Our Donors: Carol & Bruce Caswell
Carol & Bruce Caswell
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Originally from Philadelphia, Bruce and Carol recently moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to be closer to their daughter, Bexx Caswell-Olson BB ’09. Before retiring, Carol worked in IT for several Fortune 100 companies, ultimately becoming a Senior Director responsible for global operations across 25 countries. Bruce retired as a Professor of political science at Rowan University, where he taught for more than 25 years. He has also worked at a community organizing nonprofit and for the federal government in policy analysis and intergovernmental relations.
In their new Cambridge home, the couple is putting down roots. Committed to lifelong learning, both have a long history of supporting their local community—Carol was a volunteer librarian and served on the board of the local radio station back in Philadelphia, while Bruce served on the board of a local community college. Today, Carol volunteers as a math tutor for third-graders in the Cambridge Public Schools. Bruce is participating in the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, and they have both taken various courses through the Cambridge Center for Adult Education (tai chi, ukulele, literature, and more). They are also loving their proximity to NBSS, where they continue to be inspired by the community years after their daughter graduated from the Bookbinding program.
“Life is an education, and it is so nice to see adults at NBSS continuing their education and deciding that there’s something that they have always wanted to do, and then doing it.”
Why do you support NBSS, and what keeps you involved?
BRUCE: We first heard about NBSS from our daughter, Bexx Caswell-Olson BB ’09. She decided when she was 17 years old that she wanted to be a book and document conservator, and she went through various stages of her education, which included her time in the Bookbinding program at NBSS. She loved it. We visited her a number of times and attended events at the School—we always really enjoyed the people there, and we continue to love it.
CAROL: NBSS was incredibly important to Bexx in her career advancement, and we’re very proud of that. We love to go to Open Houses and meet the students, and we love tuning in to the In the Making online series—those are incredible. We are also proud to see how Bexx has supported fellow NBSS graduates and brought them in to the Northeast Document Conservation Center, where she is Director of Book Conservation. Giving people opportunities and then supporting them in future endeavors is very important to us. It’s great to support that.
Can you share a story or moment at NBSS that particularly inspired or moved you?
BRUCE: I’m fascinated any time I am reminded that there are so many people at NBSS who are on their second careers. It all stems from their creative impulse to work with their hands and make things, which you can’t do in many other professions. We’re impressed with that, and we love seeing how satisfied people are with their new careers.
CAROL: Bexx’s graduation from NBSS at the Old North Church was so moving—the environment and talking to the graduates and their families was heartwarming. It was phenomenal and so inspiring. We will never forget that.
How would you describe NBSS in a few words or phrases?
CAROL: Extraordinary—meaning, unique. Transformative—students’ lives are transformed. Inspiring—it is inspiring to see what comes of that transformation.
Complete this sentence: My favorite thing about NBSS is ____.
BRUCE: The students. I’ve been around higher education most of my life, and the NBSS students are a community and a family. And I’m impressed by how much interaction there is between students in different programs. When Bexx was there, she would always wander around and learn about the other programs.
CAROL: The new building. It really fosters that connection for the students, which is incredible. The old building was special, but the new one is amazing. The energy when you walk in is wonderful—you feel that something is happening there.
What would we lose if NBSS didn’t exist?
CAROL: You would lose everything. It would be a huge void in the whole creative process. These hand skills would vanish, and that would be such a shame.
Has NBSS influenced your work, career, or personal projects? If so, how?
BRUCE: Life is an education, and it is so nice to see adults at NBSS continuing their education and deciding that there’s something that they have always wanted to do, and then doing it. To see people who are as interested in education as I am is very inspiring to me.
CAROL: One Mother’s Day, Bexx gave me a bunch of bookbinding tools, which inspired me to take a couple of bookbinding classes in Philadelphia, where I ended up joining the local chapter of the Guild of Bookworkers. I have since made several little books myself.
What motivates or inspires you in your philanthropic work?
CAROL: It is important to us to help students continue their education and establish themselves in their careers. We have supported a number of scholarships at local universities in Philadelphia, and we also love giving to the theater and the symphony.
What advice would you give someone considering supporting NBSS?
BRUCE: Go see what these students can do—just see their enthusiasm and hear their individual stories.
CAROL: Learn about it. Go to an event, attend an Open House. If it feels right to you, do it.
This story is from our FY 2025 issue of Annual Report. Read more stories from the issue or view past issues.
