http://www.jalc.org/

http://www.jazzfoundation.org/

http://www.metopera.org

http://www.democrats.org/

http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/051803Varisdegree.htm

http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/116/2007/12/19/TuftsUniversityEliminatesLoansforLowerIncomeStudents

http://giving.tufts.edu/why_give/2008profiles/alic.html

Tufts University - Index

Tufts University - Beyond Boundaries Newsletter Winter 2008 - Index

to change the world, which gives me
s citizens of the world. That’s our
now, more than ever.”
lions to causes including Jazz at Lincoln Center, the
Jazz Foundation of America, the Metropolitan Opera,
and the Democratic Party.
Varis’ relationship with Tufts grew from her close
friendship with now-Trustee Jane Hirsh, one of the
few other women entrepreneurs in the pharmaceutical
industry, and her husband Dr. Mark Hirsh, DG68.
The Hirshes knew of Varis’ love for animals—cats
in particular. They introduced her to the Cummings
School, where Mark Hirsh was an overseer. Varis soon
became one of the school’s biggest boosters, and was
named an overseer there in 1996.
Shelley Rodman, Cummings School director of
development and alumni relations, says Varis’ contributions
have strengthened every aspect of the school.
“While her love for cats drew Agnes to veterinary
medicine, she understands that the field supports
society in a variety of ways,” Rodman says. “She has
supported our comparative medicine program and animal
rescue in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and has
provided financial aid for students studying veterinary
medicine and public health. She has our students as
her first priority—always respecting that they choose
veterinary medicine with their hearts.”
“I have a lot of pride in the school.”
Varis’ affection for Tufts has spread to embrace the
whole university. “I see all these young people who
want to change the world, which gives me hope for
our country,” she says. “The great thing about Tufts
is that everybody has great ideas. They’re bubbling—
every school you go to is bubbling.”
In 2003, Tufts awarded Varis an honorary doctorate
in public service for her contributions to health
care, education, politics, and the arts. Receiving that
degree, in recognition of the service she sees as her
lasting legacy, was, she says, “one of the greatest honors
I’ve ever received.”
“Tufts builds citizens of the world,” she notes.
“That’s our mission, and we need it now, more than
ever. I have a lot of pride in the school. When I see
someone walking down the street with ‘Tufts’ written
across his or her shirt, I’ll go up and introduce myself:
I say, ‘I’m Agnes Varis—I’m a trustee.’”
Winter 2008 News of the Campaign for Tufts
“The new policy will enable some of the neediest
families in America to send their children to Tufts.”
— Lee Coffin, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions
Grants-for-Loans Swap
Makes Student Body
More Diverse
In December, the university announced that it is replacing
loans with scholarship grants for all undergraduates
whose annual family income is below $40,000, starting
with the class of 2011.
“The new policy will enable some of the neediest families
in America to send their children to Tufts. It reflects
Tufts’ enduring mission to provide access to students
from diverse economic backgrounds,” says Dean of
Undergraduate Admissions Lee Coffin. “This year, Tufts
will award $42 million in undergraduate financial aid, all
of which is need-based.”
Members of the class of 2011, who enrolled in
September, were the first to benefit from the new program.
More than seven percent of enrolling students
qualified for the loan replacement.
A Citizen of the World
The new program helped
Tufts to enroll the most
socio-economically
diverse class in its history,
with 11.8 percent
qualifying for a Federal
Pell Grant, a widely used
benchmark for socio-
economic diversity. The
class of 2011 includes
162 Pell recipients, a
60 percent increase over
the previous year’s class.
More than 40 percent
of Tufts undergraduates
receive some form of
financial aid.
Samira Alic, A08, is grateful for all Tufts has taught her—
lessons she would not have had the opportunity to learn without
the financial aid that enabled her to attend. When she
immigrated to the United States with her family from Bosnia six
years ago, she was confronted by the twin obstacles of learning
English and adapting to a new culture. She worked hard with
her teachers to reach her potential. Her reward? Her acceptance
from Tufts: “I wouldn’t have been able to attend Tufts
without the scholarships I received. Every time I walk up the
Memorial Steps, I realize how lucky I am to be here.”
7
BEYOND BOUNDARIES