At a glance
“It is important to help others. Everyone has different things in life that they want to be a benefactor for. I do not think there was ever a doubt that we wanted to do something substantial to continue to help the best we can.”
Russell Herman
1981 Alfred State graduates Russell and Brenda Herman started their lives together during their time on campus and look forward to helping future Pioneers experience college life in Alfred.
The couple who started dating during their sophomore year at Alfred State opened a small pet store (PetSaver Superstore and later renamed Pet Supplies Plus) in Rochester, NY. The small pet store became seven stores across the Rochester area that focused on providing healthy pet food to their customers.
Back in 1997, the Herman’s worked with Brenda’s grandmother to establish a scholarship. This summer with a gift of $100,000, more Pioneers will benefit from their support. The Shaw-Herman Endowed Scholarship is set up to assist incoming students enrolled in an agriculture program or any of the programs offered on the Wellsville campus.
“It is important to help others,” shared Russell. “Everyone has different things in life that they want to be a benefactor for. I do not think there was ever a doubt that we wanted to do something substantial to continue to help the best we can.”
“The Herman’s are a great example of what we do here at Alfred State,” stated Alfred State President Dr. Steve Mauro. “They took their education and not only created and ran successful businesses but raised a loving family. It is amazing that now they want to give back to future Pioneers.”
Vice President of Institutional Advancement Danielle White echoed Dr. Mauro’s thoughts. “It is truly special to have connections, like the one we have with Russell and Brenda, with our alumni. It is inspiring to work with them to create a path to help the next generation of students.”
Students enrolling for the 2024-25 school year will be eligible for the Shaw-Herman Endowed Scholarship.