Anthony and Michele Manganaro
To help keep Northeastern accessible to deserving students from less-advantaged backgrounds, Anthony Manganaro, E’67; his wife, Michele; and their children, Todd, BA’95, and Nicole D’Amore, L’97, are donating $7.5 million to the Torch Scholars program.
The Torch Scholars program provides full college funding to young men and women whose life circumstances might otherwise prevent them from studying at a private university. This is the Manganaro family’s second contribution to the Torch effort. The first, in 2006, funded ten young scholars and helped launch the program.
Manganaro, who serves as the chairman of the Siena Corporation, a commercial real-estate development company in the Baltimore–Washington, D.C., area, is himself an example of a first-generation college student who’s gone on to achieve great personal and professional heights.
He says, “We know there are many first-generation students who have the drive and intelligence to succeed in college who are overlooked by the narrow evaluation of many universities. I am tremendously impressed with the progress this university has made and its continued commitment to the character of Northeastern students. We have a lot to be proud of in this school, and we need to show it with solid bottom-line support.”
The Torch Scholars, selected from hundreds of applicants each year, receive full scholarships covering tuition, fees, and room and board. The scholarships pay for eight semesters of undergraduate study, as well as an introductory summer-immersion program, provided the students maintain acceptable grades. The program is in its third year, with its second class of scholars currently enrolled as freshmen.
Applauding the Manganaros’ “extraordinary generosity,” President Aoun says the Torch program “shows that Northeastern can innovate and become more competitive, yet still honor our oldest mission of providing an education to students from less-advantaged backgrounds who have great potential.”
In addition to financial support, Torch Scholars receive personal and academic guidance throughout their undergraduate careers, including mentoring workshops and social events that maintain group identity and camaraderie.