Creating pivotal student experiences: Dick and Vicki Schwartz

By establishing the Schwartz Discover Grant for Undergraduate Student Research and other experiential learning funds at Rochester, this alumni couple has made a difference in thousands of lives.

Each fall, dozens of students gather for a poster session on the University of Rochester’s River Campus, sharing research they’ve spent months exploring—from engineering innovations to social science discoveries. For many, it’s the first time they’ve seen themselves as real researchers. And for most, the opportunity wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of Richard “Dick” Schwartz ’63, ’66 (MS) and his late wife, Vicki Proschel Schwartz ’62.

“It’s an amazing experience to stand in a room full of undergraduates who are thrilled to talk about what they learned over the summer,” says Dick. “That kind of feedback is powerful.”

So powerful, in fact, that Dick and Vicki have increased their support every year for the Schwartz Discover Grant for Undergraduate Summer Research program, which began in 2022. Their goal: to help students engage in research early, giving them the confidence and experience to pursue opportunities that will enrich their lives and careers.

About 70 grant recipients each year receive up to $5,000 to help cover cost-of-living expenses during the summer. The funding allows them to fully focus on research, which often requires 40 hours of dedicated work per week.

Lilli Tamm ’25, a biochemistry major graduating this spring, says receiving the Schwartz Discover Grant for the summer after her sophomore year marked a turning point in her life. “Thinking back to the researcher I was becoming then, I could only spend a few hours each week dedicated to research during the academic year,” she explains. “Then, when I received the Schwartz Discover Grant, I could spend the summer dedicated to my research and really became a full-time scientist.”

And become one she did. That research project spanned three semesters and gradually narrowed to focus on cell membrane proteins—vital structures that influence how the body functions and responds to disease. Receiving the Schwartz Discover Grant opened the door to a competitive summer internship in pharmaceutical research following Tamm’s junior year. The experience also helped her stand out as the University’s 2024 Astronaut Scholar, a national honor recognizing the country’s top undergraduate STEM researchers. Ultimately, it culminated in her acceptance into a PhD program at Stanford University in cellular and molecular physiology.

Deep and lasting impact

Dick and Vicki Schwartz at the Schwartz Discover Grant Research Showcase, 2023

The Schwartz Discover Grant program is just one way Dick and Vicki have shaped the undergraduate experience. Over the years, they’ve established a variety of funds to support immersive learning in research, internships, the arts, and community engagement. In 2002, the couple established a student scholarship, which they later enhanced with additional funding and renamed the Proschel/Schwartz Meliora Scholarship Scholarship—further amplifying support for students with demonstrated financial need

“Dick and Vicki have changed so many lives,” says Emily Rendek, director of the University’s Office of Undergraduate Research. “With all the programs they’ve supported, they’ve made experiential learning possible for thousands of students, creating pivotal opportunities that benefit our students right now. They’ve had a direct role in the future of research, scholarship, creativity, and engagement in a variety of scientific and technological areas as well as the humanities.”

For the couple, supporting experiential education has always been rooted in a shared belief that learning happens everywhere, not just through lectures and labs, but through collaboration, curiosity, and real-world application. That philosophy continues to guide their giving: help others, see the impact, and do good right now.

A legacy of learning and service

Schwartz Discover Grant Research recipients with Emily Rendek (first row, far left) and Vicki and Dick Schwartz (first row, far right), 2023

Dick says his own values of service and education were modeled by his parents, especially his father, a surgeon with the Department of Veterans Affairs. “My dad chose a medical career path with regular hours because it gave him more time to dedicate to our family and to those activities he believed in,” he says. Vicki’s parents, both teachers, also emphasized the power of education to transform lives.

As undergraduates, both Dick and Vicki were deeply involved in campus life. Dick spent his summers interning in a variety of settings, including Tropel, a Rochester-based startup founded by his professor, optics legend Robert Hopkins. For his second summer internship, he joined a friend in San Diego to assist with optics projects at the University of California. After that, Dick interned at an aerospace technology company in Boston. By the time he earned his master’s degree from the Institute of Optics, Dick had also interned with Xerox—setting the stage for a smooth transition into full-time work and a 30-year career in research and development there.

“Those internships were invaluable to me,” he says. “They gave me confidence, expanded my networks, and gave me a chance to apply what I’d been learning in a professional setting. Vicki and I always wanted others to have these kinds of vital opportunities, which is why we’ve established them.”

Vicki, whose roots were in the humanities, earned her degree in English with honors, completed a master’s in teaching at Harvard University, and then taught high school English for several years. The couple’s distinctive academic paths helped shape an approach to philanthropy that will benefit students in both STEM and the arts for years to come.

Philanthropy as a shared commitment

Giving back was always a personal decision and a shared commitment for the couple, who had two children together, Steven and Douglas, and were married 57 years at the time of Vicki’s passing in 2023. “Every year, we’d look forward to meeting students who participated in the programs we supported,” Dick says. “We loved hearing their stories, why they chose the University, and what they hoped to do in the future.”

Today, Dick continues their legacy through a donor-advised fund (DAF), which offers flexibility and transparency. It allows him to support the causes he and Vicki have cared about the most while staying actively involved in choosing when and how to give.

In addition to their philanthropic support, Dick and Vicki spent decades as volunteer leaders at their alma mater, serving on reunion committees and class councils as well as the Lifelong Learning Advisory Council and the University Libraries National Council. They were also longtime members of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society, and Dick remains a member today. Additionally, he serves on Hajim’s National Council and the Rochester Philanthropy Council, and has chaired or supported many nonprofit organizations throughout the Rochester community.

Throughout all his involvement, Dick’s greatest joy comes from seeing tangible outcomes: students exploring their potential, the University offering transformative programs, and communities made stronger in the process. “It’s a win-win-win,” he adds. “Students benefit, the University benefits, and society overall benefits. Plus, I get the joy of knowing I helped make a difference.”