TCNJ

34 The College of New Jersey Magazine THE CAMPAIGN FOR TCNJ: ELEVATING EXCELLENCE WHEN BIOLOGY PROFESSOR DON LOVETT retired in 2025, he hosted a party. His purpose was twofold: 1) to celebrate and 2) to raise funds for an endowed scholarship for undergradu- ate research experiences. Lovett dug into grade books and contacts he had kept for decades and reached out to more than 135 former students — some had done research in his lab, others he taught in premed classes, and still others he advised in the seven-year medical program — and invited them to his bash. Eighty-five alumni, who are now physicians, professors, and biotech founders (among other titles), came to do both. Many who could not attend sent checks. Every one of them had a "Lovett story," and all were eager to help undergraduate students, parti- cularly those who are first-generation, have the types of research opportuni- ties that once launched their own careers. Jay Harger '96, currently the chief operating officer of Themis Bios, was a transfer student to TCNJ back in 1994. Part of what drew him to the college was the active research program it had. Interested in life sciences, Harger had heard about Lovett, who had a reputation as a tough, but incredible, teacher. "I was like, 'I'm going to take his class.'" The standards Lovett set and the mentor- ship he provided shaped a trajectory that led Harger to a local biotech internship, and ultimately, to executive leadership in genomics. "The thing about Don," says Harger, "he finds his people. He saw some- thing in me, and took an active interest. Not just in me as a student, but me as a person." Jayson Punwani '00 had a similar experience. He took Lovett's electron microscopy lab and says there was a direct line from that class to his current role as managing director at Abingworth, a life-science investing company. "His class turned research from something I read about in textbooks into something I wanted to do," he says. "It set me on the path to my PhD." Lovett's impact often went beyond academic rigor. As a student in the seven-year med program, Justine Wu '97 first got to know Lovett in a histology class. After getting a 76 on one of his exams, she broke down crying. Lovett looked at her test, covered in erased and scratched-out answers. "He told me that what he saw was not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of confidence," Wu says. "He advised me to stop second-guessing myself and trust I knew what I was doing." Wu is now an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan, where she periodically shares this story with her own mentees, with the understanding that having someone believe in you can make all the difference. To date, the Donald Lovett Summer Research Award in Biology has raised about $114,000. "I knew that there were alumni who were grateful for the experience that they had at TCNJ," says Lovett. "It turns out they were more generous than my wildest dreams." — Kara Pothier Love it! An alumni crowdfunding project says thanks to a favorite professor and "we see you" to the next generation of aspiring scientists. Donald Lovett THE FUND: Donald Lovett Summer Research Award in Biology THE FACTS: $113,445 total raised 104 INDIVIDUAL DONORS $4,200 STIPEND AMOUNT FOR ONE STUDENT FOR SUMMER RESEARCH $1,800 AMOUNT FOR STUDENT SUMMER HOUSING

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