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DONOR SPOTLIGHT: Arthur F. ’68 ’73 and Beverly ’68 Kirk
“We believe in the importance of giving back so other Kean students can have the same opportunities we did.”
- Artie ‘68 ‘73 and Beverly ‘73 Kirk
As a teenager growing up in Linden, New Jersey, Arthur “Artie" ‘68 ‘73 and Beverly ‘73 Kirk had little idea how some sisterly advice would change the course of his life. Beverly Centrella, of Hoboken, New Jersey, was equally unaware of how being waitlisted by (then) Jersey City State College would change the course of her life, as well.
Artie was accepted into Lehigh University, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Despite receiving a partial scholarship, however, attending Lehigh remained unattainable given his family’s financial circumstances. In 1964, instead of pursuing college, Artie made the decision to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. – just as the war in Vietnam was gaining momentum. A mere two weeks before Artie was scheduled to be inducted, fate intervened in the form of his sister, and he made the decision to forego the military and enroll in Newark State College.
Beverly’s path to Newark State proved less complicated than Artie’s. Upon notice of being waitlisted by Jersey City State, Beverly opted to attend Newark State following fortuitous words of encouragement from her mother, who stated, “That is where you will meet the man of your dreams!”
Though Artie initially intended to focus on English studies while at Newark State, he ultimately graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, thus setting him on a path to eventually teach the subject of history. Beverly, much like many other women pursuing higher education during this time period, elected to major in elementary education. She also completed her undergraduate degree in 1968.
Artie was active within the student community while attending Newark State, both as a member of the Sigma Beta Tau fraternity, as well as Editor of the student newspaper. Beverly, a member of the Beta Delta Chi sorority, had taken on a typist position in the College’s Public Relations Department via a work-study program – which is where she and Artie crossed paths. Artie had visited the Public Relations office in need of a typist to assist him with a newspaper article, and Beverly was happy to oblige!
The pair crossed paths, once again, during their junior years while their fraternity and sorority were visiting Florida for spring break. Artie recalls Beverly made quite the impression; alas, at that moment in time, Artie was unavailable to pursue a relationship. In fact, it was not until shortly after they had both graduated in 1968 that, during a trip to the beach in Long Branch, New Jersey, Artie finally had the realization that Beverly was the only girl for him. They were married a year later on August 3, 1969 and have been together ever since.
Following their respective graduations, Beverly began teaching kindergarten in Newark, while Artie took on a history teacher role at a middle school located in Linden. Artie went on to earn not only a Master of Arts degree in education administration and supervision from Kean College, but also a Doctor of Education degree from Rutgers University in 1984.
While pursuing his advanced degrees, Artie served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Misericordia University, a liberal arts college located in Dallas, Pennsylvania. During his five-year tenure, he was instrumental in the school’s transformational turnaround, reversing years of decline and putting the institution on a path to sustainable prosperity. From Misericordia, Artie assumed the role of President at Keuka College, located in Keuka Park, New York, before moving on to Saint Leo University, located in Saint Leo, Florida.
Artie retired from the presidency of Saint Leo University in the summer of 2015. During his more than 18 years at the helm, Saint Leo University grew from a small campus of 730 students with a total student population of 7,100, most of whom resided on 15 military bases, to a thriving campus of over 2,300 students with a total student population exceeding 16,500. Artie is responsible for building one of the largest and most respected online education programs among private, nonprofit colleges in the United States. As part of that growth, Saint Leo University became the third largest Catholic University in the nation. Under his leadership, Saint Leo’s annual revenue grew from $26 million in 1997 to over $170 million in 2015 and net assets grew from $19 million to over $175 million. The University’s endowment increased more than tenfold, and the combination of endowment and cash reserves exceeded $100 million at the time of Artie’s retirement – up from $6 million in 1997.
In total, Artie has spent 32 years as president of a college or university. While he was busy advancing his career and leading institutions of higher education, Beverly was busy raising the couple’s two children, Arthur and Whitney. She eventually resumed her teaching career in New York and Florida, respectively.
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