Investing in the Power of Education at the HELV
The son of a cobbler, John DiMatteo ’53, P’81 ’84 came from modest means, the youngest of five children in an Italian immigrant family. “There was a lot of love and not a lot of money,” says his daughter, Martha DiMatteo Vorlicek ’81, H’23.
As a young man out of high school, he was unsure of what to do with his life, but after working construction for a year, he decided he needed to further his education. That decision led him to Babson, which ultimately launched him into a successful career. He became a business leader in the Portland, Maine, area, leading a chain of newspapers and radio and TV stations.
DiMatteo passed away in 2019, and for his entire life, he remained a believer in the value of education. “He really believed that education was a great equalizer,” says Vorlicek, an emeritus member of Babson’s Board of Trustees who earned an honorary degree from the College last year. “His own story shows that.”
That’s why, when an opportunity came to support Babson’s new Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village (HELV), Vorlicek thought of her father. Together with her siblings, Andrew DiMatteo ’84 and Susan DiMatteo Keiler, they made the decision to name one of HELV’s new state-of-the-art classrooms after him. “I feel like it’s important to memorialize his name,” Vorlicek says.
The HELV has three of these cutting-edge classrooms, which are designed to foster a more interactive and accessible learning environment, and this is the story of the generous supporters behind these spaces. Just like DiMatteo, they are alumni who believe in the power of education, and they believe in the impact of Babson.
A Focal Point of Campus
While the Babson community was able to take a sneak peek at the HELV earlier this year, it’s making its true grand opening this fall as students return to campus. A living and learning community dedicated to entrepreneurial leadership, the HELV houses the largest residence hall on campus, and its three classroom spaces will serve as the home of Babson’s signature Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship (FME) courses.
A gift from Babson Trustee Bruce Herring ’87, P’19 and his family laid the foundation for the HELV, and other Babson alumni soon joined in to lend their support. “There were opportunities to build upon that vision and allow the school to do something bigger,” says Vorlicek, a senior advisor at HarbourVest.
Michael Lorber ’01 was impressed when he first heard about the plans for the HELV, which repurposes part of the Babson Executive Conference Center. “The BECC was such a unique aspect of our campus, and it is so exciting for it to be completely reborn and repurposed for our students,” says Lorber, a senior vice president at Douglas Elliman Real Estate. “I am hoping that the HELV will become a new focal point of the campus.”
Lorber is another supporter of an HELV classroom. He marvels at how much Babson’s campus has changed over the last decade or so, with the HELV just the latest in a long line of construction projects.
“I lived on campus all four years at Babson, so I got to know the campus very well,” he says. “I have such fond memories of dorm life and firmly believe that it was the best four years of my life. I hope that every student moving on to campus this August can have such a special, memorable college experience like I did.”
Return on Investment
As a graduate student with a full-time job, Jim Rullo MBA’85 had a different connection to Babson. He worked all day, drove to campus in the evening, took classes, and then drove home. His Babson experience, as with so many MBA students, was supremely focused on the earning of his degree.
A stronger relationship with Babson came after graduation as Rullo became involved with the school, eventually becoming a member of the Board of Trustees. “As a trustee, I have been fortunate to see the College in its entirety, and I have even a greater appreciation for the faculty and students,” says Rullo, a retired partner at Wellington Management. “I feel fortunate I have been able to experience this relationship, and I thank Babson for it.”
Along with Lorber and Vorlicek, Rullo is a supporter of an HELV classroom. “Education is one of my family’s passions, and we believe it is the best way to change lives,” he says. “Investing in education not only changes students’ lives but also the trajectory of their families.”
That impact extends even further when investing in Babson’s entrepreneurial students. “They are creating businesses. They are leaders,” Rullo says. “I can’t think of a better return on my investment.”
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