Giving to Purdue

Anne Agosto-Severa

Each gift, no matter the size, is a vote of confidence in the University and a testament of loyalty to the Boilermaker family. Purdue employee donors are passionate about their support. But before they click to give through payroll deduction, there is a story. 

Anne Agosto-Severa, registrar at Purdue University Calumet, has a passion for making sure students are staying connected and moving forward with their education.

"I give because their success means everything to me," she says.

Agosto-Severa (BA'76, MSED'97) has been part of the Calumet Registrar's Office for 38 years. "The best part of my job is that I get to see students every day," she says. "I interact with every one of them and hear their stories. They come with varying degrees of needs."

Part of her job allows her to attend scholarship luncheons each year. At these luncheons, students and donors interact and the donors get to hear firsthand how much their giving has changed the lives of these students.

"I hear the students express how scholarship dollars let them completely focus on their studies because they don't have to worry about finances," she says. "They are so grateful for what they get, and I always tell them to remember what they got here so when it's their turn, they can give back."

She likes to recall one of John Wooden's bits of wisdom, "You can't have a perfect day without doing something for someone who'll never be able to repay you." This is what Agosto-Severa strives to do every day with her time, her talent, her concern. "I love what I do," she says. "I want to work with students even beyond retirement."

Agosto-Severa is committed to Purdue University Calumet and its students because of what it has given her -- first as a student and now as a staff member. She says, "It may be cliché to say I'm paying it forward, but it's true. I give because I got. I just wish I could do more."

* Faculty and staff who would like to share their own thoughts and stories about supporting Purdue should contact stewardship@purdue.edu or 49-43872.