West Haven, Conn., September 21, 2009—On Saturday, September 26, thousands of University of New Haven students, faculty, staff, alumni and sports fans are expected to take part in UNH’s first Homecoming celebration in more than five years and the dedication of the Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium—the new home of the Charger football team.
DellaCamera Stadium, which seats 3,500, features a new state-of-the-art blue and gold turf field, press box and scoreboard, all made possible by a generous gift from alumnus Ralph F. DellaCamera, Jr. ’75. Born in New Haven, he is a managing member and the chief investment officer for the New York-based hedge fund firm, DellaCamera Capital Management, which manages multi-strategy domestic and offshore funds. He has more than 25 years experience in the field of trading and managing money for financially sophisticated individuals and institutions. He is a former director of the holding company Avatex Corp.
DellaCamera holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of New Haven, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in business from UNH in 2009. In 2007, he was the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award from the university. He has contributed generously to the advancement of athletics at UNH, and serves on the university’s Board of Governors. In addition, he has served on the Development Committee and Capital Campaign for St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Conn.
Homecoming festivities will include tailgating, alumni and VIP tents, and children’s activities beginning at 11 a.m. At 12:30 p.m., the University of New Haven Marching band will march from the main campus to DellaCamera Stadium, leading fans to their seats in time for the dedication ceremony.
At 1 p.m., UNH Athletic Director Deborah Chin and UNH President Steven Kaplan will officially dedicate the stadium in DellaCamera’s honor. As part of the dedication ceremony, DellaCamera will unveil the new press box and scoreboard in the stadium. Immediately following the dedication, the Chargers take the field against the Stonehill College Skyhawks.
“The remarkable growth of the University of New Haven in the last few years makes a strong case for providing support for more facilities and programs to enrich the lives of its students,” DellaCamera says. “I am pleased to be an active supporter of the university and to see the excitement in the faces of the UNH Chargers, and their fans, that was brought about by the new stadium and the return of the football program.”
"Ralph DellaCamera has strongly supported the return of football to the University of New Haven both financially and as an advocate on our Board of Governors. The university will be forever grateful for his support," says UNH President Steve Kaplan. “The football program’s return is a great source of pride for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and community fans. The DellaCamera Stadium will enhance our national reputation by showcasing our outstanding student-athletes in one of the finest Division II football stadiums in the entire country."
The 2009 University of New Haven football games will feature two sports-broadcasting veterans, UNH alumni Craig Mortali and Pat Ryan. The pair will broadcast the complete football schedule live on WNHU 88.7 FM, the university’s radio station. Mortali and Ryan are the longest running play-by-play team in WNHU sports history, having announced Charger football games together from 1980 to 1984. Tune in live on WNHU 88.7 FM or at www.wnhu.net starting at 12:45 p.m.
A leader in experiential education, the University of New Haven is experiencing a historic and nationally recognized surge in enrollment. Founded in 1920, the university provides its students with a unique combination of solid liberal arts and real-world, hands-on professional training. UNH is a private university with an 80-acre main campus. The University has an enrollment of more than 5,200; approximately 1,700 graduate students and more than 3,500 undergraduates, 70 percent of whom reside in University housing. The University offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees through its five colleges, in fields such as sports management, nutrition, forensic science, music and sound recording, engineering, computer science and criminal justice. University College at UNH develops programs and courses to meet the emerging educational and training needs of educators, businesses and public and social agencies, focusing on academic excellence, convenience and flexibility. University of New Haven students study abroad through a variety of distinctive programs.
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