Skip to main content

MCC News

Alumni Make $4 Million Gift, Lead $50 Million Campaign to Support Scholarships for MCC Students (10/01/2018)

Note: This is an ARCHIVED news release. Information in this article may have changed since this was published.

Robin and Tim Wentworth with MCC studentsMCC students thank Robin and Timothy Wentworth (pictured right, top row, center) for their gift of $4 million to help kick off the MCC Foundation's Every Bright Future Needs a Strong Foundation campaign at the college's Brighton Campus. The campaign goal is to raise $50 million for MCC student scholarships. The Wentworths are members of the MCC class of 1980

Monroe Community College alumni Robin ’80 and Timothy ’80 Wentworth (St. Louis, Mo., formerly of Rochester) returned to their alma mater today to inspire our community to invest in MCC “at a time when students need our help the most.” The couple joined the Monroe Community College Foundation to announce a $50 million campaign to increase the number of scholarships available to MCC students and help grow the local economy through a well-educated and technically sophisticated workforce.

“A $50 million campaign is one of the largest for a community college and is ambitious,” MCC President Anne Kress told the more than 100 guests, including alumni, students and supporters at MCC’s Brighton Campus. “Our inspiring and generous alumni and community understand the remarkable impact MCC has. They know firsthand the incredible futures that result when we work together to invest in our students. They know their support truly changes lives,” Kress said.

To date, $39.5 million has been raised. The total includes the Wentworth’s historic $4 million gift announced today. Their gift, the largest in the college’s history, will expand the Wentworth Family Endowed Scholarship program at MCC to provide full scholarships to 100 MCC students each year. The gift surpasses the Wentworth’s previous gift of $2.25 million. MCC plans to name its arts building in the couple’s honor.

The campaign, titled Every Bright Future Needs a Strong Foundation, looks to engage alumni, corporate partners, private foundations, past benefactors and others to help ensure all students have access to the scholarship support they need to earn a degree or certificate at MCC and are ready to continue their education and/or begin their career.

The Wentworths serve as the campaign’s honorary chairs. “Robin and I are energized by the campaign’s $50 million goal—a goal which will be viewed throughout Rochester, and our country, as historic and incredibly significant when we achieve it,” said Timothy Wentworth, president and CEO of Express Scripts, a Fortune 100 company. Timothy Wentworth benefitted from an Eastman Kodak scholarship when he attended MCC.

According to Lauren Dixon, chief executive officer of Dixon Schwabl and chair of the MCC Foundation Board of Directors, “Every student who enrolls in Monroe Community College has an opportunity to write their personal success story. The Wentworth’s story and continued support are a testament to how MCC changes lives. We thank Robin and Tim for their record-breaking generosity.”

“With incredible support from the Wentworth family and the initial response we have received from those who are passionate about this initiative, we are confident we will achieve our campaign goal,” said Gretchen Wood, CFRE, chief advancement officer and executive director of the MCC Foundation. “We thank Robin and Tim for their visionary leadership and for motivating others to help the thousands of MCC students who need scholarship support in order to earn a college credential and establish a strong foundation for life,” she said.

In 2017-2018, approximately half of MCC students enrolled in degree and certificate programs relied on federal and state grants to attend MCC. In addition to benefitting these students, the campaign will positively impact Rochester and local employers since most (91percent) of MCC career and certificate program graduates who are employed full time are employed in Monroe or an adjacent county. (Source: MCC Institutional Research.)

“Every dollar given is an investment in our school, our community and our future leaders,” Timothy Wentworth said. “MCC opens doors that might otherwise be closed to talented students. Robin and I know firsthand the value of scholarships and the MCC experience. We are changing the lives of others through our involvement in MCC and our investment in scholarships,” Wentworth said.

To support the campaign, visit www.monroecc.edu or contact Mark Pastorella ’90, chief development officer, MCC Foundation at (585) 292-3680.

About the MCC Foundation
The Monroe Community College Foundation seeks philanthropic investment to advance academic achievement, innovation, and the mission of excellence at the College. The MCC Foundation is ranked No. 2 among SUNY community colleges for restricted giving for the second consecutive year.

Media Contact:
Rosanna Yule
Government and Community Relations
585-292-3024
ryule@monroecc.edu