Old Westbury College Foundation Leadership Awards Dinner Raises Funds for Scholarships
The Old Westbury College Foundation, Inc. was pleased to welcome more than 500 guests on May 7 to celebrate the successes of SUNY Old Westbury during what became the highest-grossing fund-raising event in College history.
"Ladies and gentlemen, by being here tonight you have helped us improve the educational experience of the students of Old Westbury,” College President Calvin O. Butts, III, told the guests in attendance at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, New York. “To get to where we want to go, to add to the strength of an Old Westbury education, and to enhance our position as a community resource, we need the assistance of people like you. I cannot thank you enough for joining us.”
The Old Westbury College Foundation was proud to present its Leadership Awards to a stellar group of honorees during the event.
- Ravishankar Bhooplapur, president of Xavier University School of Medicine, was honored for his leadership in business, education and in charitable causes around the world.
- Laura Anker, distinguished service professor and director of first yeat experience at SUNY Old Westbury, was recognized for a leadership style dedicated to inclusion, education, and community empowerment, and
- Lionel Chitty, president of the Alumni Association of SUNY Old Westbury, was honored for his ongoing efforts to bring civic and business leaders together for the greater good of Long Island.
Also recognized during the event was President Butts for his 20 years of service to the College and all of Long Island. The longest-serving president in the history of SUNY Old Westbury, he has directed a period of tremendous growth at the College, highlighted by the introduction of the highest admissions standards on record for the College, enrollment growth of more than 56 percent and the introduction in 2004 of graduate instruction at the College, which now boasts some 300 students studying in 19 master’s degree programs. Today, the College has the largest student enrollment in its history with 5,077 students in attendance. During Dr. Butts’ tenure as president, Old Westbury has received significant national and international recognition.
Sponsors of the event were Xavier University School of Medicine, Kenneth and Kathryn Chenault, Ravishankar Bhooplapur, Atlantic Dialysis, Co-Source Solutions, Gary Casimir, Greiner-Maltz Co. of Long Island, Peoples United Bank, the Alumni Association of SUNY Old Westbury, Auxiliary Service Corporation of SUNY Old Westbury, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Nora Bassett, Robert B. Catell, Chartwells & Thompson Hospitality, Colony Pest Management, Inc., Thomas S. Gulotta, JMZ Architects and Planners, P.C.
& BSA Life Structures, Bhupendra Patel, Magdy Shady, Stagg, Terenzi, Confusione & Wabnik, LLP, TFCU, VHB, and Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP
The Old Westbury College Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting SUNY Old Westbury in becoming the flagship Arts & Sciences College in the SUNY system. The Foundation solicits gifts, grants and endowments that enhance the educational, research and community service mission of the College. Funds raised through Foundation activities, help bridge the gap between tuition and operating expenses at the College, and ensure that Old Westbury’s students have the best educational experience possible.
