With funding provided by Fredericka “Fritzie” Paine, the University has established the Karl Zimpel ‘75 Endowed Professorship in Cybersecurity. This is the second endowed professorship in Utica University’s history; the first was the Harold T. Clark Jr. Endowed Professorship.

Paine made this gift in honor of her late brother, Karl Zimpel, a 1975 graduate of Utica University and one of the university’s first computer science students. In choosing the cybersecurity program, Paine hopes to bolster the university’s efforts to prepare graduates to address growing national security threats at home and abroad.

Paine, a retired clinical psychologist, is a native of Canajoharie, New York. An award-winning photographer and world traveler, Ms. Paine has spent much of her adult life in Italy, where her photography has earned widespread acclaim.

“An endowed professorship, a position permanently supported by revenue from an endowment fund, is one of the highest and most prestigious honors a university can award a faculty member,” said Utica University President Laura Casamento. “Ms. Paine’s vision and generosity will take Utica University to a new level in its ability to recognize and support academic excellence in the cybersecurity program. This award provides a significant opportunity to recognize the depth and breadth of academic talent among our faculty, and to support professors as they go afield in their research and scholarly activity.”

For Paine, the gift is a way to cement her brother’s legacy in the university’s history.

“I want the brother I loved to be remembered and honored for the man which he was at his core,” said Paine. “It is my hope that this endowment will carry out and sustain a legacy that would bring pride to my brother and his family.”

The university will honor Paine in a ceremony this fall.