Stockton Trustee Donates Major Gift to College

As an undergraduate college student at Dickinson College in 1961, Trustee Dean C. Pappas underwent “a transformational experience” when he heard the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speak to the student body.

“Until that point I was sort of drifting my way through college, but Dr. King’s message was very impressive.  It made me start to think more seriously about my future.  Basically, his message was to act responsibly. It was a moment that changed my life.”

Mr. Pappas, a member of the Stockton College Board of Trustees since 2006, wanted students at the College to have similar access to outstanding visiting scholars.  To that end, Mr. Pappas and his wife, Zoe S. Pappas, have donated $1 million to establish the Dean C. and Zoe S. Pappas Visiting Scholar Endowment Fund and $150,000 to establish the Interdisciplinary Center for Hellenic Studies (ICHS) Endowment Fund.  The Pappas Visiting Scholar Fund will be used to bring noted scholars and thought leaders to the College for classes, workshops and public events.  The ICHS Fund will help support faculty research, student educational opportunity, study abroad programs, among other initiatives, under the umbrella of the ICHS.

“Dean and Zoe Pappas’ generous gift is certain to provide our students with access to some of the great contemporary voices in education, culture and civic engagement,” Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp said.  “Just as Dr. King’s words inspired Dean to do great things in his life, Dean and Zoe’s gift will provide similar opportunity for current Stockton students and those who will follow. We are most grateful to Dean and Zoe for this wonderful gift.”

Dr. Philip T. Ellmore, Chief Development Officer added, “A gift of this magnitude ensures our ability to regularly host a well-known and respected scholar or thought leader in a wide range of educational opportunities for the benefit of Stockton students, faculty, staff and the local community, and the ICHS Endowment will help ensure the strength and expansion of the ICHS program.”

Zoe Pappas, who works as a guide at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, said education has always been a priority in the family.  “We are believers that education gives anyone a chance to be successful,” she said.

The visiting scholars program is envisioned to take placed on an annual basis.  The scholar or thought leader may come to the campus for several days and participate in classes, hold lectures, workshops and symposiums and be available for interaction with students and the community.  In some cases, the funding might be used for a single event such as a performance or lecture, and in certain instances an occasional year may be skipped to allow for increased funding the following year.

“What will be constant,” Mr. Pappas said, “is that in all instances there will be a lecture or signature event that is open to the community and all who wish to attend.”

He re-emphasized his wish that current and future Stockton students benefit from the endowment in much the same way he did when he heard the dynamic talk by Dr. King at Dickinson College, more than 50 years ago. Mr. Pappas, who grew up in Bridgeton, said he became involved in the family business as a result. “The business was facing some challenges at the time, and Dr. King’s words resonated within me. I became more serious about school and realized that I could utilize my knowledge in a positive way.”

Dean Pappas joined the firm upon his graduation in 1962. He and his brother, Peter, grew Clement Pappas and Company to a leader in the supply of private label fruit juice beverages and cranberry sauce to leading wholesalers and retailers throughout North America, and Mr. Pappas became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until his family’s recent sale of the business.

He added the main principle in selecting the scholar or thought leader would be to include representation of a wide range of academic disciplines as the years progress.  Arts and humanities, business, economics, political science and public policy are but a few examples of this range. 

According to Dr. Saatkamp, a Pappas Visiting Scholars Program Committee will be initiated, consisting of at least five people, to help select each year’s visiting scholar or scholar/artist. The committee will come from a cross-section of the College community. 

Mr. Pappas said the desire to form the ICHS endowment dates back to his earliest involvement at Stockton. A member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, he enjoys a long association with Dr.Demetrios Constantelos, Stockton Distinguished Professor Emeritus, and a Greek Orthodox clergyman.

“I first became aware of all the great things happening at Stockton through Father Constantelos,” he said. “The more I learned about the College, the more impressed I became, and that has continued to be the case throughout my years serving on the Board of Trustees,” he said. 

The Pappas gift provides a tremendous boost to the College’s first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign known as You Make the Difference: The Campaign for Stockton College. “The campaign has a goal to raise $20 million by the end of June 2014,” said Dr. Ellmore.  “This gift helps us towards that goal and we are honored that Dean and Zoe have made Stockton a significant part of their philanthropy.”

--News release from Stockton College.