Development News
Summer 2021
Note from Rob Eccles
Assistant Dean for Development

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby” 
 
As we slowly return to campus and life begins over again here at SC&I, we wish our alumni, donors, and friends a happy and healthy summer. This edition of "Why We Support SC&I" features our good friends Tom and Marti Mattia. They have returned to campus often over the years to teach, to cheer on the Scarlet Knights, and to speak at events. Enjoy reading their inspiring story of returning the favor, "paying it forward," and changing lives by helping to make a Rutgers education accessible to those with the talent and drive—if not the financial means—to pursue it. 
 
“Kairos,” an ancient Greek word that refers to an opportune moment to accomplish a crucial action, is the fitting name of the Journalism and Media Studies magazine. The time is right both to read our talented undergraduates' stories of surviving and thriving through these past months and to congratulate the class of 2021 on remaining focused and committed and achieving their goals here at SC&I. We look forward to celebrating in person with the Scarlet Community in the fall. Read more below about how that community came together in conversation this past spring—led by our own Todd Wolfson and Chenjerai Kumanyika—to tackle some of the pressing social issues of our time. 
 
Finally, as things return to normal, we hope to take stock of the lessons we've learned over these months—to change and grow and emerge from this time a new and better version of ourselves, our institution, our community. Stock can also be given. To learn more about using appreciated stock as a tax-efficient charitable gift, please read the feature below. Have a wonderful summer! 
SC&I Events
Congratulations to the Class of 2021!
 On Thursday, May 13, SC&I held its virtual graduation and convocation ceremonies to honor the Class of 2021 graduates. View the ceremonies here and read the program. The website link will remain available through fall 2021 so you can watch and re-watch our graduation ceremonies! On Sunday, May 16, Rutgers University held its 255th Anniversary Commencement. Natasha Trethewey, award-winning author and former U.S. Poet Laureate, was the commencement speaker
 
Save the Dates
In addition to the virtual commencements and convocations that took place in May, Rutgers will host in-person, school-based events to celebrate and honor the Class of 2021 as well as the Class of 2020. Save the dates for these events:
·      Rutgers University–New Brunswick and RBHS: October 22-24
·      Rutgers University–Newark: November 8-10
·      Rutgers University–Camden: December 1-4
Watch for details of each celebration on the university website.
 
Scarlet Community in Conversation
On May 25, Rutgers University Alumni Association and Rutgers University Foundation presented “Building Power to Fight for the Common Good: Black Lives Matter, Racial Justice, and Labor,” a conversation with Todd Wolfson, Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies and Co-Director of the Media, Inequality, and Change Center, and Chenjerai Kumanyika, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Studies. Wolfson and Kumanyika used examples from their own research, organizing, and media work to discuss how Black Lives Matter is a response to long-held racial disparities. They explored how the movement has critiqued systemic racism in criminal justice and considered how this fight intersects with historic and contemporary labor struggles. To access their conversation on YouTube, click here.

Upcoming Graduate Program Information Sessions  
o Master of Communication and Media:
Tuesday, August 10, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Register here

Master of Health Communication and Information:
Wednesday, August 11, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Register here

Master of Information:
Thursday, August 12, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.  Register here

 Visit SC&I Events for the most current information on programs.
 
Why We Support SC&I: Tom and Marti Mattia
Tom Mattia RC’70 and his wife, Marti Mattia, are a dynamic duo who are longtime SC&I supporters. A Jersey boy from Newark, Tom was the first in his family to attend college, an opportunity made possible thanks to his father’s union job. He put his Rutgers education to excellent use throughout his impressive career, exemplifying the university’s tagline: “Jersey Roots, Global Reach.”
 
After earning his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Rutgers College in 1970, Tom worked briefly as a newspaper reporter before moving into the field of communications and public relations. He held top positions at Yale University, Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Co., Edelman China, EDS, GCI Jennings, among others. He also taught at The George Washington University and, from 2016 – 2020, was a senior lecturer at SC&I, teaching a graduate seminar in transmedia storytelling. In June 2020, Assistant Director of the Rutgers Oral History Archives Kathryn Tracy Rizzi interviewed Tom for the Rutgers Oral History Archives, capturing his memories for posterity; it makes for fascinating reading.
 
Marti earned her BJ from the University of Texas at Austin and her MFA from Pacific University. Following a career in journalism and corporate PR, she has dedicated herself to writing projects including essays, poetry, fiction, and a book of oral histories. She currently is working on both a screenplay and a novel while Tom has embarked on play-writing.
 
Together, the Mattias have three children and remain active in their professional and philanthropic spheres. They have endowed scholarships for first-generation students at SC&I and UT Austin and are longtime supporters of Kapadia Education Foundation, for which Marti served on the board of directors for over a decade. She also founded the Girls Education Mission, a small foundation dedicated to assisting impoverished girls primarily in Tanzania and Kenya stay in school.
 
Recently, they donated $25,000 to Scarlet Promise Grants, a program that provides financial aid and emergency support to university students for whom a Rutgers education otherwise would be impossible. In a fortuitous overlap of their past lives, Tom served as the chief communications officer at Yale while Jonathan Holloway was dean at Yale College. When Holloway assumed the role of president at Rutgers, he kick-started a $10 million focused campaign for the Scarlet Promise Grants program on his first day in office (July 1, 2020). This resonated with Tom.
 
“I hold Jonathan in very high regard, and I believe that one of Rutgers’ great strengths is its position to help give a great education to families who are experiencing that for the first time. Both President Holloway and [SC&I Dean] Jonathan Potter are exceptional leaders and should be supported. We’re happy that this donation does that and helps the students in New Jersey.”
 
Before their most recent gift, the Mattias established the Tom and Marti Mattia Endowed Scholarship in Journalism and Mass Communications, open to first-generation Journalism and Media Studies majors who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and financial need. They also helped renovate the entry foyer at SC&I.
 
“It’s all about paying forward,” said Tom. “Now that we’ve lived out our professional lives, Marti and I are fortunate to be in a position to help. I encourage others who can to do so.”
 
To join Tom and Marti Mattia and our other donors in helping make a world-class Rutgers education attainable and affordable, visit SC&I Giving or call Rob Eccles
 
Share your story and support our students—a gift of any size can make an enormous difference.
Resources
"Kairos: Survivin' and Thrivin'," the spring 2021 issue of the Journalism and Media Studies magazine of top undergraduate work, features stories about how we’re struggling, studying, and adapting:
·      Katie Sun tells the story of an 85-year-old woman learning to shift from in-person to virtual socializing;
·      Addison Gallagher reports on a daycare center facing a financial crisis, as many parents keep their young children at home;
·      Sean Park interviews his jeweler father, on what it takes to sustain a small business during hard times;
·      Alison Allocco explains why GenZ loves audio storytelling;
·      Jade Stepeney asks whether podcasts can save remote learning;
·      Ethan Carpenter talks about how we go to gym class now;
·      Wallace Truesdale looks into what we love, and hate, about virtual study; 
·      Jamie Corter reports on a virus-ravaged Broadway trying to find its future;
·      Ria Malatesta profiles a high school journalism teacher building a thriving side-business in creating fancy cakes; and
·      Laura Esposito discovers that sick talk can lead to eating sickness.

Take Stock of Your Charitable Giving
Did you know you can make a gift to Rutgers by donating stock rather than making a cash gift? Alumni and supporters across the university choose to donate stock to have a positive impact on students and programs. Make your taxes work for you and support the Rutgers community in the process. Using appreciated stock is a tax-efficient charitable gift. Become a donor, receive a charitable income tax deduction, and avoid paying capital gains tax.
 
To help you make a tax-wise gift, use our new stock donation tool: it’s a simple platform that highlights the benefits of donating. When you’re ready to make an impact, you can use the tool to make your gift online. You’ll have the option to e-sign your gift, saving the effort it takes to print and mail in your forms. If you need our stock transfer information, you can request it using our easy online tool. Learn more about giving stock to Rutgers today. Thank you for your support!

Be in the Know with SC&I News
Keep current with all the latest stories—check SC&I News regularly!
Assistant Dean for Development
rob.eccles@rutgers.edu
Phone: 848-932-8905
Cell: 732-540-3529









Development Specialist
jmarcou@rutgers.edu
Phone: 848-932-7568

Gifts to SC&I support our students, drive
research discoveries, and bring ideas to life.
    
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Do you have a new address, phone number, or email address?
Please contact Jodi Marcou and let us know. 
4 Huntington Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
 848.932.7500