Historic Bequest Will Support Generations of Students
A bequest from the late Reno Del Ben ’58 M.S. ’70 — among the largest in Stevens’ history — has established an endowed scholarship supporting 45 students this academic year and generations of students to come. The $12.5 million Reno Del Ben Endowed Scholarship is funded by a permanent endowment, which ensures that it will support student scholarships well into the future.
Already the scholarship is enabling current Del Ben scholars, who are all second- or third-year students, to achieve their dreams.
Danica Chakroborty, a second-year software engineering major, serves as a resident assistant, president of the Software Engineering Club and a member of the Undergraduate Student Advisory Committee for the Department of Systems and Enterprises. “I have a single mom and an older sister who are my role models,” she says. “They have instilled in me a work ethic…and have always encouraged me to push through every obstacle. This scholarship has truly helped us so much in pushing through the financial obstacles of college, and my family and I are incredibly grateful for it.”
Miguel Bigao, a philosophy major with the Class of 2027, expressed deep gratitude for the scholarship. “It is a beautiful thing that, although I will be graduating almost 70 years after Mr. Del Ben, his continued memory will help a fellow Duck.”
“A gift of this magnitude has the power to transform a university,” says Cindy Chin ’05 M.S. ’05, Ed.D., Stevens vice president for enrollment management. “The Del Ben scholarship ensures that talented students have the resources they need to thrive at Stevens and will positively impact generations of students.”
– Michelle Giles
A Passion for Stevens and the Open Road
The son of Italian immigrants, Reno Del Ben was born and raised in Tenafly, New Jersey. He earned his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering in 1958 and a master’s in chemical engineering in 1970 from Stevens. A graduate of New York University School of Law, Del Ben worked as an attorney and investor while holding positions in his family’s homebuilding business, Del Ben Estates.
One of his great passions was motorcycling across America. He enjoyed many cross-country trips on his BMW motorcycle, putting more than 1 million miles on his bike. “Reno would get on his bike and take off for weeks at a time,” says his longtime friend and executor Steve Standler.
Says classmate Bob Fiocco ’58, “I remember Reno as a likeable and unique classmate with an independent spirit. A proud Stevens alum, Reno always returned to celebrate key anniversary years with our ’58 class.”
Del Ben died on December 6, 2021, his 86th birthday.
“As with many good fellow classmates no longer with us, Reno will be well-remembered for his character and loyalty,” Fiocco says.