Earlier this month, friends and family of Saint Peter’s University gathered for the much-anticipated Hearts & Minds: The Saint Peter’s University Scholarship Celebration. The “Monte Carlo Night” themed event came to life in the ambient Mac Mahon Student Center; guests were treated to delicious food and drinks, a martini bar and exciting gaming tables. The vibrant night accomplishes two important goals for the University: it celebrates the successes of alumni and friends of Saint Peter’s and supports the dreams and aspirations of the students.
During the awards program, Leah Leto, M.Ed. ’05, vice president for advancement and external affairs, offered the partygoers some advice, “The house always wins,” she said. “But in this case, that’s a good thing because this house was built in 1872 and has been home to generations of alumni and will be the home to generations of students to come. So, you could say, when the house wins, our students win.”
Leto stressed that even though the student population at Saint Peter’s is diverse, 98 percent of them share one commonality – receiving financial aid. The ultimate goal of Hearts & Minds is to raise money to support the University’s General Scholarship Fund and this year, the event raised over $200,000, exceeding the University’s goal and last year’s total.
“Ensuring our students are winners takes more than the gamble we are all taking tonight. It requires that all members of the Saint Peter’s community—faculty, staff, administration, alumni, friends and corporate partners—look within themselves, ourselves, to see how we can all make a difference every day and go ‘all-in’ for the students,” Leto said.
Luck was a theme on most people’s minds that night and Leto expressed how lucky the University is to have Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., as president of the University. He has transformed Saint Peter’s in unimaginable ways during his tenure and celebrates his 10th anniversary as president this month. Dr. Cornacchia has completed so much during his presidency including building the Mac Mahon Student Center, assuming responsibility for St. Aedan’s: The Saint Peter’s University Church and achieving record enrollment numbers.
During his remarks, Dr. Cornacchia reflected on his inauguration, “When I started, there were four themes that I hoped would animate my presidency: being dedicated to faith, being grounded in reason, being engaged in service and being committed to justice.”
With confidence, Dr. Cornacchia stated that the University has moved forward in all of these areas in the past 10 years.
The night continued as tribute was paid to four individuals who seek the Magis, to do more through their dedication to Saint Peter’s. Drew J. Bauman, Esq., and Eileen L. Poiani, Ph.D., were recognized for their loyalty to Saint Peter’s and were presented with honorary alumni awards. Anthony O. Pergola, Esq. ’92 and Maureen Lemke Pergola ’94 were recognized for their dedication to alma mater.
President Eugene Cornacchia, Ph.D., with Honorees. From left: Anthony Pergola, Esq. ’92, Maureen Lemke Pergola ’94, Dr. Cornacchia, Eileen Poiani, Ph.D., and Drew Bauman, Esq.
Bauman is a counselor at The Law Office of Drew J. Bauman in Maplewood, N.J., where he has served as a court appointed legal guardian for nearly 100 individuals who are physically and mentally incapacitated as well as a court appointed attorney for more than 350 incapacitated men and women. For over 25 years he has been a loyal donor to Saint Peter’s University.
“I am dedicated to supporting Jesuit education,” said Bauman, “and I believe that this school completes its mission to educate first generation students from all backgrounds.”
Next, the loyalty to alma mater award was presented to Anthony and Maureen who have both served on boards at the University and Anthony is currently a member of the Board of Trustees. Anthony and Maureen have made Saint Peter’s a philanthropic priority through their leadership support of the University’s greatest needs.
“They are role models to their fellow 90s classmates as well as generations to come,” said Dr. Cornacchia. “They even survived my poli sci course,” he joked, adding, “It is an amazing thing to watch your students achieve so much in life and to give back so generously in time, talent and treasure to the institution we all love.”
Anthony and Maureen opened their acceptance speech with, “Tonight we are being honored for loyalty to alma mater. It is funny because we couldn’t imagine being anything but loyal to a school that not only set us on a path to success, but brought us together.”
Lastly, Eileen Poiani, Ph.D., took the stage to a standing ovation to accept her honorary alumna award. Dr. Poiani is special assistant to the president and professor of mathematics at Saint Peter’s. She has made the University a philanthropic priority with the Eileen L. and Hugo F. Poiani Student Forum on the fifth floor of the Mac Mahon Student Center.
“Eileen, is in so many ways the first, first lady of Saint Peter’s,” said Dr. Cornacchia referring to the fact that she was the first female professor in the mathematics department and the first female vice president in Saint Peter’s history and has served the University for 50 years.
Dr. Poiani, who has a tremendous amount of Peacock pride, took the stage with a peacock feather fan.
Honoree Eileen Poiani, Ph.D., Rolls the Dice at a Gaming Table
“Much has changed over these decades,” she said. “Women are no longer ‘hidden figures.’ Students can reside on campus. My collection of peacock jewelry and peacock-everything has grown exponentially. My 1967 forest green Mustang is now replaced by my 2010 beige Toyota; my hair has gone from long to short; my rotary phone to an iPhone. But my enthusiasm and cura personalis for the students of Saint Peter’s continues to grow.”
She specifically thanked her parents, the Jesuits and her colleagues and students.
“Although I was gender ineligible to have attended Saint Peter’s [at that time], I had a front row seat in Jesuit higher education. I owe an enormous amount of debt to the Jesuits,” she said, ending with, “The students mean the world to me. They are the soul of the University.”
To see photos from the event, click here.
Hearts & Minds celebrates integrity, leadership and service to others. Proceeds from this annual event support the University’s General Scholarship Fund, which helps deserving students to have access to a quality Jesuit education. The annual Hearts & Minds celebration makes it possible for students who may not have the means to afford college to take a chance on their dreams.
The event was made possible by the following generous sponsors: Lowenstein Sandler LLP, Capital One Bank, Connell Foley LLP, Genova Burns LLC, Proskauer, Aramark, BCB Community Bank, The Jesuits of Saint Peter’s, PSE&G, CarePoint Health Foundation, Collins Building Services, Inc., Pfizer, The Sherwin-Williams Company, Sodexo USA, Inc., The Spanarkel Browne Granizo Group, Merrill Lynch, Hackensack Meridian Health – Palisades Medical Center, Thomas P. Mac Mahon ’68, Kenneth Moore ’91, NJM Insurance Group, Provident Bank, Staples, Inc., W.B. Mason Co., Inc., NK Architects, Ener-G, Rudox, J. Paul Schaetzle ’75, Haven Savings Bank and Inkwell Communications, Inc.
