Summer 2005

Percopo Hall Dedicated

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology named its second largest residence hall to honor the contributions made to the college by alumnus and former trustee Michael Percopo at a dedication ceremony on May 27.

Percopo served as a member of Rose-Hulman’s Board of Trustees for 21 years. During a distinguished international business career, he served as president of Squibb International and MWP Associates International in New York City. A 1943 chemical engineering graduate, he died on Jan. 25, 2003 in New York City.

Percopo bequeathed a $7 million gift for scholarships to Rose-Hulman. His bequest is the largest single gift for scholarships the Institute has ever received. The gift, announced in December, 2003, increases the number of four-year, full-tuition scholarships offered through the Michael and Christa Percopo Scholarship Fund. The scholarships attract top students from the East and West coasts, adding to the geographic diversity of the student body. The first three Percopo Scholars have completed their freshman year at Rose-Hulman. Percopo also established a fellowship at Harvard University for Rose-Hulman alumni who pursue an MBA. Percopo received the MBA from Harvard following service in the United States Army.

“Rose-Hulman was a very important part of Mike's life which makes the naming of this residence hall in his honor so meaningful,” stated Percopo's wife, Christa, who spoke at the ceremony. “He was dedicated to helping Rose-Hulman provide its students with the very best education possible. Percopo Hall will be a lasting memory of his commitment to Rose-Hulman and its students.”

Percopo Hall was built to enhance the learning experience of sophomores through the use of live-in peer tutors, scheduled study sessions, and numerous group study areas, according to Pete Gustafson, vice president for student affairs. These educational programs have helped improve Rose-Hulman’s sophomore retention to 80 percent or better since the building was opened in the winter of the 1999-2000 school year.

The residence hall has 109 double rooms, each sharing a restroom with a second room, is fully air conditioned and carpeted, has a library, classroom, a fireplace and several lounges. A total of 209 sophomores and residence hall staff lived in Percopo Hall this year.

“Percopo Hall is extremely popular with sophomores,” Gustafson said.

Percopo Hall is located near a bluff where Percopo recalled in a video interview that he sat questioning whether he could survive the rigors of a Rose-Hulman education. In the interview, he said, “I remember going to the bluff overlooking the baseball field. God, I’m not going to make it…. I thought pretty hard about it and said, ‘You know, I’m going to stay here and make it,” the Bayonne, N.J. native recalled.

The naming of Percopo Hall is the latest honor that Rose-Hulman has conferred upon Percopo. He received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the college in 1972. In 1997, the Rose-Hulman Office of Career Services and Employer Relations in the Hulman Union was dedicated in honor of Percopo and his late wife, Catharine. Percopo served on the investment management and academic affairs committees of the Rose-Hulman Board of Trustees.

After graduating from Rose-Hulman, serving as a captain in the United States Army and earning an MBA from Harvard in 1948, Percopo began his career with Squibb in Rome, Italy. Promotions came quickly and included positions as assistant to the president of Squibb in Sao Paulo, Brazil, managing director in Turkey and general manager of Middle East Operations. In 1957, Percopo was promoted to vice president, Southern Latin American, and later became president of Squibb for the Western Hemisphere and Middle East. He was appointed president of Squibb International in 1978, and opened new markets for Squibb worldwide in Turkey, Egypt and China.