Northeastern University Rowing Association
Building a “Big Tent” of Past and Future Alumni and Friends in support of Northeastern Rowing
Why Members Support the Mission of the NURA
What is your fondest memory of being on the NU Rowing Team?
My fondest memory is the photo finish against The Naval Academy at the IRA's in 1971. The silver medal is nice, but gold was so close. Secondly our JV crew was very fast that year and consistently would knock off the varsity in 500 and 1000 meter drills.
How did being a part of the program impact your life?
As I attended the UPENN and NU races this past season at Princeton; I realized that my first away race as a freshman was on this course against Navy and Princeton. That was 55 years ago and we won on a beautiful day on
the flattest and cleanest water I ever rowed on. In high school I rowed on Burlington Bay in Hamilton, Ontario which was essentially a very polluted and usually wavy body of water which we shared with the ships bringing in iron ore and coal for the steel mills. In the spring of 1968, I met Frank Barrett at the combined Canadian/American National Schoolboys in St. Catherines, Ontario and he invited me to visit NU. Little did I know that he also invited the late Dennis Klager who I had just rowed against in a four and eight. The opportunity to come to NU set me on a life journey that I could not have anticipated and will be forever grateful.
I share this history with you because of what being a member of Northeastern rowing has meant to me. That being said, for a long time family, grad school and job consumed my time and I sort of forgot what the NU experience really meant. Thanks to Northeastern, I met and married Laurie with many of my teammates present. We raised two incredible daughters and through co-op experience I started a 40 year career at BCBSMA.
Tell us about your working career? Did being on the rowing team shape your career in any way?
Rowing success always comes when you have a united team with a common goal. I started as a supervisor at BCBSMA during my first co-op and learned very quickly in the real world, that without teamwork you are doomed on any project or inventory reduction. I ultimately became a Senior Project manager and was able to build a team that developed and installed new more successful claims processing, provider contracting and credentialing systems. The key to our success was our ability to integrate our company needs and work with external vendors. Our timelines were either long term or short term and I often used the analogy of the Head of the Charles or a 2,000 meter race. Both
require an understanding of patience and when you need to step it up to win. I used the Power 10, 20 or last 500 references so many times that my staff always understood where we were and what we needed to do and win!
What has been your inspiration for getting involved with NURA and supporting the team financially?
Without the financial support from Northeastern it is unlikely that I would have been able to attend university, especially in the US. I have tried over the years to help out where I could as a means of possibly helping another scholar athlete. The growing and continued success of the team and the reinvigorated NURA are truly inspiring and warrant a larger personal and financial commitment.
What would you say to other alumni about giving back to the program?
Regardless of where you are in life or whether you had the perfect experience while rowing; you were part of a team and a legacy that is Northeastern. Your contribution, regardless of the amount, will help the legacy continue and grow.
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Jim, back in the day
jim fraser '73
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Support Northeastern Men's Rowing
The NURA is all about supporting Northeastern Men's Rowing in many ways. This includes being a resource to encourage and inspire the coaches and athletes through the long rowing season effort, being career mentors to the student athletes as they focus on their futures beyond Northeastern, being supportive of parents and family members as they navigate the years of competitive rowing, to name a few areas of support. But, the top collegiate competitive rowing programs have amassed multi-million dollar endowments to ensure their programs are funded to support the highly competitive needs of those programs. Northeastern is way behind those programs in the financial support from alumni and supporting friends. That is why one of the key elements of the mission of the NURA is to work closely with Northeastern to engage the full breadth of the alumni and friends to start the long term process of consistent and generous financial giving to ensure the needs of the program are met so it can be at the top of the competitive of collegiate rowing in the US. Please go to our DONOR PAGE where we provide information on the program needs that might be helpful to understand how to support those program needs.
Our Goals - Can You Be Part of Them?
1. Annual Giving Goal $150,000
• If 425 alumni and friends gave an average of $350 annually, we'd achieve our goal
• Most of the major programs such as Harvard, Cornell, Washington and Cal all have more than 425 alumni and friends giving to their programs!
• If you can be a part of the new generation of supporters to the Annual Fund, please go to the Northeastern link below and be part of that process.
2. NURA LEGACY FUND Endowment Goal $3,000,000
• The NURA Legacy Fund Endowment has been established at Northeastern with the goal of raising $3,000,000 by the end of 2024 from as many generous supporters as possible.
• The Fund will provide consistent income annually (approximately 4% of the balance) to support the increased competitive needs of the program and ensure the long term support needed.
• Can you be part of this Legacy for NU Men's Rowing? If so, please contact:
Meagan Connolly
Northeastern University
Director of Development, Athletics
We are grateful for all those supporting NU Men's Rowing
We Are Keeping Score
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NU's fiscal year is July to June.
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The NURA campaign to support NU Men's rowing was launched in October 2021. As of June 2023, $1,034,000 has been raised toward the Legacy Fund Endowment and $105,000 toward the June 2023 annual Howlin' Husky Fund.
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We thank everyone that has made a donation or commitment to Men's Rowing as this momentum is off to a great start to make a difference in elevating the competitiveness of the program.