Every year, I eagerly mark a date in the early spring on my calendar. It’s for the event we’ve affectionately come to know as Kuppy’s Faculty Dinner—a wonderful evening off campus where faculty and spouses mingle, have a great dinner, and hear from a distinguished guest speaker.
Kuppy, of course, refers to Robert Kuppenheimer ’69, a beloved Nichols alumnus, trustee, and benefactor, who for almost two decades has happily picked up the tab at the annual faculty dinner. The faculty here could not have a more ardent and friendly supporter than Kuppy.
And the dinner he sponsors never gets old. This year his guests dined on a wonderful meal —and on what Kuppy and two fellow alums had to say. The guest speaker was Douglas Hillman ’68, who was introduced by John Harrison, a Nichols grad of the same year.
I was struck by the strong and lasting relationships developed among Kuppy, John, and Doug during their time here on the Hill in the late 1960s. Doug, who distinguished himself with a decades-long stewardship of the iconic London Fog clothing brand, told a story of seeking out opportunities, finding success through passion, taking risks, and learning from mistakes. These are the same career imperatives we imbue in Nichols students today.
At the end of the evening, it was Kuppy’s heartfelt comments about how he is there to support us that we took home with us. “You, as professors, are at the epicenter of change—the future of business and how students will run businesses in the future,” he said. “You are the people who will teach them how to be successful in the future. You are the epicenter of knowledge, and I am here to support you forever.”