Anisfield School of Business Scholarship
Richard and Millicent Anisfield have been long-standing supporters of higher education and well-respected leaders and philanthropists in New Jersey. Mr. Anisfield was born in Paterson and graduated from Eastside High School. He attended New York University before enlisting in the Army Air Corps, flying missions over Germany in World War II as a B-24 bomber pilot.
In 1956 Mr. Anisfield, a management consultant, purchased Kurt Versen Company, a national firm that designs, manufactures and sells high-end, commercial lighting fixtures. Mr. Anisfield went on to build a successful business as CEO and president of the company. An avid golfer, Mr. Anisfield retired from Kurt Versen in 2005.
In 2006 and 2008, the Anisfields made the largest gift in the College’s history to strengthen the business program. Mr. Anisfield said, ?In making this gift, my interest is in creating something lasting and something that is important for our society.? He went on to say, ?The best thing I can do is support education. I want to contribute to the education of the most promising students and those who might not otherwise find college accessible.? At the 2008 Ramapo College Commencement, Mr. and Mrs. Anisfield were awarded honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees. Mr. Anisfield was an honorary member of Delta Mu Delta and Beta Gamma Sigma, the national honor societies for business administration. Until his death in 2011, Mr. Anisfield met frequently with Ramapo College administrators and students. Mrs. Anisfield passed away in 2017.
The intent of the Anisfield School of Business Scholarship is to attract students of high academic merit and financial need to a degree program offered in the Anisfield School. The award is administered by the Dean and the faculty of the Anisfield School of Business.