The National Science Foundation support will allow students to focus on academic success and improve performance in gateway STEM courses as they pursue undergraduate degrees in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, or environmental science.
The National Science Foundation has awarded Marist’s School of Science a $1,480,254 grant to support high-achieving low-income students in STEM majors. Eleven freshmen, majoring in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and environmental science, started their journey as scholars in the program this fall.The project, entitled "Gateway to Success: Combining Financial, Academic, and Psychosocial Supports to Promote Academic Success of Low-Income STEM Majors," was spearheaded by Dean of the Marist School of Science Alicia Slater and Associate Dean Neil Fitzgerald. School of Science Associate Dean Neil Fitzgerald. Photo: Carlo de Jesus/Marist College.“This grant is a major milestone for the School of Science and a valuable tool in our efforts to help all students reach their full potential,” said Slater. “It is our hope that theprograms we begin for the S-STEM scholars will promote the academic success of alllow-income students in the future.”The overall goal of the project is to increase STEM degree completion among high-achieving undergraduates with significant financial need. In particular, the project willallow students to focus on academic success and improve student performance in gateway STEM courses. It includes strong mentoring and career planning support while fostering a sense of belonging to both the campus and community and adding to the professional formation of students’ science identities.“Expanding educational opportunity is one of our very highest priorities,” said Marist President Kevin Weinman. “This grant increases Marist’s ability to attract, enroll, and retain a diverse group of talented students regardless of their financial circumstances, and we are grateful to the NSF for recognizing the importance of this work.”Over its six-year duration, this project will cover all billable charges for a total of up to 23 full-time students or “S-STEM scholars” pursuing undergraduate degrees in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, or environmental science as well as a laptop and research and travel funding. Students will participate in a funded summer bridge program, take gateway classes as a cohort, reside in a living–learning community, have dedicated faculty advisors, and receive experiential and employment opportunities to reduce financial need and provide valuable discipline-based experience.All S-STEM scholars will also take Marist’s liberal arts core, reflecting Marist’s mission of developing well-rounded students.
Marist students won 3 of 26 scholarships available across the US from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Three Marist fashion students were honored this past fall with design scholarship awards from the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). The winners, Allissa Divak ’23, Marina Matozzo ’23, and Tara Sears ’23, earned 3 of a total of 26 CFDA scholarships available across the country. The awards are $25,000 scholarships, funded by sponsors, for undergraduate juniors and first-year graduate students graduating in 2023 who are enrolled in a fashion design program at an American college or university.
A Fulbright grant will allow biomedical sciences major Shivani Patel ’22 to pursue her commitment to improving palliative care in the United States by supporting research on unique models of such care in India.
Shivani Patel ’22 has been selected as a 2022–2023 Fulbright US student grant recipient, giving her an opportunity to study youth volunteerism within the palliative care sector in India. Palliative care is a form of preventative medicine that utilizes a holistic, individualized approach to improve the quality of life by relieving suffering.Patel began her grant period in Kolkata, West Bengal, attending healthcare management research seminars. There she also volunteered at Nirmal Hriday, Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying Destitutes, in Kalighat, Kolkata. She spent time with the female patients, caring for their wounds, feeding them and performing chores for them. Then she moved to the Institute of Palliative Medicine in Kozhikode, Kerala, where she has been observing patient care and taking part in workshops and courses.Patel, who majored in biomedical sciences degree and minored in chemistry, was a huge part of the campus community both on and off-campus during her time at Marist. As a first-generation student, she says she was always service-oriented because it was a great way for her to learn about the world and develop her own passions. Her activities have included serving as a hospice volunteer in her hometown of Danbury, CT.She was involved in a number of extracurricular activities on campus, most notably with one of Marist’s largest student fundraising endeavors, “Hudson Rally for St. Jude,” for which she served as executive director during her senior year. This work contributed to Marist being recognized by St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital as a top recruiting and fundraising college. She also was involved in Marist’s Upward Bound program.Following her Fulbright grant year and future studies, she plans to become a pediatrician.“My experiences at Marist have deepened my commitment to pursuing a career in medicine,” she said. “For me, engaging with my community has always been a reciprocal, moving experience of learning, growing, and giving back. As an aspiring pediatrician, it would be a privilege to nourish a positive outlook on healthcare amongst families and children in my community.”Marist has been recognized by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs four times over the past 10 years as a High Producing Institution for US Fulbright Student Grants.The Fulbright Program is primarily funded through an annual appropriation made by the US Congress to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. More than 2,200 US students and more than 900 US college and university faculty and administrators are awarded Fulbright grants annually. Fulbright alumni have become heads of state, judges, ambassadors, cabinet members, CEOs, and university presidents, as well as leading journalists, artists, scientists, and teachers.
A former journalist and former VP of marketing and communications at Quinnipiac University, Daryl Richard ’97 also brings nearly two decades of experience in leadership roles overseeing communications and public affairs at Fortune 100 companies.
Daryl Richard ’97 has been appointed to serve as Marist’s first vice president of communications and marketing. Richard brings to Marist extensive experience in both higher education and the private sector, most recently serving as vice president of marketing and communications at Quinnipiac University.In this new leadership role at Marist, he will help drive the College’s marketing and communications strategy and lead a team focused on highlighting distinctive stories and building Marist’s national reputation. Richard will report to Marist President Kevin Weinman and serve as a member of both the President’s Cabinet and Advisory Council.“I am grateful that Daryl has decided to return to Marist to lead our newly centralized communications and marketing function and look forward to working with him to enhance the institution’s profile,” said Weinman. “Daryl is an extremely accomplished communications professional and leader who will help showcase the many reasons we have become a top place to study, teach, and work. He also will be instrumental in introducing Marist to new audiences while helping keep our current Red Fox community engaged and informed."“I am humbled and honored to be asked to come home to Marist at this pivotal time in the College’s history,” said Richard. “The school had such a profound impact on my own personal growth, professional development, and career-readiness, and I am eager to help future generations of students know how this first-class institution will prepare them for lifelong success while making the Marist brand a household name."While at Quinnipiac, Richard launched the university’s first-ever message platform and brand campaign. He also helped deploy a digital news and content marketing platform that has now become a top driver of traffic to the university website and put greater emphasis on data analytics to help guide the university’s digital marketing and public relations strategies.Richard began his professional career in journalism, working as a reporter for the Hartford Courant and Time magazine. He then spent nearly two decades in various executive leadership roles overseeing communications and public affairs at Fortune 100 companies United Health Group and the Travelers before transitioning into higher education.Richard graduated magna cum laude, majoring in communication with a concentration in journalism and minoring in political science. While a student, he served as editor-in-chief of the Marist Circle student newspaper and also worked for the Marist Poll.
