Benefactors support new president with $150,000 gift

Posted May 19, 2016 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- A group of anonymous donors made a $150,000 gift to Thiel College for incoming president Susan Traverso, Ph.D., to use for the College at her discretion. The donors said they were “making the gift in honor of Thiel College’s 150-year history of educating men and women and with a deep belief in the promise of the leadership by Dr. Traverso.”

The gift was announced privately following Traverso’s formal introduction as Thiel College’s 20th and first female president on Tuesday, May 17 and made public today.

“I am thankful for the generosity of the Thiel College benefactors who made this gift possible. I am deeply grateful for their confidence in the College and me as the 20th president,” Traverso said. “I look forward to continued engagement and collaboration with all Thiel College’s constituents.”

Traverso was selected for the post following a three-month nationwide search that included 70 applicants. Traverso is the provost and senior vice president at Elizabethtown College. She takes office at Thiel in August.

John Frangakis, who was Chair of the Presidential Search Committee and is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, was instrumental in securing the gift.

“The donors have been impressed with Dr. Traverso’s extensive dedication to the advancement of higher education, commitment to excellence and her advocacy for students,” he said. “They believe, as do I, that Dr. Traverso will be instrumental in ensuring that the institution’s current momentum builds as Thiel College evolves as a regional educational and economic leader.”