Hackett Family Scholarship Endowment

Frances Hackett created the Hackett Family Scholarship Endowment just prior to her death in June 2015. It is for those who are committed to a career in Social Work. This endowment is in honor of her friend Amanda Smith to recognize her dedication to the Social Work profession, and the good work that social workers do to help individuals handle difficult situations and advance social justice. The Hackett Family Scholarship was the ninth endowed scholarship Ms. Hackett created at Ramapo College.

During her career, Fran remained active with her alma mater, both as a volunteer and as a donor. She began her education at Ramapo College in 1973 as a full-time student and left the following year to join Prudential Financial. She returned in 1976 and continued part-time, graduating from Ramapo in 1980 with a degree in Business Administration and American Studies.

Fran served as vice president of Administration and OSGLI at Prudential. Her responsibilities included the management of Prudential’s largest group client and the pre-sale process for group insurance products and related regulatory matters. During her tenure at Prudential, Fran held a wide range of positions in operations, account management, human resources, compliance and project management.

In addition to her work with Prudential, Fran served on the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Efficiency II, the Policy Advisory Committee of Administrative Office of the Courts, the Advisory Group for the School of Healthcare Related Professionals at UMDNJ and the state Health Insurance Advisory Association.

She was a long-time member of the Ramapo College Foundation Board of Governors and served as chair from 2012 until her death in 2015. Her years of dedication to Ramapo and the larger community were recognized when she was honored at the Distinguished Citizens Dinner in 2004, and when she was honored with the President’s Award of Merit in 2007.