From the Board Chair: What Wagner Means to Me

From the Board Chair: What Wagner Means to Me

WarrenI always enjoy describing what Wagner means to me. As an alumnus, the son of an alumnus, and the chair of the College’s Board of Trustees, I think about the Wagner not only of yesterday, but also of today and tomorrow.

Wagner’s fateful impact upon me began long before I was even around. My father, Waddie Procci ’36, a native Staten Islander, was the son of very poor Italian immigrants. When it came time for him to attend college, his family simply couldn’t afford to send him away, so he went to Wagner as a commuting student, a major part of the Wagner of that era. His Wagner education enabled him to attend medical school and to have a life filled with opportunities for himself and for his family.

When it came time for me to go off to college, I chose to follow in my father’s footsteps and also attend Wagner. I found an ever unfolding world of academic ideas and opportunities, as well as a chance to meet some wonderful classmates who remain friends to this day.

As good as Wagner was for my father and for me, the Wagner of today provides even more life-enriching opportunities through the Wagner Plan, learning communities, civic engagement, and internships. Wagner today gives our students the essential underpinnings for the world of tomorrow.

With all of our collective energies, Wagner will only continue to grow and expand, and be a source of ever greater opportunities for decades to come. Wagner has yet to reach its full maturity and potential as a center of educational excellence.

Please join me in appreciating all that Wagner has done in your life, and in celebrating what it is doing in the lives of students today.

Warren R. Procci ’68
Chair, Wagner College Board of Trustees