State Endowment Match

In 2022, the university received unrestricted funding through the Public Higher Education Endowment Incentive Program, which encourages private fundraising and endowment growth by Commonwealth public higher education institutions and foundations. Last winter, the university chose to utilize this funding to permanently endow a number of scholarships that had not reached the minimum yet.  

Funds that reached endowment through the State Endowment Match include:  

Professor Karl A. Wesolowski Scholarship Fund Established in 2008 for economic majors, this scholarship honors the late Professor Karl A. Wesolowski, who taught at Salem State in the economics department for over 37 years.  

John Finnegan Scholarship Award Established by his colleagues in the music and dance department in 2018, this scholarship honors the late Professor John Finnegan, who taught at Salem State in the music department from 1966 to 1988. 

Chris Joyce ’18 Scholarship Established for first-generation college students in 2018, this scholarship honors the late Chris Joyce ’18, who was a graduating senior in the business administration program with a concentration in accounting when he tragically passed two weeks before graduation.  

Ruth P. Spinale Scholarship Established in 2017 in memory of Ruth P. Spinale ’54, who was dedicated to education and graduated from Salem State University with a degree in business education in 1954, the scholarship provides financial assistance to students studying education with lived experiences reflecting the needs of populations historically underrepresented in higher education.  

Winifred (Greene) Casey ’44 Endowed Scholarship Established in 2005 in memory of Winifred (Greene) Casey ’44, the scholarship is for students studying business who are residents of the greater Lawrence, Mass. area.  

Joseph Aiyeku Award Established in 2014 through a crowdfunding effort by his students and colleagues, the scholarship is for students studying marketing and decision sciences and honors the late Professor Joseph Aiyeku, chair of the marketing department for 10 years.  

“Joseph Aiyeku was dedicated to Salem State and its students. A true educator, he believed that teaching and learning go hand-in-hand and that he learned from his colleagues and students every day. We witnessed the benefits of his interactions with students and wanted to keep his legacy of ‘students first’ alive by fully funding this scholarship in his memory. Thanks to the State Endowment Match we were able to reach our goal, and the Joseph Aiyeku Award will continue to provide critical financial support for marketing students in perpetuity.”  

—Elizabeth Haran PhD ’71, ’74G, professor emerita