For nearly 20 years, Valerie Pichette served as executive assistant at UConn’s Neag School of Education – first with Dean Richard Schwab and later with former Dean Thomas DeFranco – as well as a longtime mentor to innumerable students and friend to many colleagues campus-wide. Pichette passed away on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. In remembrance of her longtime dedication to the University, the Neag School announces the launch of a new endowed scholarship in her name, the Valerie J. Pichette Scholarship Fund.