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Northeastern University Rowing Association

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​​Building a “Big Tent” of Past and Future Alumni and Friends in support of Northeastern Rowing

Why Members Support the Mission of the NURA

Alumni Profile
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Walt Mullen '96

What is your inspiration to make a Legacy Fund Endowment gift through your will?

 

We are all limited in what we can give NU Rowing from year to year due to family obligations...

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Les Kernan '16

Assistant Manager

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:

                                                                           Owen Devine

                                                                           Northeastern University

                                                                           Director of Development, Athletics

                                                                           o.devine@northeastern.edu

We are grateful for all those supporting NU Men's Rowing

Les Kernan '16

Les Kernan '16

I credit Northeastern, particularly the Men’s Rowing program, with helping me achieve much of what I have in my personal and professional life. Rowing not only taught me discipline and leadership, but has given me lifelong friendships and a sense of community that extends well beyond my four years with the team. I support NURA because I want future generations of athletes to be able to have the same formative experience that I did, and to know that the strong support of “the pack” is behind them in all of their endeavors.

Les Kernan, NU '16

We Are Keeping Score

  • NU's fiscal year is July to June.

  • At the October 2021 Launch of the NURA, a group of NURA leaders have made a "Husky Leadership Impact Commitment" of about $250,000 toward our goals ($10,500 Annual Fund, $235,000 Endowment)

  • The charts below will keep score of the overall progress to our goals

Walt Mullen '96

What is your inspiration to make a Legacy Fund Endowment gift through your will?

 

We are all limited in what we can give NU Rowing from year to year due to family obligations, the market or the stage of our career.  Making a Legacy Fund Endowment gift with my will, removes any constraints.  I am of the mindset that "You can’t take it with you,” so I have chosen to name the rowing team endowment in my will, to in some way payback and support the team that I benefited greatly from being a part of.  The TEAM aspect of NU rowing is clearly alive and well today and can continue well beyond my time on this planet and I want to ensure this program continues to grow and succeed for years to come.

How did being a part of the program impact your life?

 

I carry my Northeastern rowing experience with me every day.  Receiving an athletic scholarship had a huge impact on my family and afforded me opportunities I otherwise would not have had if I didn't come to Northeastern. As the son of an immigrant mother, born in a work camp during World War II, and an Irish fireman from Philadelphia, getting the opportunity to be a student-athlete and part of a winning team was not lost on me. I did not want to waste the opportunity that I had earned, so I worked hard to balance rowing, co-op, and my studies.  I am very proud that I was selected as the Northeastern Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior joining a long list of NU rowers, who had won this award in years prior. Being on the team I developed my own blueprint

for success learning to balance out all the competing priorities of a college student and honed my ability to multitask and deliver.  Because of my experiences, I have always looked to hire team sports athletes when I can, because I know they have what we all have, that edge to work harder and deliver because they don’t want to let the team down.

What is your fondest memory of being on the Northeastern Team?

 

When I think back on my time on Huntington Avenue, my fondest memory is simply the experience of being on the “the team.”  I don’t think I have ever truly replicated that sense of purpose and teamwork, since my NU rowing days. While people often talk about what a “team” is when it comes to their workplace, nothing can replicate the feeling of being on a D1 rowing team chasing a championship title.  While I have been fortunate to be a member of several successful teams at the high school, club and the US National Team level, nothing really compared to my experiences on the Northeastern team. When I landed in Boston as a freshman I fell right into my new family and team.  The highly-focused eat, sleep, drink, practice routine, under Buzz's guidance, suited me well and made the four year experience what it was! 

 

I love thinking that today's team is walking the same streets, through the same buildings and launching boats from the same boathouse with the same goals that we once had!

The 1995 Varsity after winning the silver medal at the Eastern Sprints

L-R Buzz Congram, Steve Simko, Ehren Frank, Paul Belagour, Chad Hardin, Walt Mullen, Thor Runeman, Jeremy Cook, Andrew Laurie, Tim Wooge

Walt Mullen '96

WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION TO MAKE A LEGACY FUND ENDOWMENT GIFT THROUGH YOUR WILL? We are all limited in what we can give NU Rowing from year to year due to family obligations, the market or the stage of our career. Making a Legacy Fund Endowment gift with my will, removes any constraints. I am of the mindset that "You can’t take it with you,” so I have chosen to name the rowing team endowment in my will, to in some way payback and support the team that I benefited greatly from being a part of. The TEAM aspect of NU rowing is clearly alive and well today and can continue well beyond my time on this planet and I want to ensure this program continues to grow and succeed for years to come. How did being a part of the program impact your life? I carry my Northeastern rowing experience with me every day. Receiving an athletic scholarship had a huge impact on my family and afforded me opportunities I otherwise would not have had if I didn't come to Northeastern. As the son of an immigrant mother, born in a work camp during World War II, and an Irish fireman from Philadelphia, getting the opportunity to be a student-athlete and part of a winning team was not lost on me. I did not want to waste the opportunity that I had earned, so I worked hard to balance rowing, co-op, and my studies. I am very proud that I was selected as the Northeastern Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior joining a long list of NU rowers, who had won this award in years prior. Being on the team I developed my own blueprint for success learning to balance out all the competing priorities of a college student and honed my ability to multitask and deliver. Because of my experiences, I have always looked to hire team sports athletes when I can, because I know they have what we all have, that edge to work harder and deliver because they don’t want to let the team down. What is your fondest memory of being on the Northeastern Team? When I think back on my time on Huntington Avenue, my fondest memory is simply the experience of being on the “the team.” I don’t think I have ever truly replicated that sense of purpose and teamwork, since my NU rowing days. While people often talk about what a “team” is when it comes to their workplace, nothing can replicate the feeling of being on a D1 rowing team chasing a championship title. While I have been fortunate to be a member of several successful teams at the high school, club and the US National Team level, nothing really compared to my experiences on the Northeastern team. When I landed in Boston as a freshman I fell right into my new family and team. The highly-focused eat, sleep, drink, practice routine, under Buzz's guidance, suited me well and made the four year experience what it was! I love thinking that today's team is walking the same streets, through the same buildings and launching boats from the same boathouse with the same goals that we once had!

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