Planting seeds of success: The Dr. Sarro Scholarship takes root
Photo by Lee Ferris
What do Nursing and Biology students at Mount have in common? Their admiration for Professor Thomas Sarro, of course!
In honor of one of its longest-serving professors, the college recently unveiled the Dr. Thomas Sarro Endowed Scholarship for full-time students.
Sarro started his highly successful teaching career at the college in 1975. Over the course of 50 years, he has inspired thousands of students – from Nursing to Natural Science majors – who fondly remember him and his wisdom.
“Dr. Sarro is a true professional and a professor who always advocates for his students,” said Linda Dombroski ’81, an Administrative Nursing Supervisor at Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital. “It was a privilege and honor for me to be one of his students.”
Another of Sarro’s former students, Tim Heil ’78, shared that sentiment: “Tom truly represents what it means to be a great teacher. He always displayed empathy and caring for his students and gave his all to see that they lived up to their fullest potential.”
Along with Chemistry professor William Lahar, Sarro also helped to create the Athletics Department at the Mount. They started the Men’s Basketball program with just a handful of male students and coordinated an intramural program without a gym facility on campus. Sarro served as an assistant men’s basketball coach, alongside Lahar, from 1976-78. He was also the women’s basketball team’s academic advisor for decades. For their efforts, both Sarro and Lahar were inducted into the Mount’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
The Sarro scholarship will be awarded annually to alumni from San Miguel Academy, a private middle school serving the Newburgh area. The scholarship may also be awarded to a sophomore student pursuing a degree in Nursing. The scholarship is renewable, as long as the student recipient continues to meet the eligibility requirements.
This new scholarship was made possible through the generosity of Sarro and his wife, Kitty. And thanks to the efforts of dedicated Mount alumni, the scholarship has already raised $25,000. The college’s goal is to increase this to $50,000, in honor of Sarro’s 50 years of teaching excellence.
Outside of the classroom, Sarro is involved in a number of ornithological studies taking place at Mohonk Preserve. These include spring/summer breeding bird censuses, Christmas Bird Count, fall hawk migration, and breeding studies on Peregrine Falcons. In addition, he’s continuing several long-term vegetation studies at the Preserve.
Combining his love of Mohonk Preserve and his passion for teaching, Sarro also has mentored several Mount students in studying the preserve through the college’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURE).
Sarro currently is a member of, or serves on, the Research Committee of Mohonk Preserve; the New York State Floral Association; the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society; and John Burroughs Natural History Society. Sarro also ran a Special Olympics training program for nearly 10 years.
He holds a PhD in Population Biography from New York University, and both a Master and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
For more information about the scholarship, visit www.msmc.edu/Sarro
