The Nicholas Donofrio Fund received a $500 grant from The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s donor-advised fund, the Yvette Melèndez and Carl T. Chadburn Foundation Fund. The Nicholas Donofrio Fund supports NVCC students who work on campus during their pursuit of a degree. The Donofrio NVCC Student Jobs on Campus Project was established earlier this year by Nicholas M. Donofrio, a former Chairman and member of the CT Board of Regents for Higher Education (2012-2016) and IBM Fellow Emeritus & Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology (Ret.). The project is based on the existing Jobs on Campusinitiative established by NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., in 2014. Donofrio’s original gift supports the placement of students into campus positions that support their academic goals.

Through the Jobs on Campus program students gain valuable work experience and mentoring from College faculty and staff. The participants also provide valuable feedback to the College as to how NVCC may best support students in persisting to graduation and successfully transferring to a baccalaureate institution, preferably one of the four Connecticut State Universities or Charter Oak State College.  Student recipients have an opportunity to interact with Donofrio once per semester and graduating students who have received funding will be recognized at the annual Honors Convocation in May.  The Donofrio NVCC Student Jobs on Campus Project will support a minimum of 10 students in five years and President De Filippis has designated a committee to select the recipient students.

“I am delighted to support the NVCC completion agenda by providing opportunities for students to study and work on campus, a proven retention to completion strategy. I look forward to meeting recipients of the Donofrio NVCC Students Jobs on Campus Project and to hearing about their progress toward graduation and transfer to one of our wonderful CSCU universities.” said Donofrio.

President De Filippis commented that, “The Donofrio NVCC Students Jobs on Campus Project is a welcome addition to NVCC’s Jobs on Campus initiative, designed to support our A.L.I.C.E. (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) students. We are so very grateful and delighted that the Donofrio family has chosen to support such an important initiative at the College with a very generous scholarship. Such a contribution by a major donor whose experience in higher education affords him great perspective validates the efforts of this program and creates a great example.”

President De Filippis established the program to serve students with documented financial need who do not otherwise qualify for traditional financial aid programs. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher to be eligible for employment. Participating students have the opportunity to stay on campus for employment between and after classes. This affords them financial, academic, and logistical support that enhances their college experience and improves their success rates while maximizing their time on campus with jobs tailored to their academic goals. Since 2014, campus, donor and community support for the program have grown on both the Waterbury and Danbury Campuses. The College has worked with the NVCC Foundation to support and expand the program to its current level of 11 students this current academic year. 

The Donofrio NVCC Students Jobs on Campus Project represents a generous five-year commitment to NVCC students and their continued success.