DCC Benefactor Reaches $1 Million in Gifts to the College

Release date: June 9, 2008

Poughkeepsie, N.Y. – Dutchess Community College is pleased to announce that with a recent gift of $153,000, Llelanie Orcutt has become the College’s first $1 million lifetime donor.

Mrs. Orcutt has been a friend and supporter of DCC for many years. In 1990, she collaborated with the DCC Foundation to create the annual Jack Orcutt Memorial Golf Tournament in memory of her husband. The tournament has become a much-anticipated annual event in Dutchess County. In addition, in 2006 she initiated the Llelanie Orcutt Endowed Faculty Chair for a member of the faculty who has improved or enhanced teaching and learning on campus.

Her generous gift of $500,000 led to the remodeling of the former library building into the College’s one-stop student services building. It was dedicated in September 2002 and named the Jack and Llelanie Orcutt Student Services Center. The ceremony was attended by then SUNY Chancellor Robert L. King, who presented Mrs. Orcutt with the New York Empire State Medal of the State University of New York in honor of her generous support of DCC.

Jack Orcutt, a professor who was one of the founding DCC faculty members and the first director of student activities, was diagnosed with spina bifida, and during his tenure at DCC served as a fine example for students about overcoming obstacles. Jack died in 1988 at age 55. Mrs. Orcutt resides in Lansdowne, Va.

The DCC Foundation currently has assets of $5.5 million, which is more than 20 times its assets in 1992, the year the Foundation hired its first executive director. The Foundation raises funds to support student scholarships and faculty initiatives. In last month’s Convocation ceremony, more than $100,000 in scholarship money was awarded to students, and more than $715,000 has been awarded in scholarships at Convocation ceremonies since they began 12 years ago.

Founded in 1957, Dutchess Community College is a two-year community college with more than 50 years of service to the residents of Dutchess County. It is part of the State University of New York and is one of 30 community colleges in the state system. The College offers a wide variety of associate degree programs, as well as career programs in major technical, human service and business areas. The College also offers non-credit courses through its Office of Community Services to meet the continuing education needs of civic, cultural, business and professional groups and the community at large. The main campus is at 53 Pendell Road in Poughkeepsie, while the Dutchess South extension site is in Hollowbrook Park, Building #4 at 31 Marshall Road in Wappingers Falls.

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