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June 24, 1996 was a very sad and tragic day for the
Philadelphia University
community. Early that day the mother of Marianne Able, our
Director of Career Services, passed away after a long
illness. Then tragically, less than six hours later while
making arrangements for her mother's funeral, Marianne's
automobile was struck, killing her and injuring her son.
Marianne joined Philadelphia University in 1968 as a secretary in the
College's placement office and in 1972 was appointed
director. During her over 28 years with the college,
Marianne had the opportunity to work with thousands of
students, plus many college alumni. In addition, she built
relationships with hundreds of companies all over America,
many of whom continue to look to Philadelphia University for their
introductory staffing needs, as well as for people at higher
management levels. Her ability to forecast trends in a wide
variety of industries was remarkable. Today, Philadelphia
University is
recruited by and actively prepares its students for
virtually every employment sector.
2006 Marianne Able Day Scholarship check presentation: (from the left) Vince Latanzzio'07, John Pierantozzi '70, Liz Copple '84, Dr. Norman Smith, Alexis Berman '07, Sue Sobecki and Jim Able
Under Marianne's leadership, Philadelphia University and its Career Services
Center gained national acclaim. While many colleges and
universities bemoaned the fact that their graduates were
unable to find jobs, Marianne and her staff developed
programs that enabled over 90 percent of the new graduates
to compete for valuable positions and be employed by
summer's end for more than 20 consecutive years. Today, her
training videos are used in many schools throughout the
country.
In recognition of her achievements and contributions, the
college created the Marianne Able Communications Award, and
named Career Mentoring Day in her honor. In 1996, Marianne's
family created an endowed scholarship in her memory.
In her days at Philadelphia University, Marianne's positive
spirit inspired and motivated students and associates to be
the very best. To her, all graduates' successes were her
reward. Their commitment to their education and future was
what she strived for. Beyond her staff role, her personal
efforts to help students often went to giving financial aid
to assist students with loans for tuition, books and other
necessities.
In keeping with Marianne's goal of helping generations of
young people build successful futures, the Marianne Able
Scholarship fund will provide financial assistance to needy
and deserving students in their junior and/or senior years.
This scholarship will create a resource for students who are
motivated to succeed, but lack the necessary funds to
complete their education. Your continued support of this
fund is gratefully appreciated.
To support the Marianne Able Scholarship, make a gift with your credit card through a secure online transaction or make your check payable to Philadelphia University and mail to:
Marianne Able Scholarship
Office of Development and Alumni Relations
Philadelphia University
School House Lane and Henry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19144-5497
