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Q. Your relationship with Curry can be traced to a walk across campus and an invitation by President Quigley to join him for ice cream in the cafeteria. What compelled you to become more than just a neighbor and a leading benefactor of the College?
A. "I became involved with Curry in the mid to late 90s." recalls John Keith. "At the time, I lived in the neighborhood and I’d often walk across the campus. I saw significant physical plant needs. When I spoke with President Quigley, I learned that there were no funds available to address those needs.
"I felt compelled to help Curry not only because it was close to my home, but as a real estate developer and contractor, I saw an A1 location that could attract more students and increase revenuebut after lots of repairs and maintenance."
Q. You are now Chair of the Development Committee and a Chairman’s Circle Donor. What is your personal philosophy on philanthropy?
A. "I was taught at an early age by my father, Oscar Keith, to contribute at least 10% of my income to a charitable or valuable cause. Oscar always said that to do well financially, the more you give, the more you will receive.
Q. What rewards have you received from giving to Curry?
A. "By doing good by Curry, we are doing good by others and also doing good by ourselves.
"I know that what I and other donors have contributed has helped advance Curry to the next level. The bricks and mortar are the foundation. Building residence halls, additional classroom space, a new student center, lets us expand our educational and extracurricular programs. This is how our College will continue to advance its living and learning environment, best serve its students, and ultimately the business community.
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Q. You played an important part in establishing the new Residential Property Management Program. How did that come about?
A. "In all major cities, there’s a shortage of land, a tremendous need for multi-family housing and a shortage of apartment managers. I got a call from Bill Wollinger [President of WinnResidential] about a year ago. He wanted to talk about how to deal with issues of recruiting property managers.
"Bill Wollinger and other local leaders in the real estate industry thought about approaching some of the larger colleges and universities in Boston or Cambridge to develop a training program for property managers. But those schools seem focused on the investment and development side of the business. And the program needed to get up and running quickly.
"I suggested Curry College. There’s no beaurocracy here. The curriculum was developed, approved and marketed in a year’s time, which is roughly the time it will take a student to enter and complete the program. I believe the Property Management Program will have appeal similar to the Accelerated Nursing Program to recent college grads who are floundering’ and haven’t found jobs in their field. With skills in property management, they can begin a lucrative career in a high-demand, growth industry.
Q. Many of the leaders in that industry live in Milton and the surrounding local towns. What message do you have for them?
A. "I need your help," replies John emphatically.
"Curry College needs to raise a significant amount of capital from philanthropic sources to build additional classrooms and a new Student Center without borrowing money.
"The administration made a bold move in 1999 to build a new residence hall. That was a major change to the campus which attracted more students. Since then, we’ve built three more residence halls. But we could finance the residence halls because student revenues would offset the cost.
"Many of the civic leaders in Milton are a natural fit to support Curry. These folks should have a vested interest in helping financially and hiring interns and graduates. Our success will breed their success."
The teamwork of Trustee John W. Keith (left) and
President Kenneth K. Quigley, Jr. (right) has created
a solid foundation and culture of philanthropy at Curry.
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