Alumni Share Success Stories with Students

Patricia Ryan ’70 and Anil D. Aggarwal ’89 came back to Albright for Entrepreneurship Day in November. John Kane ’04 moderated the panel discussion. photo: Jennifer Post Stoudt

Although their products are vastly different, their message was the same…it takes hard work and commitment to make a business work.

Anil D. Aggarwal ’89 and Patricia Ryan ’70 came back to Albright in November to participate in Entrepreneurship Day. Aggarwal and Ryan spent time talking with students in the classroom in addition to participating in a luncheon panel discussion moderated by John Kane ’04 and Sabrina Wnorowski ’04.

“I believe it’s important to nurture an entrepreneurial spirit at every stage of education,” Aggarwal said. “And I’m excited about both the role that Albright College is playing in doing so and having been asked to contribute to the process.”

Aggarwal is CEO of Clarity Payment Solutions in New York, N.Y. Clarity Payment Solutions is a leading provider of prepaid Visa, MasterCard, EFT and ATM card solutions for numerous applications, including health care administration, payroll processing, claims processing, gift cards, corporate incentives, consumer promotions and teen payments.

Ryan is president of Ryco, Inc. in Lincoln, R.I. Ryco is a manufacturer and distributor of thousands of different types of trimmings and ribbon. They have been in business for nearly two decades and are leaders in the industry for product development while maintaining a small family business status.

Entrepreneurship Day provides Albright students with an opportunity to learn from people who have implemented ideas, taken advantage of market opportunities and are applying skills strategically in the day-to-day business world.

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Putting a Face on Philanthropy

photo: Jennifer Post Stoudt

When John Trainor ’04 walked into The Crab Barn to discuss scholarship opportunities with Herbert C. Miller Jr. ’61 three years ago, he was a little nervous. But after a minute or two, Trainor said it felt like they had known each other all their lives. Three years later as he prepares to graduate, Trainor said at the sixth annual Scholarship Luncheon in November, that he feels like “one of the Miller family.”

The luncheon recognizes donors and connects them with the students who receive the awards.

As the featured speaker, Trainor expressed his gratitude to the members of the Amy Miller Birkbeck Scholarship committee and then asked all donors in attendance to stand and be recognized for their outstanding support of Albright
students.

Ninety-four percent of traditional day students receive financial aid at Albright. For the 2003-04 academic year, the College awarded more than $14.5 million in Albright funds towards scholarship and grant aid to support students.

Currently there are more than 200 endowed scholarship funds in Albright’s portfolio. Scholarship endowments work to benefit students and the College in perpetuity. Funds are often created in the name of individual class years, a company or profession or, more often, in memory of an individual.

For information on contributing to an existing endowed scholarship fund, or establishing a new endowed scholarship fund, contact Jason Ketter, associate vice-president of development at 610-921-7500 or email jketter@alb.edu.