Scholarship for transfers honors grandmothers of alumna

In honor of the grandmothers who left a lasting impact on her life and constantly encouraged her dedication to education, a SUNY Poly alumna is now giving back to future generations with a significant gift that will allow the institution to further enhance its commitment to students and the community.

The alumna, who wishes to remain anonymous, has contributed $75,000 toward the creation of an endowed scholarship to be administered by the SUNY Poly Foundation. The gift comes with the stipulation that SUNY Poly provides a $25,000 matching gift to make the total endowment $100,000.

“We are incredibly grateful for this anonymous gift to establish an endowed scholarship which will pave the way for future generations of students to follow their dreams at SUNY Poly,” said Dr. Bahgat Sammakia, Interim President of SUNY Polytechnic Institute. “The generosity of this gift will make it possible for students to achieve the success they are capable of, and will have a lasting impact on the SUNY Poly community.”

Attending SUNY Poly when it was previously known as Upper Division College, the alumna came in as a transfer student, and still holds close the many wonderful memories that were made during her time.

“A gift like this is a truly wonderful legacy that will continue to support the excellence of SUNY Poly and its students,” said Dr. William Durgin, SUNY Poly Provost. “Endowed gifts such as this support SUNY Poly forever, benefitting generations of future students as they go on to build their lives, careers, and change the world around them. This gift will allow them the opportunity of education that is a hallmark of American society.”

The scholarship will be known as the Zeman Vdoviak Scholarship, in memory of the donor’s grandmothers, who were born in Slovakia and immigrated to America, settling in the Mohawk Valley where they raised their families and continued their childhood friendship for the rest of their lives. Her planned gift will be designated to support SUNY Poly students who transfer into the institution to complete their degree.

“Naming it after my grandmothers is a way to honor them, as they always encouraged us to do the best we could in school and were incredibly supportive of the fact that public education was available here in America. The idea of a free, public education just amazed them,” said the donor. “What I would hope is that it will give some peace of mind to a transfer student as they finish up their degree without the worry of going into more debt.”