For the children who attend the Sheldon Institute, the summer program will soon be expanding, due to a $1 million donation from the Shineman Foundation.

The Sheldon Institute is a two-week education summer program with classes and activities for children from grades two through 10. Not only will the program be able to expand, but it will also be renamed the “Sheldon Institute for Barbara Shineman Scholars” to pay homage to Barbara Shineman, a former Oswego State alumna, professor and founding member of the Sheldon Institute program.

“On behalf of the foundation, we are very, very excited about this because the very first gift that the foundation gave when it was formed in 2012 was the $4 million gift to the college for the naming of the Richard S. Shineman Center,” said Mary Goetz, executive director of the Shineman Center.  “We’re really excited to now be able to give a gift to the college once again, but this time for something that honors Barbara Shineman and something she was personally very, very involved with from the beginning of the creation of the Sheldon Institute.”

According to its mission statement, the Shineman Foundation seeks to “enhance the quality of life in Oswego County.” It will engage in charitable activities with integrity, honesty and compassion, and will pursue excellence through the highest professional grantmaking standards.  This donation is different than previous ones, though, due to the institutions’ connections to each other through the Shineman family.

“The Sheldon Institute program will grow substantially by the funds available from the Shineman Foundation gift. The gift provides general guidelines about the types of program enhancements that were suggested to be made, but exact details are being worked out by the Sheldon Institute leadership in coming weeks,” said Mary Canale, Oswego State vice president for development and alumni relations.

With the $1 million donation, the Sheldon Institute should be able to provide more programs for students for years to come and help continue the work Barbara Shineman started around 40 years ago.

“The generosity of both Richard and Barbara Shineman has created a tremendous foundation that is doing exactly what the mission of the foundation intended, which was to use the funds to be a catalyst for change in our county, and we do that by supporting organizations that are doing great things or starting new programs that will then benefit the community,” Goetz said.

The renaming of the Sheldon Institute and the donation are planned to occur in April as a way to celebrate Barbara Shineman’s 90th birthday.

“For four decades, she has contributed to the institute’s success through her curriculum development and her unwavering support of the children, sharing in their excitement at learning new subject areas and encouraging their hands-on, minds-on exploration of diverse subjects,” said Deborah Stanley, Oswego State president. “We thank the Shineman Foundation for its investment in that most precious of resources: our children.”

Photo provided by Office of Communications and Marketing/Jim Russell