For Jim and Ceil Tuman, giving back to La Salle University is about more than just supporting their daughter’s alma mater. It’s a contribution to the local community and helping Explorers’ access potentially life-changing educations.  

Jim and Ceil Tuman watched their oldest daughter, Tory Moffa, ‘13, thrive at La Salle University. Throughout her four years on campus, they also saw the impact the University had on its students and the local community. 

This impact has inspired the Tumans to significantly support La Salle, and create opportunities and resources for the students who now, and in the future, call 20^th and Olney home, through generous contributions to the La Salle Fund, an initiative that helps create access to education through scholarships and financial aid. 

Married for 39 years, Jim and Ceil raised their four daughters in Westchester County, N.Y. When Tory, their eldest, got to college age, she knew two things: she wanted to study social work and she needed to be at a school where she was supported, encouraged, and motivated. 

After touring several schools, La Salle felt like the perfect fit for their daughter, they said. And it was. 

“They really saw her as an individual; she would have been lost at a big school,” Ceil said, adding that Tory did a lot of things that pushed her out of her comfort zone as an Explorer. “It was great.” 

They even gained a son-in-law from La Salle, and the Explorer himself was one of the guests at Tory’s wedding to Nick Moffa, ’13.

Even before they saw everything that their daughter gained from La Salle, something stuck out to the Jim and Ceil about the University, the fact that it was an active participant within its North Philadelphia neighborhood. It made them both see parallels to their own academic and professional lives. 

Jim, who received his undergraduate degree from Princeton and MBA from Cornell, is a real estate developer and consultant, and has spent the majority of his career working in inner-city neighborhoods. The first project he and his business partner completed was in Harlem, N.Y., where his office has been based for the past 25 years. This was at a time when no one thought investing in urban areas was smart, or even possible, the couple said. 

For Ceil, it reminded her of her own alma mater, Fordham University in the Bronx.  Attending Fordham as an adult student, Ceil heard faculty stories of the 1970’s, when the Bronx was in great turmoil.  Despite many calls from supporters to relocate the campus, the Jesuits refused to leave the community. 

“That’s a really big part of the reason why we really like to support La Salle, because it’s so important not only for the students to have exposure to all different types of people, but it’s so important for the community,” Ceil said. “La Salle is a critical stakeholder.”

As well as the community aspect, Jim and Ceil also both believe that education can be life changing. La Salle is one of their main charitable commitments; the other is The Children’s Scholarship Fund of Philadelphia. 

“Access to a well-rounded education was truly transformational for us. And despite media skepticism around the value of higher education, we strongly believe it can be transformational for young people today,” Ceil said. “Passing it forward is a privilege.” 

The Tumans see their contributions to The La Salle Fund as a way to, hopefully, bridge the gap for Explorers who can benefit from some support as they continue on their education journey. They also believe it could make a large impact for many who need it to cross the finish line. 

“I think this generation that we’re in has to give back to the younger generations that are coming up to help them get through these years,” Jim said. “Anything that you can do to reduce any financial burdens on students can help.” 

The education La Salle students receive goes beyond just academics, which is something else that Ceil and Jim appreciate, and believe is particularly valuable as the higher education and broader world continue to change and develop. 

“With La Salle also being a Catholic university, there’s a values component that I think is going to be even more important going forward than just straight technical know-how or competence,” Jim said. “Values in this changing world are something that can be a constant and can help people muddle through life.” 

The presence of the Christian Brothers and their ideals do a lot to contribute to this, they believe. 

“There is a certain way to live at La Salle that some places might see as unnecessary,” Ceil said. “But I don’t.”

Jim and Ceil watched all these factors influence Tory during her college years, contributing to her success as she went on to earn a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania. She even inspired her mother; Ceil went back to graduate school and also graduated with a master’s in social work from Fordham the same year as Tory did. Ceil went on to work at the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital in Montrose, N.Y., Tory works at the Philadelphia VA Hospital. 

Their eldest daughters’ accomplishments are mirrored by the many other La Salle alumni that they’ve come across over the years, they said. 

“It’s so interesting about La Salle because so many students have done really good things. It’s a very interesting school,” Ceil said. “I don’t know if it’s just they’re taught how to think, but they really go ahead and they’re doing amazing work all over the place.”

She and Jim hope that they can contribute to a learning environment that continues to prepare Explorers to do just that. 

“If we can do anything to help La Salle keep doing what it’s doing,” she said. “That’s really what we want to do.” 

— Naomi Thomas