Judith Fuss ’79 MS, ’83 PhD

To Judith Fuss, being an alumna of Northwestern means more than just receiving a degree from an institution. “We're a family,” she says. “Families help each other succeed.”

Fuss made her first gift in 1979, the year she graduated with a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern’s Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. She gave back in appreciation for the many ways the University supported her, from a Murphy Fellowship to various teaching assistant positions that enabled her to complete her degree. She also wanted to invest in future students. “It all comes back to helping that one person who can really use a hand,” she says. She has maintained that commitment by giving to Northwestern every year, making her a platinum-level member of NU Loyal.

In addition to her financial contributions, Fuss has volunteered by serving on the McCormick Alumni Board, the Seminar Day Committee Board, and the Northwestern Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. “It is heartening to be included in Northwestern opportunities to this day, though I graduated 35 years ago,” she says.

Fuss describes her time at Northwestern as “extremely rewarding.” Her advisors and professors — especially Charles W.N. Thompson, a professor at McCormick — invested valuable time and energy in their students. “It enabled us not only to excel but to handle roadblocks effectively, to learn from them, and to move on to bigger and better opportunities,” she says.

“The camaraderie of being an alumna is evident whenever I meet anyone who attended Northwestern,” Fuss says. “The connection is instant and mutual.”