Ten years ago, when Merrimack College President Christopher E. Hopey, Ph.D., approached Paul and Joyce Mucci P’07 to support the College’s new capital markets lab, they were a bit apprehensive.
“Our son, Nick, is a Merrimack graduate, but neither of us are,” explained Paul Mucci during his remarks at the Mucci Capital Markets Lab’s 10th-anniversary celebration on April 15. “We never publicly associated our name with our philanthropic giving.”
However, after meeting with Mary Papazian, the now-director of the Mucci Lab, the Muccis realized their contribution would be put into good hands.
“I’ve seen Mary’s tireless and endless dedication to the lab and to the students,” said Mucci. “I’ve seen how she works with students, builds their confidence, develops their abilities and challenges them to be their best. She improves the lab by constantly bringing in new ideas.”
For the past decade, the Mucci Lab has simulated a professional trading floor to give students hands-on experience in Bloomberg, Morningstar and Capital IQ technologies.
“(The Muccis’) passion for and commitment to providing resources allows Merrimack students to achieve their desired goals and allows our students to be better prepared for their careers,” stated Papazian. “The Mucci Innovation Fund helps Merrimack access the resources to better equip our students and quickly adapt our experiential learning offerings at Merrimack College.“
The lab’s 10-year celebration in the Rogers Center for the Arts began with presentations from Sean Foster ’25, portfolio manager of the Merrimack Equity Fund; Kaylie Sheffield ’25, chief economist and portfolio manager of the Merrimack Fixed Income Fund; and Jack Bondhus ’25, portfolio manager of the Merrimack Alternative Investments Fund. The Muccis announced during the event they will match any gift to the three student-managed funds up to $25,000 through June 30.
“Just two weeks ago, we got back from our annual trip to New York,” said Sheffield during her presentation. “We connected with many alumni who work at some of the biggest investment banks in New York City. We are very grateful for the opportunity to get some valuable insights into the industry through this amazing network the Mucci Lab has created for us.”
President Hopey later announced more than $140,000 had been raised to benefit the lab in honor of its 10th anniversary.
“The Mucci Lab is a cornerstone of the real-world experiences we strive to provide our students,” President Hopey said at the event, “The work our students have done in the lab over the past decade has given them a distinct advantage over their peers.”
