History provides copious examples of women supporting women. This fall, Syracuse University’s College of Professional Studies will honor a campus organization that has spent 94 years doing exactly that.
On Thursday, Sept. 29, Dean Michael Frasciello will present the Women of the University Community (WUC) with the Dean’s Lifetime Ambassador Award at the college’s Alumni Luncheon as part of Orange Central. The Lifetime Ambassador Award is the highest recognition bestowed on alumni and organizations annually for their support of the college and its students.
In 1927, some 57 years after the founding of Syracuse University, a group of formidable females formed WUC to provide friendship and fellowship among its members.
Fast forward 42 years to 1969 when the organization began holding fundraisers to assist women pursuing their education at Syracuse. WUC established three scholarships to support women who attend Syracuse University: the Ruth Tolley Award, presented through the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics; the Mildred Eggers Award presented through the College of Professional Studies; and the Beverly Whaley Award presented through the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
More than $200,000 has been distributed over the last 50 years, with future support continuing through these endowed scholarships. “We are immensely grateful to the Women of the University Community for their unwavering belief in the transformational power of a college education, and their commitment to our shared mission of providing and supporting access to Syracuse University,” says Dean Frasciello.
The Mildred Eggers Award was established in honor of the wife of the late Chancellor Melvin A. Eggers in gratitude for her generous support of WUC. The award is presented to women studying part-time through the College of Professional Studies who are matriculated in a bachelor’s degree program and taking at least six credits the following semester. Recipients are selected primarily on academic merit, with financial need considered.
In the coming months, look for details about the Sept. 29 luncheon, to be held noon to 2 p.m. at Drumlins Country Club, as well as more about the history and significant contributions of this impactful organization that has supported women for nearly a century.