dedicated locker room and meeting space for student-athletes.

• Pioneer Track & Field Complex, featuring a multipurpose, synthetic turf athletic field and outdoor track. The facility provides a critically needed practice venue for field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and track and field, as well as a complementary competition venue to Gaetano Stadium.

• The Fund for Student Success, which provides needbased financial aid to new and returning students.

• Endowed scholarships that permanently provide support to deserving and outstanding students.

With a turf field suited for football, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and softball, and surrounded by an eight-lane track, the Pioneer Track and Field Complex provides an exciting new venue for UC’s more than 800 student-athletes to train and compete.

Why I Give: George Barlow ’50

George Barlow '50

George Barlow remembers every detail of that September morning in 1946, when Dean Winton Tolles delivered the first convocation address in downtown Utica’s Plymouth Congregational Church.

“I was sitting in the third pew on the lefthand side. I can see it in my mind,” he says now, though he admits he didn’t understand the gravity of the moment back then. He was just anxious to start classes.

A returning veteran from World War II, Barlow had just come from serving overseas in the South Pacific, helping conduct atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. With his return home to Marcy delayed, most local colleges and universities were full and registration deadlines long passed.

But a newspaper clipping from his mother changed the course of Barlow’s life. The news item announced plans to open a new college, a branch campus of Syracuse University that was now accepting new students.

Barlow enrolled at Utica College of Syracuse University, prepared to study biology and chemistry. In makeshift classrooms arranged in Plymouth Church’s basement, with young professors like Dr. John Keller and Dr. J. Kenneth Donahue (who went on to become the College’s president), Barlow found his footing—and a passion for the field of physiology.

His UC education led him to Princeton’s graduate program in biology, and later, a long and rewarding career as a biology and physiology professor at Heidelberg University in Ohio.

For one of UC’s first graduates, giving back is about gratitude—and honoring the place where it all started.

“My career path started in a school that was just being created to meet an enormous national need. I don’t think today’s students realize what an amazing undertaking that was—or that it succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest imagination,” says Barlow.

“When I look at UC today, I am simply in awe.”

"The Power of Our Shared Commitment"

A message from Harry Cynkus ’71, Trustee and Thrive On Campaign Chair

Campaign Chair Harry Cynkus '71

Thrive On is the most ambitious campaign in the College’s 75-year history, with a goal of $30 million dollars to support expanded opportunities for student learning and achievement. A number of Pioneers have already stepped up to help us achieve this ambitious goal, and we are grateful for their generosity. But the only way we can succeed is with your help.

From the beginning, our progress as an institution has been achieved through the sustained efforts of a supportive community. As we embark on the public phase of this campaign, let us all celebrate the profound contribution Utica College has made in the lives of so many people over the course of its history. We now have the opportunity to carry this legacy forward in a way that will have even greater impact on the communities we serve. And it is time for each of us to consider what role we might play in making that vision a reality.

Acting alone, an individual can make a meaningful contribution. But when we come together, the power of our shared commitment can move mountains. Please join us in this effort to ensure that the promise of Utica College remains strong, and that UC will continue to thrive well into its second century.