Endowing the presidential scholarship to provide financial merit to students in perpetuity is one of three transformational initiatives the landmark gift makes possible

Ramapo College of New Jersey unveiled a $4 million gift today, the largest one-time gift in college history, thanks to the generosity of longtime supporters and friends of Ramapo College, Susan and Nick Vallario. Through several endowed initiatives, this visionary gift serves to future-proof the success of students and positively contribute to New Jersey’s economy.

“This phenomenal gift honors the public good Ramapo provides as the state’s designated public liberal arts college,” said Dr. Cindy R. Jebb, President, adding “Susan and Nick’s prescient generosity allows us to further the College’s mission by investing in and developing our students to be the empathetic problem solvers, ethical change agents, and responsible leaders our state, our society, and the world so desperately need.”

The gift will support Ramapo’s strategic plan, Boldly Ascending, by strengthening student success through:

• Supporting student well-being
• Empowering students for a digital future
• Investing in New Jersey’s brightest minds

That third action is fueled by a $2 million endowment for the College’s existing Presidential Scholarship program, which will now be known as the Susan and Nick Vallario Endowment for Presidential Scholarships at Ramapo College. As active New Jersey residents, Susan and Nick are especially passionate about keeping high-achieving New Jersey students in-state and even more passionate about them selecting Ramapo College.

“This transformative gift is reflective of Susan and Nick’s steadfast commitment to not only Ramapo College and its faculty, staff and students, but their forward-thinking and visionary philanthropy,” said Dr. Christopher Romano, executive director of the Ramapo College Foundation.  “They are friends and supporters who not only help to think through what is, but challenge and support us in answering what’s next for the students of tomorrow.”

Susan Vallario speaks with current presidential scholars after the announcement of the historic gift.

The Vallarios’ involvement in the Ramapo community for more than a decade has been life-changing for past and current students and scholars. Now, the investments stemming from their gift will benefit future generations in perpetuity. Quietly and earnestly, they have provided innumerable hours of support through their philanthropy, counsel, and leadership of many student-centered initiatives.

One of their earliest contributions to Ramapo College was for the creation of the innovative Pathways Program in 2014, a career-focused program that prepares students for success after college by incorporating coursework into the curriculum so students begin career exploration, self-assessment, and professional development before graduating. It is facilitated through experiential, hands-on learning.

Foundation Chair Keith Dawkins ’94, President Cindy Jebb, Nick and Susan Vallario, and Vice President of Strategic Enrollment, Outreach and Engagement Chris Romano.

In 2016, Susan and Nick served as honorary co-chairs of the Learning Commons Campaign, an extensive project that not only renovated the George T. Potter Library, but expanded the building’s interior space 33% to create the Peter P. Mercer Learning Commons, which opened its doors in 2021.

Since 2020, the Vallarios have supported the efforts of the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center, the first of its kind in the world, in which practitioners and students work on resolving cases that involve unidentified human remains, violent crime, and wrongful conviction. They have also supported the We Care Program, which provides support for students experiencing food insecurity, facing homelessness, or lacking necessities such as clothing or connectivity and laptops in order to persist through their degree programs.

Susan has served on the Ramapo College Board of Trustees since 2015. Early in her term, she held the position of secretary, later becoming vice chair, and has now served as chair of the Board since 2020.

Until now, all of the Vallarios’ support has been given quietly, a testament to their selfless commitment to Ramapo’s mission and students. Susan and Nick have long been a part of campus life, always with an understated presence—Susan at Student Government Association meetings and research symposia, Nick as a classmate to many through Friends of Ramapo, and both as dedicated supporters of the Performing Arts Dinner Series in the Berrie Center. Now, with the creation of the Susan and Nick Vallario Endowment for Presidential Scholarships, their name will not only be known to all, but will forever be synonymous with what it means to be bold, be kind, and be good teammates.