Photo credit: Skip Rowland

Reflecting on how he wanted to give back, Witney Schneidman, CLA ‘75, decided he wanted to honor those who shaped his Temple education the most. In recognition of Dr. Lawrence Reddick, the African American History professor whose course was transformational, and Schneidman’s close friend, James Willis, CLA ‘77, the Schneidman-Willis-Reddick Africa Award enables more Temple students to study, research and/or do service in Africa.   

“When I entered Dr. Reddick’s class on African American history, it was the first time in my life that I was a minority. I had to grapple with a new history, and it was jarring.” Dr. Reddick welcomed all serious students though, and it was Willis in that class who befriended Schneidman and encouraged him to consider both their shared histories and their distinct ones.   

Schneidman came to Temple as a transfer student when he realized the University’s diverse student body and faculty aligned with his career aspirations. As a teenager in 1970, Schneidman was in Uganda when General Idi Amin led a coup d’etat and shut down the borders. This sparked an immersion in African studies when he started college the next year. “I was witnessing firsthand the tectonic shifts of a continent moving away from colonialism towards independence. I wanted to serve and accelerate that transformation.”   

When considering why this endowed study abroad award is so important, Schneidman notes the lingering gaps in our cultural understanding. “Americans don’t really know Africa. Most only know it through the headlines in the news at best.” Having spent the last four decades serving as a bridge between the two continents, Schneidman is well versed in the cultures, landscapes and policies of many African nations. He is a Brookings Insitute Fellow, as well as the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. He has balanced his career jumping between government, NGO agencies and the private sector all the time focused on Africa.   

Seeing the resurgence of study abroad in the last year, Dean Deeg is thrilled to have the Schneidman-Willis-Reddick Award available to students. “Study abroad is perhaps the most transformational, memorable experience our students have. It puts them outside their comfort zone, places them in new cultures, increases empathy towards others and gives them a new lens to examine their own culture. I am very thankful to Witney and his family for enabling more students to have these opportunities. I know cost is the most common barrier our students face when considering study abroad, and this award goes a long way toward overcoming that.”   

For his part, Schneidman was happy to do it. “I felt a responsibility to give back to an institution who has some responsibility for my success. I was in a position to do so financially. Others can give back nonfinancially if that’s more fitting for their means, but we all should give in some way.”  

When asked to define what Temple means to them, Janelle Tricarico immediately spoke one word: "opportunity." Her face lights up as she passionately describes the unique flavor of a Temple Made opportunity—it's not handed to you, but rather a spark that ignites your path and equips you to find your way. It might be challenging, but the journey is transformative.  

Janelle, CLA ’03, and Scott Tricarico, CLA ’03, embody the spirit of #TempleMade. Janelle, a first-generation college student hailing from the Lehigh Valley, experienced first hand how transformative her Temple education was.  Similarly, Scott, from Readington, NJ, discovered his own love for Economics. The two found each other while studying their passion.   

The Tricaricos, married since 2006 with two children, feel compelled to give back to Temple for the opportunities given to them. The couple is directing their gratitude towards the essence of Temple —"opportunity"—by establishing the Janelle M. & Scott J. Tricarico Pathways to Professions Award. This fund is dedicated to supporting the College of Liberal Arts' signature learning experience, Pathways to Professions (P2P) Program. The P2P program allows students with demonstrated financial need to explore their career aspirations through internships without being burdened by financial constraints, especially when many of these opportunities are unpaid.  Their first award recipient was a non-traditional student seeking to redefine her career trajectory. Their current student, Jason, shared his thoughts on how the award opened doors and provided him with valuable experiences. 

I am monumentally grateful for Scott and Janelle's support. Beyond the funding, they also encouraged me to make connections and to step out of my comfort zone. This experience has galvanized me into converting this opportunity; I wish to continue my legal studies and resolve to perpetuate Scott and Janelle's contribution to Temple, Philadelphia, and first-generation communities.

Having experienced the impact of alumni support firsthand, thanks to the kindness of individuals such as Stan Lefkowitz, Mitch Sonkin, Len Mellman, Denise Schwartzman, and Joel Rudenstien, Janelle and Scott were inspired to pay it forward. They eagerly embrace the chance to empower and uplift and provide support for the next generation of Temple students. 

Every gift, no matter the size, makes a significant difference for Temple students. If you are interested in supporting CLA students through experiential learning like the Tricaricos, consider making a gift. For those who wish to establish named scholarship funds, please get in touch with Patrick Daley, Assistant Dean of Development and Alumni Relations, Patrick.daley@temple.edu. 

Photo credit: Robert Carter

College of Liberal Arts Psychology alumnus Leonard Mazur, CLA '68, FOX '75, and his wife, Helena, are strong believers in the power of education and opportunity. A generous $5 million gift from the current Board of Visitors member and his wife will provide scholarships, stipends for completing internships and other valuable opportunities for College of Liberal Arts students, now and in the future.

In honor of Leonard and Helena Mazur's dedication to the College of Liberal Arts and its student body, Anderson Hall will soon become Leonard and Helena Mazur Hall.

"Broad"-ened Horizons in North Philadelphia

With students hailing from Philadelphia to the Philippines and countless places in-between, the heterogeneity of the student body at Temple University's College of Liberal Arts is no small deal—it's what makes us tick.

It was precisely this student body diversity that Leonard Mazur sought following his twelve-year parochial school education. Throughout those years, he was surrounded by a tight knit West Philadelphia community. 

"I was looking to broaden my experiences in college", he explains. "I wanted to add to the supportive environment I had grown up in, by expanding my relationships to include students from different backgrounds and different parts of the country. I wanted to understand the world through different perspectives."

Mazur's desire to continue his education alongside students from varying walks of life led him along North Broad Street to Temple University, where he earned his BA in Psychology from the College of Liberal Arts in 1968. The skills from this degree would—unbeknownst to him at the time—translate well within non-liberal arts fields.

Liberal Arts in the Business World

Plenty of students and young professionals can relate to the excitement that comes with the start of a new internship or job. At his first gig out of college, Mazur may have also felt some extra nerves tangled in the mix.

"The pharmaceutical company I worked for early on didn't offer mentoring, nor did it have a formal training process for hirees," he says. "They were prone to simply casting you into the water and watching you sink or swim."

Consequently, Mazur was offered little professional guidance on his first company project. However, he found that the core skills from his liberal arts education would help him succeed in the task at hand.

"The project involved surveying nursing homes to gauge any opportunities for the company's drugs in the nursing home market sector," Mazur explains. They essentially said, 'you'll put together a report for us and give a presentation to the company's management.' And that was it. No guidance as to how to lay it out, how to think about it, or anything...my liberal arts background really came into play here."

"At Temple, I had a year of Experimental Psychology. So, I had a lot of experience in terms of organizing observational information into papers. That experience really helped me with that whole project. And that project became an important liftoff point for me in terms of my career. The information I collected went to practical use and the company made a judgment call on me and my future internal advancement based on that project."

A short time later, Mazur returned to Temple University in pursuit of an MBA at the Fox School of Business. He went on to become an entrepreneur in pharmaceuticals, launching and selling several companies before founding his most recent corporation, Citius Pharmaceuticals, in 2010.

Mazur credits his undergraduate psychology degree for giving him the necessary foundation to launch his career.

"My liberal arts education was phenomenal in terms of teaching the skills needed to really succeed, no matter the job or field: analytical thinking, research, paper writing and so forth. It was a great experience."

The Gift of Opportunity

For Leonard Mazur, the value of educational opportunity is personal. During a time of financial difficulty in his family, someone who saw young Mazur's potential intervened and made him an offer that would forever change his outlook on giving. "A man named Mr. Joseph Aberman owned a furniture store in the neighborhood where I grew up," Mazur recalls. "One day he called me at home and asked me to come down to the store."

"He told me 'I heard your parents are having some financial difficulty and I want to make sure you get the education you need. I think it's critical that you finish school. I'm going to give you a blank check. You fill in whatever amount of money you need and pay me back when you can.'"

"That," Mazur says, "was transformative."

A portion of the Mazurs' gift will provide scholarships to graduating students from Mazur's first alma mater, West Catholic Preparatory High School—formerly West Catholic High School for Boys. Since his own high school graduation, Philadelphia neighborhoods have shifted and the school now enrolls many students from low-income families. For this reason, Mazur is especially delighted to be giving back.

"There's a lot of good that goes on at that school," Mazur says. "It creates so much potential for its students." Gifts aim to create an impact beyond just the giver and recipients, explains Mazur.

"When you give a gift, what you really want to do is inspire others to give as well," he says.

"All of us are on a journey. And we aren't alone. We meet people who have roles in our lives by giving us breaks, being inspirational, giving good advice and so on. To me, giving back is critical if you've been fortunate enough to have a realization in your life based on what you've been through."

Endowed in 2014, the Leonard and Helena Mazur Alumni Network series helps to build students' professional networks by bringing them together with College of Liberal Arts alumni. 

Photo credit: Joseph V. Labolito

Watch Joyce's Story Here

Joyce K. Salzberg, CLA ’69, SSW ’79, an alumna with a long history of giving back to Temple University, is supporting a professional development center within the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) with a major naming gift. 

To honor Salzberg’s exceptional commitment to the college and its students, the center will be renamed the Joyce K. Salzberg Center for Professional Development. Currently located in Paley Hall, the center will move to a new space in Gladfelter Hall in fall 2020. 

“Joyce Salzberg has been incredibly supportive of CLA for many years, and this financial gift will take our professional development program to a new level,” said Dean Richard Deeg. “As a first-generation college student who became a successful business entrepreneur, Joyce Salzberg is an inspiration to our students and alumni who aspire to her academic and professional success. Her generosity ensures many more can follow in her footsteps.” 

A Philadelphia native, Salzberg is the co-founder of Sunny Days Early Childhood Developmental Services, Inc., one of the nation’s leading early intervention and autism services providers, and founder and CEO of Oxford Consulting Services, which serves schoolchildren with developmental needs and developmentally disabled adults. Salzberg, who currently sits on CLA’s Board of Visitors, earned both her bachelor’s in comparative religion and her master of social work at Temple. 

“I want our students to have opportunities that I never had and to appreciate the value of a liberal arts education,” Salzberg said of her gift. 

It’s a simple motivation—and one that aligns with CLA’s strategic plan to provide better student support and superior career preparedness through internships, networking opportunities and related initiatives, and to be state of the art, both in its facilities and in the quality of services it provides to CLA students and alumni. 

“Liberal arts students are bright, creative and industrious, among many other traits,” Salzberg said. “Future employers are recognizing this. The students and their families need to recognize that and feel confident that they will be very marketable after graduation.” 

As someone who has dedicated her life and career to helping others, Salzberg is pleased to add to her Temple legacy with this gift, which will endow the center with resources for generations to come. The gift is just the latest instance of Salzberg’s long and storied relationship with CLA and Temple. 

The center’s new location in Gladfelter Hall is currently under construction, along with a new Anderson Hall lobby, terrace garden, courtyard and lecture hall. 

In this new location, the Joyce K. Salzberg Center will be part of Temple’s ongoing campus transformation, which in recent years has included the debut of the world-renowned Charles Library, the Aramark STAR (Student Training and Recreation) Complex, and the Science Education and Research Center.