October 31, 2015

Why We Give: Dr. Marian Mattison ’04P and Marshall Raucci, Jr. ’04P

campaign why we give new_cmyk_adj_resizedTogether, Dr. Marian Mattison ’04P and her husband, Marshall Raucci, Jr. ’04P, are making sure the forecast is bright for Providence College students.

Mattison, an associate professor of social work, has taught at PC for 22 years. Raucci, a principal and investment consultant with Prime, Buchholz & Associates, knows the world of business. They have experienced the College as parents, too. Their son, Marshall Raucci ’04, a political science major at PC, is a lawyer with Decof, Decof & Barry, a personal injury law firm in Providence.

In 2010, Raucci and Mattison provided $50,000 in seed money to launch PC’s Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), which allows students in a two-semester finance course to gain hands-on experience managing real money in a way similar to the management of the PC endowment.

About 200 colleges and universities in the country have such student-managed funds. Students, supervised by a professor, buy and sell securities, demonstrating to potential employers that they have experience managing and investing money.

Through the SMIF, students develop an understanding of the investment world that is deeper than classroom study can provide, Raucci said. They are challenged to think critically and to apply their knowledge to complex situations — skills that are at the core of PC’s Development of Western Civilization Program.

Millennial learners expect to be able to link theory with experience to deepen their understanding and abilities, Mattison said. Her desire to give has only increased during her years teaching at the College. Over time, she has seen firsthand “the impact that human capital can have on the growth and development of our students,” she said.

Raucci has served PC in other ways as well. He was a member of the Board of Trustees’ Investment Committee, which oversees PC’s endowment; the National Board of Overseers; and the Providence President’s Council. Last fall, he participated in an Investment Forecast Forum sponsored by the student-run Investment Club.

“When you contemplate the tangible consequences of the ‘hands-on’ education and the lasting impact a Providence College education leaves on our students, why wouldn’t you want to be a part of it?” Mattison asked.

“It is our hope that our financial gifts to PC will have a lasting influence on current and future students and the world in which we live,” said Mattison. “We hope to be a small part of the success of Providence College.”