Marsicano Recognized with 2010 Distinguished Service Award

Michael Marsicano, president and chief executive officer of Foundation For The Carolinas, is the recipient of the 2010 UNC Charlotte Distinguished Service Award. He was honored on Wednesday, June 2, during a special luncheon in the Student Union, where a video tribute portrayed his impact on the region.

In his remarks, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois described Marsicano as a driving force in the Charlotte region for more than two decades. As Charlotte emerged as a leading city of the New South, he said, Marsicano built relationships that stressed the importance of cultural arts and service to the community.

Marsicano also has been a strong supporter of higher education. He has served as a member of the UNC Charlotte Foundation Board of Trustees, a member of the task force that recommended the creation of the College of Arts + Architecture and as a founding member of the University’s Institute for Social Capital.

“Michael has been key to making sure that the university has a central role to play in helping the greater Charlotte region address its most critical issues,” Dubois said. “He understands the importance of a strong and engaged public research university in a community like ours.”

A native of New York, Marsicano attended Duke University in Durham. A musician proficient in English horn and oboe, his life course was altered by a trip to Europe with the university symphony. The trip cured him of his desire to become a physician and led him to a career in the arts.

Marsicano earned three degrees from Duke University. After graduating with his doctorate, he joined the Durham Arts Council and Royal Arts Center.

In 1989 he left his post in Durham for a leadership position at the Arts & Science Council in Charlotte. During Marsicano’s tenure at ASC, the organization raised millions of dollars for projects including the Mint Museum of Craft + Design and the McColl Center for Visual Art and became one of the largest endowed arts councils in the United States.

As president and CEO of Foundation For The Carolinas since 1999, Marsicano now heads a community enterprise with assets totaling more than $775 million. The foundation supports a significant number of charities and non-profit organizations in the greater Charlotte metropolitan region.

In the 10 years Marsicano has been at the helm, contributions to the foundation have totaled more than $1 billion and grant awards more than $615 million. These grant awards cover a wide range of areas including arts, environment, historic preservation, education, health and human services, religion, civic engagement, social capital and youth and elderly services.