nova friends funds
Helping NOVA students achieve their academic potential.
End-of-year letter from the president
dear nova friends,
I wanted to share how our Foundation has grown and developed in the past year. Here is what we accomplished in 2021.
Foundation operations
We received our Public Charity Status under the IRC Section 501(c)(3). All donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
We have also modified our official name from NOVA Friends Fund to NOVA Friends Foundation. We have retained our old name for business purposes so that both names will be acceptable.
We have streamlined the donation process. We can now accept donations by major credit cards online at the Foundation’s Website https://www.novafriendsfund.org. We have also partnered with the Amazon Smile Program so that NOVA Friends can support our work through their Amazon purchases.
At our October 2021 annual Board meeting, we welcomed Mr. Vincent Cordrey. Mr. Cordrey will serve as a member of the Board and as a secretary of the Foundation for the upcoming year. Mr. Cordrey is a former NOVA student who was active in student life there. He served as the President of the Tau Mu chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa society at the Alexandria campus and the NOVA Honors Students Society. He brings diverse expertise and proven dedication to helping NOVA students. I am very excited to have Mr. Cordrey on the Board of directors, and I am looking forward to working with him towards our mission.
The Elizabeth Tarpley Scholarship
We were deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Elizabeth Tarpley. Dr. Tarpley was a personal friend and was a tremendous motivating force behind establishing the NOVA Friends Fund. She was one of its founding directors, a member of the Board, and served as a treasurer. We, at the Foundation, will dearly miss her wisdom, expertise, and sense of humor.
This year, to honor Dr. Tarpley and her work at NOVA Friends Fund, we established the Elizabeth Tarpley Scholarship. It gladdens me to announce that our first recipient of the Elizabeth Tarpley Scholarship is Ms. Susan Savage. Ms. Savage has worked with Dr. Tarpley in the past and came to the attention of the Foundation by way of Dr. Tarpley herself.
the state of the program
I am happy to announce that four NOVA full-time faculty have joined me at the Foundation. They will be serving as Advisors to the President on questions related to the selection and mentoring of our Program students. All four Advisors have extensive expertise in teaching and advising and have a proven record of their dedication to the success of NOVA students.
I established this Advisory Board to help ensure a transparent and fair selection process of students for our Program. I am also working with the Advisory Board to develop robust guidelines for the mentoring aspect of the Program.
We had our first student accepted into the Nova Friends Fund Program this year. Ms. Susan Savage was selected and approved into the Program based on Dr. Tarpley’s ardent recommendation and that of her NOVA instructor. She is currently the recipient of the Elizabeth Tarpley Scholarship.
looking ahead
One critical task for the upcoming year is the selection of NOVA students for our Program. The pandemic has made that a challenge as many teachers deliver their classes remotely and do not get a chance to know their students. I will work with the Advisors to reach out to more NOVA faculty and create alternative ways to reach out to qualified students.
I also plan to reach out to a broader range of teaching faculty across the many NOVA campuses to inform them about the NFF Program and what students can benefit best from it. We will also continue to fine-tune our selection process and increase the pool of volunteers to serve as mentors to students in the Program.
acknowledgments
I want to express my gratitude to all who helped us throughout the year.
Thank you to our generous donors: Mrs. Carolyn Kibler, Ms. Abbey Alpern, Ms. Carol Bartosch, Ms. Celeste Beauregard, Dr. Seung Gwon, Ms. Cathy Henderson, and Mr. Daniel Harris. A hundred percent of your donation goes to supporting Program students.
I also would like to thank the members of the Board, Mr. James Gallatin and Mr. Vincent Cordrey, and all the volunteers at Nova Friends Fund: Prof. Francesca Viale, Prof. Amy Richardson, Dr. Bruce Wahl, and Dr. Izanne Zorin. I appreciate your expertise, hard work, and dedication to the mission of Nova Friends Fund. Thank you!
With best wishes for health and prosperity in the New Year,
Tatiana
