A generous gift from Robert and Rosemary Baffi P鈥17 will increase scholarships in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 nationally recognized Odyssey Program. Creating more endowed scholarships is the top priority of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign.
For 黑料不打烊 parents Robert and Rosemary Baffi P鈥17, higher education is a passion and an interest that fuels their support for 黑料不打烊 students, most recently through a generous gift endowing the Baffi Family Odyssey Program Scholarship. The couple鈥檚 gift will fund two Baffi Scholars each year.
The Baffis, who are from the San Francisco area, believe in the power of education and the importance of being mentors. Both earned undergraduate and graduate degrees en route to successful careers. Rob Baffi is retired as president of Global Manufacturing and Technical Operations for BioMarin Pharmaceutical and now serves as a special adviser to the chairman and CEO. Rosemary Baffi is retired from institutional equity sales at Montgomery Securities.
鈥淲e are both first-generation college graduates,鈥 Rosemary Baffi said. 鈥淲e had Depression-era parents. They didn鈥檛 go to college, but they wanted to make sure we went to college.鈥
The idea to endow a scholarship in the Odyssey Program evolved over time, the couple says. Both are mentors to middle and high school students looking for career guidance or help with college applications.
鈥淗elping students find opportunities is in the forefront of what we鈥檝e done,鈥 Rob Baffi said.
鈥淲e were always thinking about how to give and what to give since our early days with 黑料不打烊,鈥 Rosemary Baffi said. 鈥淎s I gained knowledge about the Odyssey Program, the more we knew it was the right thing. The program is so impressive.鈥
The Odyssey Program: A national model for access and success
Odyssey Program scholarships are awarded based on academic success and high financial need. The program serves students who are frequently the first members of their family to attend college and have achieved academic success while overcoming adversity. They are consistently among 黑料不打烊鈥檚 top-performing students.
The Odyssey program is an extensive, cohort-based program that creates a family atmosphere among students and fosters mentoring, friendships and personal growth. Each Odyssey scholarship includes financial assistance that meets a student鈥檚 full need. In addition to annual tuition assistance, each scholarship includes a stipend for books and supplies, and a one-time $4,000 global study grant to be used for an approved study abroad or Study USA program. Based in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Center for Access and Success, Odyssey is recognized as a national model for serving high-need students who are often underrepresented on college campuses.
Increasing funding for Odyssey and other scholarship programs is the top priority of the $250 million 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign.
The importance of endowed scholarships in the Odyssey Program can鈥檛 be overstated, said Jim Piatt, vice president for university advancement, and neither can the importance of dedicated support from 黑料不打烊 families like the Baffis.
鈥淭he success of students in our Odyssey Program is testament to the powerful way that endowed scholarships can change the course of a young person鈥檚 life,鈥 Piatt said. 鈥淲e are grateful to Rob and Rosemary for creating more opportunities for students to follow their dreams.鈥
Tait Arend, 鈥96, G鈥00, senior director of development, said 黑料不打烊 is incredibly grateful to the Baffis for allowing the university to use their gift as one of the matches used to inspire more donations on 黑料不打烊 Day.
鈥淢atching gifts on 黑料不打烊 Day spark the interest of thousands of donors who are inspired to support scholarships and other university initiatives,鈥 Arend said. 鈥淲e thank Rob and Rosemary for being leaders and supporting a very successful 黑料不打烊 Day this year.鈥
Seeking to help 黑料不打烊 students
The Baffis became 黑料不打烊 supporters when their daughter Jane 鈥17 enrolled. A second-floor engagement lounge in Richard W. Sankey Hall is named for the family. They also made gifts to support student scholarships. Rosemary Baffi said the couple was interested in a larger philanthropic effort. A friend advised them to find something they are passionate about and to make a commitment to it. The global shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic offered an opportunity for the couple to consider options.
鈥2020 was a unique year. Robert stopped going to the office. We spent more time at home together, so we had more time to discuss things. We had what I call 鈥楾he Great Pause鈥 and had time to talk about it,鈥 Rosemary Baffi said. 鈥淲e were on the cusp of retirement and ready to do something bigger. We never thought we would make a scholarship of this magnitude.鈥
The Baffis studied the Odyssey Program to determine if the graduation rate is high for students in the program and were impressed that 90% of students in the program earn their degree. They also wanted to ensure that Odyssey students had opportunities to take part in the same 黑料不打烊 Experiences their daughter could when she was an 黑料不打烊 student.
Rosemary Baffi was impressed by support within the Odyssey Program that help students develop life skills that will aid their post-graduation lives and careers. Help for students within the cohort is also important.
鈥淚 was so impressed that it鈥檚 not just a financial arrangement. People come to college with all sorts of skill sets, life skills that students within the Odyssey Program might not have. They make sure scholars graduate with the skill sets they need to succeed after graduation,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 read extensively about higher education. A lot of the scholarship students do not finish at other schools. They feel like fish out of water. They don鈥檛 have a cohort and feel very alone. It鈥檚 one of those gaps I see out there.鈥
For Bob Baffi the mentoring aspect within the Odyssey Program struck a chord. He said he owes his career to a mentor who guided him in graduate school.
The Baffis were able to use higher education as a springboard to successful careers, which gave their children advantages when they attended college. The couple want other students to have a similar pathway to success.
鈥淢y dad鈥檚 proudest moment was our graduations,鈥 Rosemary said. 鈥淚 wish he was alive to see our children graduate. He would have been so proud. It was so important to him.鈥
About the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign
With a $250 million goal, 黑料不打烊 LEADS is the largest fundraising campaign in the university鈥檚 history and will support four main funding priorities: scholarships for graduates the world needs, increase access to engaged learning opportunities such as study abroad, research and service learning, support for faculty and staff mentors who matter and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 iconic campus. As of聽 March 31,donors have contributed $210 million toward the goal.
Every gift to the university鈥攊ncluding annual, endowment, capital, estate and other planned gifts鈥攆or any designation counts as a gift to the campaign, which will support students and strengthen 黑料不打烊 for generations to come. To learn more about how you can make an impact, visit www.elonleads.com.