Parents Elizabeth and Wallace Schwartz Express Appreciation By Janice Beetle Godleski
Sam Schwartz ’13 iS a focuSed and Self- directed Student who chose Springfield College for its unique emergency medical services management program. it was a perfect fit for Sam, who knows he is good in a crisis, having served since the age of 16 as a first responder and active member of both the Katonah-Bedford Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the Bedford Hills Fire Department in New york. Sam wanted to broaden his knowledge in the field at Springfield College and had a career in emergency services in mind. What Sam didn’t realize he would also
find at the College is good mentoring and good guidance. As his parents, Elizabeth and Wallace “Wally” Schwartz tell it, Sam learned as a freshman that studying emergency response was not quite as exciting as responding to help in an emergency and that his criminal justice course was “very inter- esting and enjoyable.” The Schwartzes say that during their
oldest son’s first year at Springfield College, Sam found a great new mentor in Professor Gary Berte, who taught his criminal justice class. After hearing some very helpful advice from Berte and from Deb Dickens, director of Learning Support Services, Sam has changed his major to criminal justice, making what Wally described as “a difficult but very wise decision.” His parents couldn’t be more pleased with the process and with those who took Sam under their wing. “Sam has been incredibly happy with his
new direction and has been enjoying the process of discovering and weighing the many possible career choices ahead,” Wally said. “Sam has also appreciated how many teachers in criminal justice are actually working in the particular fields that they come here to teach. it gives the classes real-
Andrew, Elizabeth, Wally, and Sam Schwartz
life meaning that Sam finds very helpful and much more exciting than the typical class.” Sam has several years left to determine
if he wants a career in law enforcement, homeland security or some combination of careers that would allow him to also use his first responder experience. And the Schwartzes are confident that Springfield College is up to the task of helping Sam make those decisions. They are so pleased, in fact, that they are now members of the College’s Presidents Council, giving back to support good work. The couple, from Bedford, N.y., knows the
importance of a good education. Elizabeth is a registered dietitian and specializes in consulting with patients who have kidney disease. She has a bachelor’s degree in human nutrition from Cornell University and a master’s in clinical nutrition from New york University. Wally, a real estate attorney who heads up the Real Estate Group at Kosowitz, Benson, Torres and Friedman LLP, in New york, has a bachelor’s from Harvard University and a juris doctoral degree from Cornell Law School. Their younger son, Andrew, is a 16-year-old sophomore at The Harvey School in Katonah, N.y., from which Sam graduated in 2009. “Given Sam’s change in direction—not an
easy process for a college freshman—we have greatly appreciated all the help and advice that both Sam and we received from Sam's new- found advisors and mentors at the school,” Elizabeth said. “A good mentor can be very crucial for any young person's ability to succeed, and i know how difficult it can be to team up with the right mentor. So we are very appreciative for the great mentors that are committed to helping Sam succeed at Springfield College.” The Schwartzes are also
pleased with the smaller class sizes at the College as well as the solid student body as a whole, and they appreciate that Sam has found great new friends and roommates. “And the school has a very dedicated faculty that is committed to helping each student to succeed,” Elizabeth said. They hope their gift to the College will,
in the future, help other students to be successful. “We think it is important to support such institutions as a way of helping them to continue to help Sam and so many other students, and also as a small way of expressing our appreciation,” Elizabeth said. The Schwartzes actively support The
Harvey School for the same reasons. And they are so taken with Springfield
College that they recently brought Wally’s parents, Stan and Enid Schwartz, visiting from Boynton Beach, Fla., on a tour of the campus. Sam’s grandparents, too, were struck by all the great facilities and resources available. “We know it takes a lot of funding to support the very special faculty and administrators and the outstanding facilities at the school,” Wally said. “We trust the school to use our modest gift in whatever way is most helpful, and that is all we hope to achieve.”1
Office of Development, 263 Alden Street, Springfield, Mass. 01109 (413) 748-3124 or (800) 622-6072 14 TRIANGLE 1 Vol . 83, No. 2
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