An Interview with Dean Emeritus Tim Robinson And Dean of Students Nancy Mackin
By Ellen Dudas, Planned Giving Officer

As founding members of Ramapo College, with the vision you had for it back in 1971, what is a direction or an advancement that the College has made that exceeded your expectations?
We are very pleased that the beauty of the campus has been enhanced since we arrived. The original estate was exceptionally lovely with grape arbors outside what is now the Potter Library and many greenhouses where Mr. Birch grew orchids. We worried that adding buildings would mean that much of the estate would be treeless and institutional looking. That has not happened. Everyone seemed to realize from the start that the attractiveness of the campus would be a major selling point for prospective students.

We also wondered whether the founding vision that President Potter had could be maintained over time. While there have obviously been changes, we are very proud of the fact that we have not grown too big, that students have professors who care about them and are accessible to them, that the curriculum is still based in the liberal arts, and that students are still actively interested in community service and advocacy.

You recently designated Ramapo College as a beneficiary to a life insurance policy. Can you describe the purpose of the gift?
We were foster parents to several children and were very fortunate that they were able to receive college scholarships from a private foundation that was set up to help those who "age out" of the foster care system. Through our gift, we hope that the College will be able to offer support to former foster children who need financial assistance for such things as personal computers, furnishings for residence hall rooms, transportation to an internship site and other costs that parents might usually provide.

What were the benefits of using an insurance policy to create this endowment?
With Tim retired and my retirement next summer, we will both have pensions from the state of New Jersey. The regular life insurance that was part of our benefit package is reduced at retirement but is still significant enough to fund a larger endowment than we could otherwise afford. Since we will be able to receive each other's pensions if one of us were to die, the life insurance is not needed for living expenses.

You have made other gifts to the College from your retirement accounts. Can you explain?
The tax rules made it advantageous for Tim to make a gift as part of a required withdrawal from his IRA. The withdrawal was made directly to the College, so we avoided the income tax on the IRA distribution, reducing the cost of our gift.

Why did you decide to make a gift to Ramapo College now?
I am planning on retiring from the College next summer. In making preparations for that, Tim and I looked over our finances and decided that the best way for us to show our gratitude to the College for the marvelous opportunities it provided for our professional growth was to make the plan now. That way, we know what we have available to ensure that our family members are recognized through our wills.

Anything Else You Would Like to Mention?
Tim's dad was a president of Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) from 1952-1968. When he needed funds to expand programs or construct new buildings, he was easily able to get appropriations from the state legislature. Now such funds are not available, and the burden is on the College to raise much more in order to serve New Jersey well. We have been very fortunate to have had long and fulfilling careers here. Through our gift, we wanted to show our gratitude and also contribute to the continued growth of Ramapo College.

Thank You, Tim and Nancy
Tim and Nancy are both founding members of the Ramapo community and will be celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary in 2009. They are proud parents of eight children who were born in the United States, Vietnam, Colombia and Bulgaria.
Tim served as dean of academic services for more than 10 years before joining the faculty in 1983 as a convener of the information systems major. He served on the executive council of the faculty assembly and received a grant that funded the installation of the first computer lab for teaching.

In 1971, Nancy was appointed to the position of assistant registrar at Ramapo College. In 1979, she moved to student affairs and served in several positions until 1990 when she was named dean of students. She was involved with many college committees and takes great pride in her prime role of planning for the construction of five residence halls and the trustees pavilion.

Tim and Nancy have provided valuable leadership for giving over the years, including commitments to the Ramapo Campus Community Campaign, the Bill Bradley Sports and Recreation Center, The Berrie Center, and the Mackin-Robinson Endowment. We humbly say thank you for their years of service and support to Ramapo College.