“We never had children, so we decided we’d pay it forward to help Syracuse students,” says Joe.

Their motivation to fund a scholarship was shaped by their own educational journeys, career experiences and a shared belief in the power of opportunity. The Syracuse Promise provided the perfect catalyst, with the University contributing $50,000 to match their $100,000 gift. The total value of their endowed fund will provide a more meaningful scholarship package, helping ensure the affordability of a Syracuse education.

Joe came to Syracuse from Elizabeth, New Jersey, with his sights set on becoming an engineer. When Syracuse offered him admission to the College of Arts and Sciences instead of the engineering program, he embraced the chance to explore new academic directions. His curiosity led him to philosophy—particularly courses in logic taught by Professor Mark Brown—which would influence the analytical thinking he later applied in a long career in software development.

Although Joe continued to take computer science courses alongside philosophy, he didn’t have a clear career plan upon graduation. “I had this newly minted philosophy diploma and had to figure things out from there,” he recalls. He secured a position at Exxon Chemical Company in Linden, New Jersey, where his early computer skills proved useful just as the company began digitizing its operations. That job also led him to Linda, who worked in software development nearby at Merck.

Linda’s own path to higher education was paved by an act of generosity that remains deeply meaningful to her. The daughter of Italian immigrants, she grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, where her father was a tailor, and her mother worked the assembly line at an electronics factory. Each year, that company awarded one full scholarship to the child of an employee. Linda received the scholarship, which provided four years of tuition and housing at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a degree in applied science from the engineering school. “I never would have been able to obtain the education I received without that scholarship,” says Linda. “It changed my life.”

After the couple relocated to Massachusetts, Joe worked for the same company through several acquisitions before he was laid off in 2017, timing that coincided perfectly with his pursuit of a master's degree in software engineering from Harvard Extension School. “That was really good timing for me,” Joe says. “I decided that I was ready for retirement and could focus on completing my master’s degree.”

In retirement, he fills his days with bike riding, volunteering at a local food pantry and traveling. He and Linda particularly enjoy Disney cruises, and the couple has also developed a tradition of visiting Syracuse annually for concerts, something that started after seeing Paul McCartney perform at the JMA Wireless Dome.

The idea of establishing a scholarship at Syracuse had been in the back of Joe’s mind for years. Advancement staff from the College of Arts and Sciences would occasionally reach out while visiting the Boston area, offering to meet. “When I was working, I always said 'no,'” he says. “Once I was retired, I had no excuse.” Those meetings kept him connected to campus without pressure to give—something he appreciated.

Eventually, he asked what it would take to create a scholarship. Learning that it was within reach financially, he and Linda began discussing how to structure it. They knew they wanted to establish their scholarship during their lifetimes, rather than through their estate, so they could experience the satisfaction of seeing it in action.

The final nudge came from The Syracuse Promise match program, which boosts donor impact by contributing 50 cents for every dollar given. “That was the sign,” Joe says. “I knew this was the right time.”

While meeting scholarship recipients is a possibility, Joe says it’s secondary to knowing the scholarship is helping students afford a Syracuse University education who might not otherwise be able to do so. “It’s just knowing I’ve done something good,” he says. For Linda, it’s also a way to honor the gift she once received.

After considering other options, the Bockskopfs have chosen to support students in the SUSTAIN program. Designed to recruit and support high-ability STEM students, SUSTAIN offers both financial aid and academic, professional and social programming. For Joe and Linda, it felt like the perfect fit—aligning with their shared interest in science and technology and their desire to give students the tools to persist and succeed.

“Joe and Linda’s generosity exemplifies the transformative impact that alumni can have on future generations,” says Behzad Mortazavi, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Their scholarship will open doors for talented STEM students, empowering them with the resources, mentorship and opportunities they need to thrive.”

For Joe and Linda, the scholarship is about strengthening a community they’ve come to embrace while changing individual lives. “It’s about giving someone the chance to take that first step,” Linda says, “and seeing how far they can go.”