Moraseski Legacy Gift Invests in Future Initiatives
Barb and Jim Moraseski ’73 M.S. ’73 have always approached their giving to Stevens with impact in mind. Their latest commitment is a generous estate gift that will enable Stevens to direct funds toward the most important needs of the future.
Building on their longstanding generosity at Stevens, the couple chose to support unrestricted giving through their bequest. Their commitment will provide Stevens with the flexibility to invest in emerging opportunities and priorities over time.
The Moraseskis’ legacy support is a continuation of years of meaningful philanthropy to the Stevens community.
Giving Inspired by Experience
“My earliest gifts to Stevens were in support of the Stevens Dramatic Society,” Jim says. “I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years, which meant taking a lot of extra courses. Getting involved in the technical side of the society’s productions gave me an outlet to let off steam. It was the main thing that helped me get through.”
The couple began making gifts to the theater club in 2016 and later expanded their philanthropy to support the Stevens Dramatic Society term scholarship, helping to endow it through their continued generosity. “I felt that it was a way to continue a program that had helped me so much,” Jim adds.
The Newark high school that Jim attended did not have many programs for advanced learning. In fact, few high schools did at that time. Still, Jim was able to access summer courses in science and math. “That’s how I first learned computer programming,” he says.
He applied to several colleges, and Jim chose Stevens because it was close to where he lived. Once enrolled, he quickly observed that those summer classes gave him a strong foundation for the programming courses that were part of Stevens’ engineering track. “I majored in engineering because there was no computer major available at Stevens in the early 1970s,” he says. “Within that framework, however, I focused as much as possible on computers.”
“Jim finished his Stevens education at 20,” Barb says, clearly proud of her husband’s accomplishments. Growing up in Milwaukee, Barb spent a summer during high school studying computer programming at Marquette University. She completed her undergraduate work at Michigan State University and landed her first career role at what was then Western Electric in New York City.
As it turned out, Jim also began his career at Western Electric. They met at a company-sponsored education program.
Jim stayed with Western Electric for five years before joining a small company that built software for the mental health industry. “I spent 41 years there,” he says, attributing his success to the problem-solving abilities he developed at Stevens. “At Stevens, you learn how to figure out a problem and how to fix it. Over time you are able to do this faster and better, which brings a lot of value to your employer.”
Philanthropy with Purpose
The Moraseskis are intentional about their philanthropy. “We support causes that address vital community needs — housing, food security, healthcare and education — in the most impactful way possible,” Barb explains.
When the couple began exploring giving options at Stevens, Barb notes, “We wanted to make a meaningful difference in the students’ lives.”
Stevens ACES (Accessing Careers in Engineering and Science), and its success in expanding educational opportunities for talented students from under-resourced high schools, resonated.
“I had the experience of attending a high school that couldn’t offer me the kinds of advanced learning that I needed,” Jim says. “ACES scholarships assist students who have enormous potential, but who would otherwise lack the resources to attend a school like Stevens.”
“I especially like that ACES reaches out to students while they are still in high school,” Jim continues. “This gives them an edge when they get to college. They will be better able to compete with students who come from wealthier school districts.”
ACES Student Success
Providing access and opportunity for promising STEM students from pre-college through college, the ACES program has made a meaningful impact for many students at Stevens.
“ACES has benefited me both professionally and personally because it gave me the opportunity to work as a research assistant in the Department of Computer Science,” says Melanie Moranchel, Class of 2028, who is majoring in information systems. “Through this experience, I discovered my interest in using software to analyze data, which is something I hope to pursue as a career. Being a part of ACES has also helped me pay for school, which I am very grateful for. As a first-generation student, navigating college felt overwhelming at first, but ACES has provided support and opportunities along the way.”
“Throughout my time in the program, ACES has been a cornerstone of my academic and professional journey,” says Witler Defendre, Class of 2028, a mechanical engineering major. “Academically, the program has provided vital support by connecting me with faculty and fellow students for tutoring, which has allowed me to remain deeply focused on my studies. Professionally, ACES has been instrumental in my development, offering essential guidance on resume building, class scheduling and course assignments.”
A Legacy for Future Generations
Bequest intentions are by nature forward-looking. “This is a way for us to continue to give,” Jim says. “We have been successful, and we want to share that with others.”
By supporting unrestricted giving, the couple chose to leave funding choices to the Stevens of the future.
“We think the world of ACES, but we don’t have any way of knowing what will be most impactful for the coming generations,” Barb says. “It made more sense to us to allow the university to put the funds to their best use when the time comes.”
The Moraseskis are already witnessing how Stevens is preparing the leaders of tomorrow. “Stevens is launching a new School of Computing that will be integrating AI across disciplines,” Jim says. “It is an exciting development to see computing as a source of support for all of Stevens’ programs.”
Barb, who recently toured the campus, was equally impressed by the students she met in the Stevens Startup Garage. “There were so many amazing ideas being developed,” she says. “One student was working on a website designed to bring together seniors who are feeling left out. It is already established in Hoboken, and she is preparing to expand to additional areas.”
“Stevens was a much smaller school when I attended,” Jim says with a laugh. “But I have always appreciated the education I received here.”
“That’s why we give what we can,” Barb adds. “It is our way of helping bright students get a great education.”
