When Joseph Sciame '71Ed speaks of his affection for St. John’s
University, he immediately acknowledges the gratitude he feels for
what the University has allowed him to become.
“St. John’s gave me my start by educating me,” he noted “and I
truly feel that all of the success that I’ve had in my life started
with St. John’s. My Vincentian values are important to me,
and I’ve been fortunate to have been able to share them with others
over the years. With fewer Vincentians now, it’s up to the
laity to share these important values with others.”
Sciame began his career at St. John’s soon after graduation, and
has been an important part of the unprecedented growth that has
taken place over the years. A nationally acclaimed expert on
college financial aid, Sciame now serves as the University’s Vice
President for Community Relations. He is quick to acknowledge
the uniqueness of what the St. John’s experience has meant to so
many people.
“We’ve definitely given a break to people [with our
scholarships] but we’ve also given them the tools to succeed.
Students have always gotten a great education at St. John’s, but
they’ve also gotten something more. We’ve always been
entrenched in our faith, our beliefs and our shared values, and
these are the qualities that make a difference in our lives and the
lives of those we touch.”
Sciame has demonstrated his gratitude to alma mater through his
membership in The Loughlin Society and The McCallen Society.
As someone whose entire professional life has been devoted to
addressing the needs of the University and its students, he is well
aware of St. John’s dependency on adequate resources to ensure the
continuation of its mission.
“When I was here [at St. John’s] for 25 years my friends and
family had a party for me. The money from those gifts went to
[St. John’s] The School of Education, and now there’s a Joseph
Sciame Scholarship for students in that school. That
scholarship is helping students today, and will memorialize me
someday.”
Sciame’s membership in The McCallen Society is a natural
extension of his desire to support St. John’s well into the
future. “Many years ago I had put an amount in my will for
St. John’s,” he said “because I wanted St. John’s to receive
something back from me. I knew that St. John’s could always
use financial resources from successful alumni, and I did it out of
gratitude as well as to help address the future needs of the
University.”
Sciame invites others to follow his example by becoming a member
of The McCallen Society. “I welcome others who are either St.
John’s graduates or friends of the University to consider becoming
a member of The McCallen Society. The Society will be here
forever, and once you join you’ll feel good about doing something
for an institution that has helped so many people for so many
years.”
He welcomes the opportunity to serve as a role model for future
benefactors. “I hope that whatever I have done, others will
follow in my stead. St. John’s is a success story, and I
really hope that others will want to become a part of that
success.”