Johns Hopkins Magazine -- April 1999
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APRIL 1999
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ALUMNI NOTES

ALUMNI NEWS

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A P R I L    1 9 9 9

Alumni News
Editor: Billie Walker


For Student Aid Endowment Alums Accelerate Tribute Gifts By Means of Bloomberg Challenge
How One Unique Gift Has Immediate Effect On Freshmen Entering Krieger, Whiting Schools
Baltimore Convocation April 24 at Homewood
Travel Program Adds Young Alumni Tours
Spring Schedule of Alumni Events
Did You Know About These Alumni Association Perks?
From the Beginning, And for a Lifetime, A Member of the Hopkins Family

For Student Aid Endowment Alums Accelerate Tribute Gifts By Means of Bloomberg Challenge

Engineering alumnus Donald Fink is jubilant.

"Because of Michael Bloomberg, my original gift for the Rob Roy fellowship at the Whiting School has been quadrupled!" he exclaims. "This puts us so much closer to completing the fellowship, which alumni and colleagues have been working to endow in Dean Roy's name."

Last fall, Mr. Fink had decided to make a gift of $50,000 to the Robert H. Roy Fellowship Fund, which honors the man who led the School of Engineering during the 1950s and '60s. Then he heard the news that Michael Bloomberg, Engr '64, chairman of the Board of Trustees, had increased his campaign gift to include $30 million for graduate and undergraduate student aid, some of which would be used to enhance gifts from alumni and friends (see sidebar). For graduate fellowship endowment in the School of Engineering, that means gifts of $50,000 or more are matched one-to-one.

"So I doubled my own gift to $100,000," Mr. Fink explains, "and with the Bloomberg Challenge matching it, that makes a total addition to the fellowship fund of $200,000."

Don Fink, right, visits dean emeritus Rob Roy, in whose honor Mr. Fink and others are endowing a graduate fellowship. Dr. Roy is a 1928 graduate of Hopkins engineering.

The fund now totals a little over $300,000 toward a goal of $400,000 or more. Donald Fink hopes other contributors will take advantage of the Bloomberg Challenge to complete and enlarge the fellowship endowment.

A resident of Towson, Maryland, Mr. Fink, Engr '59 and '61 (M.S.), retired after 36 years in computer services. He began working with computers at Hopkins in 1959, joined IBM two years later, and in 1968 co-founded a Maryland company with two other Hopkins graduates. He now does financial consulting.

Another alumnus, Alan Levi, A&S '71, is equally delighted about how the Bloomberg Challenge has enhanced his gift to the Krieger School for an undergraduate scholarship. In Arts and Sciences and Engineering, gifts of $50,000 or more for undergraduate aid endowment will be immediately activated by the Bloomberg Challenge, so that a student can be named to hold the scholarship beginning in the fall of 1999.

The Elliot and Marjory Levi Scholarship honors Mr. Levi's parents and their long association with the University. Elliot Levi received both undergraduate (A&S '34) and medical (Med '38) degrees from Hopkins. Marjory Levi was a graduate of Goucher College.

Nephew of the late Hopkins trustee, Baltimore civic leader, and philanthropist Robert Levi, A&S '36, Alan Levi says his gift stems partly from the huge loyalty his family has long felt toward Hopkins, "which has played an enormous role in our lives."

Alan Levi, shown with his father, Elliot Levi, has endowed an undergraduate scholarship in his parents' names that will be activated for fall 1999 by the Bloomberg Challenge.

Mr. Levi continues, "Since he was entering college at the onset of the Depression, it is unlikely my father would have been able to attend Hopkins had he not qualified for a full academic scholarship in 1930. This symmetry makes it all the more meaningful that, as a result of Michael Bloomberg's generosity, this scholarship will become immediately effective."

Alan Levi is a senior vice president at Alliance Capital Management in New York City. Elliot Levi, an endocrinologist, had a private practice in Baltimore from 1946 until he retired in 1983. He is a professor emeritus at the Hopkins School of Medicine.

The Bloomberg Challenge

Within each of the University's divisions Mr. Bloomberg's funds are being used to add to the value of commitments for student aid endowment from other alumni and friends.

The Bloomberg Challenge may immediately activate gifts and pledges for endowed undergraduate scholarships in four divisions. This means that the Challenge provides an immediate scholarship award equivalent to the annual income the endowed fund eventually will generate (i.e., after it is fully funded and has been invested for a year).

Gifts or pledges for graduate-level endowed scholarships and fellowships may qualify for a direct match from Bloomberg Challenge funds, generally 50% or 100% of

the donor's commitment. In most divisions, a total of $500,000 in matching funds is available for com- mitments of graduate-level aid endowment.

For further information, call your divisional development office or 410-516-6321.



While the true impact of Michael Bloomberg's gift will not be known until the Class of 2003 is sealed in late May, says Bob Massa (pictured), "I am certain that our 11% increase in applications--very high quality applications, too--over last year's record number is due in no small part to the knowledge that Hopkins will now be more affordable to more top students."
How One Unique Gift Has Immediate Effect On Freshmen Entering Krieger, Whiting Schools

On October 10, 1998, Michael R. Bloomberg, Engr '64, announced he was raising his total gift to the Johns Hopkins Initiative to $100 million by the additional commitment of $45 million. In line with the trustees' decision in May that undergraduate and graduate student aid would be top priorities of the rest of the campaign, Mr. Bloomberg, chairman of the Board of Trustees, designated $30 million of the new pledge for financial aid.

Of the $30 million, a full $21 million benefits future undergraduates in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering, beginning with the Class of 2003, which enters in fall 1999. How this is being carried out is discussed by Robert J. Massa, dean of enrollment for the Homewood Schools.

To begin with, please give a brief explanation of the financial aid process and how aid packages are determined.

Let me say first that at Homewood, the proportion of students applying for financial aid has increased from 47% to 75% during the 1990s. More than half of Homewood undergraduates are receiving financial aid.

We calculate the expected family contribution based on a federal formula that considers family and student income, the number of children in college, and other factors. The expected family contribution is subtracted from the cost of tuition and expenses to arrive at a financial aid package that can include loans, work-study income, and scholarship support that does not have to be repaid.

For 1998-99, 54% of freshmen are receiving aid, but only 38% receive any Hopkins scholarship support. Up to now, the amount of scholarship support Hopkins has been able to offer has not compared favorably with awards at most other top-ranked universities and colleges.

How will Mr. Bloomberg's gift change this picture for undergraduates at Homewood, beginning with the Class of 2003?

With Michael Bloomberg's extraordinary gift, the University will increase scholarship aid by 25% to incoming freshmen who qualify for financial aid, thus cutting by more than one-third the average debt these students will face when they graduate.

With scholarships increasing, students will need smaller loans. Most students on aid will not be required to borrow more than an average of $4,000 annually through graduation. Some--those students with the greatest needs and the highest academic profiles in the admissions process--will borrow much less.

In addition, Mr. Bloomberg's gift permits a change in policy so that entering students who win non-Hopkins scholarships--from corporations, fraternal groups, or other private organizations-- will no longer see a corresponding reduction in their Hopkins scholarships.

How do you figure the projected reduction in indebtedness?

For the Class of 1999, the average graduation-day debt of undergraduate aid recipients in the Krieger and Whiting Schools will be about $16,600--twice what it was a decade ago. Without increased scholarship aid in place of loans, that figure would rise to more than $21,000 by the time the Class of 2003 graduates. By increasing scholarships and reducing loans, the University projects that indebtedness for the Classes of 2003 and beyond will average closer to $14,000.

One great importance of this lower indebtedness is that graduating seniors will be less restricted financially in pursuing further education or in choosing careers in public service or other fields with modest salaries.

What is the long-range plan to continue this increased aid for Homewood undergraduates?

Mr. Bloomberg's $21 million for Arts and Sciences and Engineering undergrads will be spent over 10 years, beginning in September 1999.

During this period, efforts already well under way will be significantly stepped up to secure gifts from other donors that will dramatically increase the permanent endowment for undergraduate financial aid. In fact, all of the academic divisions are using Mr. Bloomberg's gift to challenge other alumni and friends to endow scholarship and fellowship funds. [For further information, see page 61.] In this way, Michael Bloomberg's commitment is working to leverage endowment that will provide for many future generations of students.

For the present and the future, Mr. Bloomberg's gift and the endowment gifts it engenders are critical in making our university more competitive with its peers for the best students; in enabling qualified students who want to come to Hopkins to do so; and in graduating our students with as little debt as possible.


Baltimore Convocation April 24 at Homewood

The Hopkins family in the Baltimore area is invited to join members of Homewood's reunion classes at the Johns Hopkins Convocation on Saturday, April 24, 9 a.m. to 12 noon. President William R. Brody and other outstanding faculty speakers will present the latest news from the institutions. To register, or for more information, call 410-516-7711.


Travel Program Adds Young Alumni Tours

Several tours designed specifically for Hopkins young alumni 18 to 35 years old are being scheduled for the summer. Destinations include Major European Capitals, Eastern Europe, Italy, and Greece. For a brochure or other details, see contact information below.

Upcoming trips for all alumni include the following:

  • St. Moritz-Swiss Summer Escapade, July 13-21

  • Alumni College in Scotland, August 9-17

  • Alumni College in Holland, September 6-14

  • Paris to Rome, Rhone River and Mediterranean cruise, with history professor Orest Ranum, September 28-October 12

  • Rome Escapade, November 14-21

  • In January, two dozen alumni and guests enjoyed a Caribbean cruise to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands aboard the Nantucket Clipper.

    For more information on any of these tours, please write to Alumni Travel Program, 3211 N. Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21218; call 1-800-548-5481 or 410-516-0363; fax 410-516-6858; e-mail travel@jhu.edu; or visit http://www.jhu.edu/~alumni/.


    Spring Schedule of Alumni Events

    April

    7 Boston Chapter--Celtics game and Happy Hour
    8 No. California Chapter--Young Alumni Happy Hour
    9-10 School of Public Health--W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Naming Ceremony and MMI Alumni Celebration
    10 Baltimore Chapter--Johns Hopkins Club dinner and jazz concert
    13 New York Metro Chapter--Yankees vs. Orioles at Yankee Stadium
    15 Chicago Chapter--Dinner
    15 Boston Chapter--Young Alumni Happy Hour
    17-18 Baltimore Chapter--Young Alumni at Spring Fair
    17 Society of Engineering Alumni chapter dinner, Williamsburg, Va.
    20 Baltimore Chapter--Lunch and lecture
    22 School of Public Health dinner, Washington, D.C.
    22-25 Homecoming for Homewood Schools and School of Continuing Studies
    23 Whiting School Anniversary Reception, Homewood
    23 School of Public Health Baltimore Harbor Moonlight Cruise. Call Sonia Singh at 410-659-5709.
    24 Johns Hopkins Convocation in Baltimore
    24 Society of Black Alumni Homecoming Reception, Homewood

    May

    1 Baltimore Chapter--Clean-up at Jones Falls watershed area
    3 Society of Engineering Alumni Senior Class Party, Homewood
    7-9 SAIS Bologna Center Reunion
    8 Peabody--Annual Dinner Meeting and Concert
    8 New York Metro Chapter--Pre-game tailgate and lacrosse at Hofstra
    11-19 Alumni College in Tuscany
    13 No. California Chapter--Young Alumni Happy Hour
    15 Philadelphia Chapter--Lunch and Maxfield Parrish lecture and walking tour
    20 Boston Chapter--Young Alumni Happy Hour
    20 Baltimore Chapter--Lunch and lecture
    20-21 Society of Engineering Alumni events, South Miami/Tampa
    21 Washington, D.C.--Young Alumni event

    June

    4-5 School of Nursing Homecoming
    10-12 Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical Association Biennial Meeting

    For further information, click on http://www.jhu.edu/~alumni, or phone 410-516-0363 or 800-548-5481.


    Did You Know About These Alumni Association Perks?

    Did you know that the JHU Alumni Association offers graduates of all divisions services from outside organizations that may be helpful to you while demonstrating your affinity for the University? Following are some examples.

    The Johns Hopkins credit card provides a reasonable rate of interest with all the services of a regular, gold, or platinum card. The rebate the credit card company pays to the Alumni Association helps fund an increasing amount of programs that benefit both alumni and the University's divisions.

    In Maryland, the affinity license tag program enables grads and other friends to demonstrate their JHU affiliation.

    A wireless telephone server provides a nationwide rate to dues-paying members of the Alumni Association. Information about this program comes with your annual Alumni Association brochure.

    According to Jim Archibald, A&S '71, president of the Alumni Council, the Council's Ad Hoc Committee on Affinity Programs is looking for ways to offer other benefits that alumni living in the U.S. and even overseas might find useful and appealing. An expansion of the Alumni Association's programs might also bring in revenue that would enable the Association to increase the services it provides to both alumni and students from all divisions.

    "We are looking for suggestions from alumni about benefits they would like to see offered, which might include quality term life or other insurance, a discounted long-distance telephone service, banking opportunities, or discounts on travel services," Mr. Archibald added.

    If you have a suggestion, or if your company provides a service that might be of interest to alumni, please send your ideas to Marguerite Ingalls Jones, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, 3211 North Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21218, or e-mail ingalls@jhu.edu.


    The Johns Hopkins Alumni Association -- From the Beginning, And for a Lifetime, A Member of the Hopkins Family

    You recently received a request for your annual dues to the Alumni Association. If you've already paid, thank you! Your support is invaluable to us. If you haven't yet mailed your membership dues, consider the following:

    Alumni Association dues provide a wide variety of programs aimed at keeping alumni connected to the University and to each other.

    One third of your dues payment is allocated to the division from which you graduated to be used for reunions, homecomings, and special divisional events.

    The balance of your Association membership dues is used for services and programs including

    University-wide events, such as receptions to welcome incoming students, networking events, young alumni activities, and hundreds of other regional alumni activities

    the News & Notes section of the Johns Hopkins Magazine

    online services including a voluntary alumni directory, alumni career network, and e-mail alias program.

    For more information, or to pay your dues today, call 800-JHU-JHU1 (800-548-5481).


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