Honoring Ignatian Values
The Barry family knows more than most how BC's Ignatian values can sharpen one's perspective.
"Our lives have been immeasurably enriched by Boston College," says Steven Barry '85, P'14. "My wife, Tammy, and I found each other on the first day of orientation. Our personal and professional development is rooted at BC." Now their son, Matthew, is carrying on the tradition at the Carroll School of Management, while their daughter Courtney will enter the Connell School of Nursing in September.
Steve Barry, a managing director at Goldman Sachs, first gave back to BC as an advisory board member of the Center for Asset Management, a Carroll School initiative that aligns top financial services companies and professionals with Finance Department faculty. Through the BC Connections Program, Tammy Barry '85, MEd'87, also grew her University relationship, mentoring Lynch School of Education students who, like her, wanted to work with children with multiple disabilities.
These initial volunteer experiences solidified their belief in the University's mission and spurred them to make a generous financial commitment to ensure those values are lived on campus every day.
"We wanted other young people to have the same opportunities that influenced us so powerfully," says Tammy Barry, explaining how they decided to establish the Steven M. and Tammy J. Barry Fellowship Fund, which provides scholarship assistance for Lynch School graduate students with financial need.
They later endowed the Barry Faculty Research Fund for the Carroll School of Management and have made both current-use and endowed gifts to support the BC Band. Most recently, the couple created the Barry Family Scholarship to assist deserving undergraduates.
The Barrys view their Light the World campaign gifts as an investment in the University's future. "BC benefits from tremendous leadership and vision, and that must be backed by financial resources," says Steve Barry. "The needs are great, but the rewards are enormous: a premier university, a world-class faculty, a state-of-the-art campus, and an outstanding student body."
As co-chair of the Wall Street Council, Steve Barry hopes to leverage the campaign’s momentum during the council's 25th anniversary year. In particular, he welcomes the opportunity to support BC's renowned Presidential Scholars Program while deepening the relationship between the University and the financial services industry.
"Through interviewing young job applicants, I know that there is something special about BC graduates," says Steve Barry. "Beyond their considerable intellectual skills, they are also self-aware and socially conscious. The Jesuit threads that run through their lives—the emphasis on personal formation and service—really shine."