Honoring Her Parents
Patricia Frele '73/MBA '79 considers herself fortunate to be able to support Seton Hall. Her experience at the University — both academically and socially — contributed to her personal and professional success.
Pat graduated with a degree in elementary education, but there were few teaching positions open in New Jersey at the time. Instead of pursuing a career in education, she accepted a part-time position at Roche Clinical Labs and soon worked her way up from clerk to director of billing. After 43 years of steady promotions and corporate mergers, Pat retired as a vice president at the multibillion-dollar company called LabCorp.
“I was blessed to attend Seton Hall, and wanted to provide the same opportunity to other students. I also wanted to honor my parents, James and Rose, who sacrificed so I could receive an education and always encouraged me to give back to others,” Pat said.
After years of supporting Seton Hall, Pat met gift officer Nora Nasif Rahaim, who introduced the idea of creating a named scholarship. Pat decided to establish the James and Rose Frele Scholarship Fund to assist students in the College of Education and Human Services or the Stillman School of Business.
“After meeting the first recipient, I realized how much the scholarship helped her financially and what it meant to her personally. It was then I knew that I needed to do more,” Pat said. She accomplished that goal by adding Seton Hall as a beneficiary of her Individual Retirement Account (IRA). She recently met the second Frele scholarship recipient (pictured above), which reinforced her decision to create the fund.
“I hope my contributions now and through my estate will allow Seton Hall to attract students who otherwise would not be able to attend the University, and for Seton Hall to be recognized for providing a quality education to all,” Pat said.
At a Glance: Retirement Accounts
- Contact the plan custodian for a beneficiary designation form.
- Designate Seton Hall to receive all or a portion of the assets held in the retirement plan.
- Avoid the potential double taxation your retirement savings would face if you designated these savings to your heirs.
- Continue to take regular lifetime withdrawals.
- Maintain flexibility to change designation if your family's needs change during your lifetime.