Not-quite-perfect version, but good enough for television.

1. Advancing
the Mission
“...at the heart
of everything we A Message from
do and hope to
achieve are –
Vice President for Advancement
emphasis deliberate
– the students.
Fred Regan
Dear Alums:
Our core mission
This is my first written communication to the alumni community
is to train the best as whole since arriving as the new Vice President for Advance-
and brightest ment just over two months ago. Let me say first that I am delight-
“As a donor, I want to invest in institutions that I can change for the better.
ed to be here, and even more delighted with the opportunity to
I want to give… and see and feel the result.” young men and lead Stevens’ development and communications programs. Now
is a time of extraordinary opportunity and equally extraordinary
women and
challenge for Stevens; and based on what I have experienced so Fred Regan
prepare them for far, I am very confident that we can and will succeed.
successful careers How we define success; what actions will be required to bring it about; and what that will
require of alumni, administration, faculty and staff are all themes I intend to communicate about
and service to with you regularly. For now, I offer the following three thoughts:
Castle Point on Hudson
Hoboken, NJ 07030 society.”
It’s about the students:
Stevens is distinguished in many ways – as educator, as research leader, and, more recently, as incubator
for entrepreneurship and new enterprise development. Stevens is a recognized leader in marine, port and
cyber security, systems engineering, and nanotechnology, and faculty such as Mike Bruno and Dinesh
Verma, both of whom serve as school deans, are at the top of their fields, recognized nationally and
internationally. In countless ways, Stevens is on the move – and increasingly seen as such.

2. But at the heart of everything we do and hope to achieve are – emphasis deliberate The good news is that Stevens’ students are outstanding, its faculty are
– the students. Our core mission is to train the best and brightest young men and highly-regarded (and growing in stature), and its core reputation for
women and prepare them for successful careers and service to society. This is the teaching, research and entrepreneurship is strong.
truest measure of our institutional “success.” Similarly, our development program
achieves its core purpose when it supports Stevens in enabling bright, creative, The other good news – and this is huge – is that Stevens is compact
highly motivated students to attend and thrive here, and to graduate into positions enough in people, programs, and financial scale that a few million
of industry leadership. dollars invested here still makes a difference. Indeed, for a donor of
particular generosity, there is great opportunity to make a significant
Indeed, for many students, donor support is the difference between career aspira- difference at Stevens. Or, as my trustee friend once said: “As a donor,
tions realized and career aspirations delayed…or even abandoned. And that is what I want to invest in institutions that I can change for the better. I want to
makes scholarship giving – especially alumni scholarship giving – the priority, this give… and see and feel the result.”
year and every year. Because such giving really is all about the future of our
students, who are the future of Stevens. Donors have that opportunity at Stevens.
Very sincerely,
The key is not “you” or “us”, but what we do in partnership:
Stevens’ ultimate success will not result from the actions of any one individual or
constituency – be it the President, the Board of Trustees, the alumni/ae, the faculty Frederick E. Regan
or the staff. It will result from the actions of all of these individuals and con-
stituents working in well-organized, well-
coordinated partnership and focused on one The good news is that Stevens’
...Stevens is compact enough in people, programs, overriding goal: to make Stevens the best students are outstanding, its faculty are
it can possibly be. In advancing Stevens,
and financial scale that a few million dollars there are no outsiders or insiders, no highly-regarded (and growing in stature),
invested here still makes a difference. A team or B team, no spectators… there and its core reputation for teaching, research
are only players, each contributing as part
of a team. More than anything, Stevens’ and entrepreneurship is strong.
future depends on this partnership.
The opportunity for impact, the possibility to influence
Years ago, a wealthy alumnus of Harvard and MIT became a trustee of, and even-
tually a seven-figure donor to, a much less famous, much less wealthy university
where I happened to be vice president. When asked why, he answered that, though
▲
he loved his two Cambridge schools, he had arrived at a point where he could no SPOC, Inc. Project Engineer
Rebecca Apruzzese ’06, MEng. ’07 (c.),
longer justify or feel satisfied making major gifts to them. and Project Manager Jeckin Shah ’05 (r.),
discuss the SPOC muscle pain detection
Why? Because his support no longer made a difference. Because, as an individual, device with Stevens Alumni Association
President Ed Eichhorn ’69 (l.) and
he no longer believed he could have an impact…And impact was what George Couto ‘06 (l.), during a convening
mattered to him. of the Stevens on the Street Affinity Group
at the New York Yacht Club, April 2008.
Both the device and the company are the
There is relevance here to Stevens, which today finds itself in an increasingly result of a Stevens Senior Design Project,
competitive marketplace, with too few resources and too little visibility. itself a Technogenesis® collaboration
among students, faculty and outside
partners.