HWS News
23 December 2025 • Alums Guiding Future Paths
Continued philanthropy from former Trustee John A. Ross ’66 expands access to meaningful internships and enhances the HWS career experience.
It was three generations ago, but John A. Ross ’66 has never shaken the feeling. Having applied to Wharton in his senior year, he was advised to gain professional experience before reapplying. He chose to enlist in the U.S. Army, earned his commission and three years later entered the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ross always knew he wanted a career in finance, but with little formal career guidance available at the time, the specifics were a mystery.
Upon entering Wharton, he was immediately approached by career services personnel — a formative experience that stayed with him.
Ross has invested significant time and resources to ensure future generations of HWS students have clear, confident pathways into their careers. As a member of the Board of Trustees in the early 2000s, he helped lead the initial push to establish a career services office and program, which evolved into the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education. That included the establishment of the John A. Ross ’66 Endowed Internship Fund, and most recently, an additional $250,000 strategic investment that will provide a significant jolt to the internship budget over the next five years.
The timing of the gift aligned nicely with the launch of the Melly Institute for Business, Innovation and Leadership, established by the transformative $70 million bequest from L. Thomas Melly ’52, L.H.D. ’02 and Judith Hershey Melly L.H.D. ’16. The Melly Institute provides HWS students with “hands-on training, mentorship and real-world insight” by connecting them with industry leaders in business and finance.
For many years, Ross was one of those leaders – he spent the first 20 years of his career at the Bank of New York, rising through increasingly senior roles, followed by another decade in senior management at Deutsche Bank. His gift will expand access for students pursuing careers in fields where paid internships are scarce.
“The John A. Ross ’66 Endowed Internship Fund provides access to students to do unpaid or underpaid internships,” says Assistant Vice President for Career Services Brandi Ferrara. “Normally, students get a $3,000 stipend, which pays for things like rent and food. That’s not enough. With John’s gift, that number is up to $4,500.”
These students are applying for jobs in academic research and government, which Ferrara says tend to be areas where money is tight. “These internships and research experiences are critical to compete in the marketplace for jobs and fellowships — like the Fullbright and graduate school programs,” she says.
Before, Ferrara says, students had to make a choice: “Do I go home [for the summer] and work at the ice cream shop, or do I go work [as an intern] at the physical therapist’s practice? You can now do something you couldn’t otherwise do.”
The best advice Ross received from Wharton’s career services was “watch out for labeling,” he says, meaning that young professionals should be clear about expectations before letting others define their career trajectory for them. “It might sound pretentious, yet corporations are quick to label employees thereby choosing your career path for you without you realizing it,” he explains.
He spent 30 years in the banking business despite thinking “it was the most boring job in the world” before interviewing with The Bank of New York. After holding a number of senior management positions at Deutsche Bank, he retired from full-time work in 2002 and spent the next 20+ years serving in governance and advisory roles across both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
After retirement, Ross says he was approached about serving on the HWS Board of Trustees. “The Colleges were just beginning to work on career services. This interested me,” he says. “From day one, it was a keen interest of mine.”
HWS students have been the beneficiaries of that interest. Since 2004 more than 130 students (and counting) have directly benefited, a number expected to grow substantially in the years ahead.
Ferrara says that Ross’ gift will also benefit HWS’ ability to attract students. “It’s a game-changing gift for Hobart and William Smith, helping to attract prospective students.”
Nationally, HWS is ranked No. 10 in the country for career services and alumni network and No. 12 nationally for internships by the Princeton Review, the educational services company that rates U.S. colleges and universities in myriad ways.
The path forward for any undergraduate embarking on a career is filled with uncertainty and unseen potholes. Ross knows this from firsthand experience, an understanding that has shaped his enduring commitment to ensuring today’s students face fewer unknowns than he once did.
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