Matthew J. Quinn: Advancing the Education of High-Achieving Students with Financial Need

Posted Thursday, June 30, 2011 - 12:20 AM

Following a career of more than 30 years in higher education, Dr. Matthew Quinn became the founding Executive Director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation in 2000. In January 2009, he graciously agreed to join the R. H. Perry Foundation Board of Advisors, providing a grant maker's perspective to our work.

Under Dr. Quinn's direction, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has funded scholarships and grants to provide financial assistance to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. The Young Scholars Program seeks qualified high-achieving, low-income 7th grade students and cultivates their talents and abilities throughout high school. Young Scholars are eligible to apply for the Foundation's College and Graduate Scholarships.

The Foundation's Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Program selects up to 50 community-college transfer students each year and supports them as they complete bachelor's degrees at the nation's top four-year colleges and universities. They may also qualify for a Graduate Scholarship. The highly selective Graduate Scholarship Program enables awardees to pursue graduate or professional education for up to six years of study. A fairly recent program has been to assist exceptionally talented young artists and musicians to receive professional training that would otherwise be unattainable for them. In just eight short years, the foundation has provided over $130 million in scholarship and grant support.

Prior to joining the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Dr. Quinn served as President of Carroll College in Helena, Montana for 11 years. He also held administrative posts at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Iona College in New Rochelle, and the New Jersey Department of Higher Education.

Dr. Quinn brings years of experience on governing board and advisory committees for such groups as the American Association of University Administrators, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the American Council on Education, the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, the Council on Foundations, and Washington Grantmakers. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar, has served as Chairman of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank, Helena Branch, and currently is a member of the Board of Directors for the Council of Independent Colleges.

Wilberforce University Board Selects Richard Scaldini as Trustee

Posted Thursday, June 30, 2011 - 12:18 AM

The R. H. Perry Foundation is pleased to announce that Dr. Richard J. Scaldini was recently elected to Wilberforce University's Board of Trustees. In these times of economic uncertainty, Dick Scaldini offers an unusual combination of skills as a successful educational leader, investment banker, management consultant, and teacher-scholar.

Currently Dick is president of Spearpoint Strategy Advisors, a management consulting firm in Warren, Connecticut. He also serves as the Educational Capital Practice leader for Collegiate Enterprise Solutions, a higher education consulting firm. Dick is the former president of Ohio's Myers University and Hiram College and of The Center for Leadership in Education in Ohio. He was also president of The Washington Campus located in the District of Columbia. In addition to his academic career, he has almost three decades of experience in corporate finance at Chemical Bank (now a part of J. P. Morgan & Co.) and Union Bank of Switzerland, giving him facility with strategic and financial planning as well as organizational development. His career in academic leadership and consulting has also afforded him considerable ease with relationship development that is critical to successful fundraising.

Dr. Scaldini expressed interest in serving as an academic trustee following the Foundation's presentation at the annual seminar of the Registry for College and University Presidents last November. Proceeding on a "hunch," Rob Perry contacted Wilberforce's Board Chair, Col. William R. Lee requesting a meeting to discuss how the Foundation might be of service to the university. During this informal meeting, Rob recommended Dr. Scaldini as a potential match in expertise to round out board composition and an interview process was set up with several trustees in New York City. Dr. Scaldini's name was subsequently submitted to the Committee on Trusteeship with Lee's strong recommendation. "I was very impressed with Dr. Scaldini and his knowledge of Wilberforce as well as the problems facing HBCU's," he reported back to the Foundation. He stated, "I truly look forward to having Dick serve as a member of the Board. He brings a perspective, understanding and depth of knowledge that we sorely need at this time."

Wilberforce University is the nation's oldest HBCU dating back to pre-Civil War times. Founded in 1856, the school's original site was a destination on the Underground Railroad and was subsequently named to honor the great 18th century abolitionist, William Wilberforce. Today, the university is a four-year, fully accredited liberal arts institution offering some 20 concentrations to students in business, communications, computing and engineering sciences, humanities, as well as the natural and social sciences. The university also offers dual degree programs in cooperation with the University of Cincinnati, the University of Dayton, and St. John's University School of Law.
 

John Morning – Artist, Director, Community Servant

Posted Thursday, June 30, 2011 - 12:13 AM

The R. H. Perry Foundation is thrilled to add long-time friend and advocate for higher education, John Morning, to its Board of Advisors. Beyond his work as a graphic designer and company president, John has contributed more than 30 years in leadership positions to a score of organizations in fields as diverse as higher education, banking, philanthropy, the visual arts, theater, and historic preservation.

Equipped with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute, Mr. Morning began as a graphic designer in Manhattan in the 1960’s. As founder and president of John Morning Design, he specialized in publications and materials for leading arts, cultural and philanthropic institutions. These included the Henry Luce Foundation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum for African Art, and the Schomburg Center of the New York Public Library.

As early as the 1970’s Morning was elected to serve on corporate, academic, and foundation boards of directors. In the corporate world, he served on the board of the Dime Savings Bank of New York that later merged with Washington Mutual. In higher education, he was elected Director and Chairman of AGB, Director of CIC, Trustee of CUNY (appointed by then Governor Pataki), Trustee at Wilberforce University, as well as his alma mater, Pratt Institute. Serving the arts, Morning was elected to the governing boards of The Museum for African Art, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln Center Theater and the Lincoln Center Institute. He is Founding Chairman of the International Print Center, the first not-for-profit gallery devoted to the medium of fine art prints. He has also served on some of the most stellar of foundation boards including the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. He was presented with the Lillian D. Wald Humanitarian Award, The White House Presidential Recognition Award, and the Pratt Institute Alumni Medal.

Perhaps most provocative is Mr. Morning’s article titled “A View of Black Board Participation in New York City” appearing in The State of Black New York published in 2007. In this article, he reveals the limited number of African-Americans serving on many of New York City’s corporate, education, and fine arts governing boards. The article ends with these highly prophetic words of Gunnar Myrdal:

“And so we come to the conclusion that much of what is and will be America is being incubated in our boardrooms.”

We, at the R. H. Perry Foundation could not agree more.