Member Spotlight: Michael Blank and Marlene Eisenberg

George Eastman Circle members and volunteers, Michael Blank ’80 and Marlene Eisenberg ’80, celebrated the recent graduation of their daughter, Lilo, from the University of Rochester. They are grateful for their many ties to the University and reflect here on their close connections and rewarding moments they have experienced.

Q: Why did you decide to join the George Eastman Circle?

A: We were initially approached about joining the George Eastman Circle well before our daughter, Lilo, decided to attend the University of Rochester. We often reminisced about our time at Rochester and agreed that we owed our alma mater a great debt.  We were both psychology majors, graduating in 1980, and were afforded unparalleled opportunities as undergraduate research assistants; opportunities that we have not seen duplicated at any other university since. As undergraduates, we worked with faculty luminaries such as Emory Cowen, Ed Deci, Dale McAdam, Harry Reis, Miron Zuckerman, Al and Clara Baldwin as well as others who opened doors for our future career-paths.  More importantly, we established close friendships with many graduate students and research assistants in social and community psychology, with whom we remain close colleagues to this day. In many ways, it can be argued that the mentoring we received from them was as formative as the interactions we had with faculty. These then graduate students are now major influencers in their fields, and include Ray Lorion at Towson State, Lenny Jason at DePaul, Paul Toro at Wayne State, Sandy Azar at Penn State, Bruce Rapkin at Albert Einstein and the late Michael Kernis from the University of Georgia and Roger Weissberg at University of Illinois Chicago. We are proud to note that the Rochester academic diaspora in psychology and other fields is unbreakable and we are never surprised to discover a Rochester connection among the leading innovators.  With these thoughts in mind, we joined the George Eastman Circle.

Q: What do you find to be most rewarding about your George Eastman Circle membership?

A: Our involvement with the George Eastman Circle brought us back together with old friends in the Philadelphia area as well as providing opportunities to make new friends with locals who have Rochester connections. Our membership allows us to make lasting contributions to the University, which then radiates out nationally to the arts, sciences, and medicine.  In particular, we would like to note the invaluable contribution made by Donna Salmon, the Regional Director of Advancement, who recently passed away. She worked tirelessly to craft regional events that were meaningful, memorable, engaging, and fun to attend. Donna facilitated several luncheon events for the many University of Pennsylvania faculty with connections to Rochester. Donna also arranged for us to attend events in the Philadelphia area including a particularly memorable one at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where our family was able to watch Lilo perform with her a capella group, Vocal Point. Donna was a master of juggling a myriad of tasks, but as an example of her dedication and warmth, she took time out of her busy schedule to send us photos of Lilo’s performance at this event. So, while our involvement with the George Eastman Circle has been rewarding, our close working relationship with Donna made it doubly so.

Q: What was it like to have your daughter attend the University?

A: We were thrilled that Lilo chose to enroll in our alma mater and hoped that she would have similar experiences to ours from forty years prior.  Indeed, her experience in many ways was superior to ours. Lilo was heavily involved with the student community, a four-year participant in Vocal Point, a sister of Gamma Phi Beta, a four-year research assistant for the Women’s Initiative Supporting Health (WISH) program, the first student liaison to the American Public Health Association at Rochester and worked in the Department of Pediatrics residency program. In addition, Lilo completed a double major in psychology and public health and wrote undergraduate honors theses in both. During her undergraduate time, she also authored or co-authored many peer-reviewed publications. Lilo was able to thrive academically during her time at the University of Rochester. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic required her to complete the spring semester of her senior year remotely, yet we are grateful that we will be able to celebrate her graduation with the rest of the Class of 2020 in person at Meliora Weekend.

Q: What did you and your family take with you from your time at the University of Rochester?

A: None of us ever believed that college should be vocational training; the purpose of an undergraduate degree should be to teach people how to navigate novel situations and problems successfully. As a result, we all consider ourselves very fortunate that our time at Rochester taught us how to conduct research, and to think and learn for ourselves.

Are you interested in becoming a volunteer like Michael and Marlene? Contact Erin Bory, Senior Director, Volunteers and Engagement, George Eastman Circle, at erin.bory@rochester.edu.

Learn more about the George Eastman Circle.