Schepp Connections Issue 15
CONTENTS
Advocating for Human Rights
by Drawing on a World of Human Experience
Eleanor Thompson, J.D., Schepp Scholar 2010-2011
A Life of Service: Dr. Perry Henderson
Schepp Scholar 1954-1958
By Banning Repplier, Trustee
The Right Road Ta ken
Damon Grant, M.A.Ed
Schepp Scholar 2006-2007
Meet Nancy Grossman, Schepp Trustee
by Banning Repplier
Helping High School Students Get on Track for College
By Teresa McCune, J.D.
Schepp Scholar, 1979-80
My Adventures as a Public Health Veterinarian
Shannon G. McCook, DVM, MPH
Schepp Scholar 2010-2012
On the Battle Line of HIV
Sonia Rastogi, student, Columbia University Mailman School of
Public Health, Schepp Scholar 2013-14
Complicated Thinking:
Life as a Witness and Participant in Turkey
Dayla Rogers, M.A., Instructor and Professional Development Assistant
at Dragoman, Inc., Schepp Scholar, 2004-2005 and 2009-2010
(Peace Corps Fellows Program, Teachers College, Columbia University)
A Journey of Service
Michael McNamara, student, Georgetown University
Schepp Scholar 2013-2014
…
A Crucial Crossroads
As you will discover in the following pages, our current and former Schepp
Scholars are continuing the tradition of social service that is the hallmark of
everything we stand for. From an 81 year-old retired obstetrician and gynecologist
to a West Virginia Public Defender, a Georgetown University student and many
others, you will see real-world commitment to making the real world a better
place to live, including expanding access to perinatal care, educating prisoners,
mentoring young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, monitoring the health
of endangered gorillas in East Africa, advocating for human rights in West Africa,
and much more. In this issue, you will also meet our newest Trustee, Nancy
Grossman. Throughout her notable career, Nancy has channeled her passion for
education into improving teaching methodologies in underserved communities
and integrating the arts and culture of the times into the study of history. You will
find these stories and those of all the others who have contributed to this issue
both moving and inspiring.
But, along with the good news, we have some not so good news. The Foundation
has reached a crossroads, where we must soon determine the course of our future.
The fact is, as the stock market continues to be soft, our scholarship grants have
begun to exceed the income from our shrinking endowment. As a result, it is time
for some hard decision-making. There are a number of possible scenarios that
we have discussed. One is to maintain the status quo of giving away more than
we take in, in which case we will have spent down our endowment and will have
to close our doors in about 15 years. (Leopold Schepp himself never envisioned
the Foundation going on in perpetuity.) Another scenario involves scaling back
our grants, thereby reducing our impact on the amount students will have to
borrow and ultimately undermining our relevance as college costs continue to
soar. A third option is to make a determined effort to increase our endowment
through serious fund-raising, not just drawing on the generosity and gratitude of
former Schepp Scholars, but perhaps reaching out to other, larger foundations
and philanthropic organizations.
We have not yet made any decisions and would welcome your input, suggestions
and insights – you are, after all, members of the Schepp family – as to the direction
we should pursue in the future.