Family establishes first endowed department chair to honor Charles and Carol Pulvino
In an effort to provide visionary support and honor their parents’ lifelong dedication to education and counseling, Todd and Katie Pulvino established the first endowed department chair in the School of Education’s history earlier this year.
On Feb. 7, the School celebrated the Pulvinos’ $2 million gift with the investiture of Professor Mindi Thompson as the inaugural Charles and Carol Pulvino Chair in Counseling Psychology.
“This gift is about honoring their legacy,” says Todd Pulvino. “My dad helped shape the department for nearly three decades, and my mom was right there with him — teaching math and computer science, earning her PhD, and raising a family. We wanted to give something back that reflects their values, and their lifelong belief in the power of education.”
Charles Pulvino, a professor emerit of counseling psychology, was an award-winning faculty member with the department from 1971 to 1999. During that time, he also led the Research and Guidance Laboratory for Superior Students, a research program focused on high-performing high school and college students. Carol Pulvino earned her doctorate from the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in 1979, while enjoying an impactful career as a middle and high school math and computer science teacher with the Madison Metropolitan School District.
The School of Education has a tradition of supporting faculty members through endowed professorships, but the endowed chair supported by the Pulvino family is a historic first that provides sustainable, flexible funding to be used at the discretion of the department chair.
“I’ve been struck by the enormous privilege it is to be in a position to dream about what might be possible with this remarkable gift and support,” says Thompson, who has been a faculty member with the Department of Counseling Psychology since 2008, taking on the chair role in the fall of 2023. “This funding can be used to support research, teaching, and clinical efforts central to our department’s mission, which is to foster growth and healing, and contribute to environments in which all patients and students can thrive.”
In an emotional moment last December, Todd Pulvino presented his parents with copies of the endowed chair agreement as an early Christmas gift.
Carol Pulvino said the gesture was overwhelming.
“To have this done in our honor — something like this never crossed my mind,” said Charles Pulvino. “It’s wonderful.”
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and School of Education Dean Marcelle Haddix joined the Pulvinos and their extended family — including several grandchildren — at the investiture event.
“The Department of Counseling Psychology exemplifies the School of Education’s commitment to innovation, inclusion, and real-world impact — values that this endowment will help sustain and expand for years to come,” said Haddix.
In her remarks, Mnookin lauded the life-changing work being done by the department.
“Counseling and mental health support are critically important at this moment,” Mnookin said. “I want to thank this small-but-mighty department for the critical work they do to advance mental health and well-being by training the next generation of mental health professionals, conducting insightful and groundbreaking research, and providing services to our students and community through the Counseling Psychology Training Clinic. “
Current and former faculty and staff of the Department of Counseling Psychology also attended the investiture celebration as well as former students and colleagues of Charles and Carol Pulvino — highlighting their long-lasting impact.
“Most graduate students come into the department with a dream of wanting to be great counselors,” says Judy Ettinger, who was a graduate student in the department during Charles Pulvino’s tenure. “But every person — whether they said it or not — wondered if they belonged and if they were good enough. Chuck was instrumental in building confidence in people. He created a community where students felt they belonged and thrived.”
Charles Pulvino earned a Distinguished Teaching Award from UW–Madison in 1980, celebrating his well-known stature as an approachable presence and unwavering supporter of graduate students.
The Department of Counseling Psychology is an American Psychological Association-accredited and internationally renowned training program for counselors and counseling psychologists, with graduates going on to many different careers, including academic instruction, research, and clinical practice, as well as consulting and industry positions.