Villanova University in Philadelphia is one of several institutions receiving major private gifts as ... [+]
Most college and universities have been welcoming students to campus during the past two weeks, starting the new semester with hopes that enrollments will rebound, threats from the Covid-19 pandemic and monkeypox will subside, and classes and other campus activities will return to normal after two years of almost constant disruption.
Five institutions are also beginning the new academic year with particularly good news, in the form of major gifts supporting various campus priorities. Here’s a quick look.
American University received a $10 million gift from Board of Trustees member and alumnus Alan L. Meltzer, and his wife, Amy Meltzer. The gift will be used to build a new athletics facility, to be named the Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance.
The current gift follows a 2019 $5 million commitment from the couple for the center. According to the the university, the Meltzer’s combined $15 million donation is the second-largest naming gift for a capital project at American University.
“As American University pursues the change that we know can’t wait, Alan and Amy again demonstrated their commitment to our community,” said University President Sylvia M. Burwell. “Their extraordinary gift will enable AU students to excel athletically and academically and will build the bonds of community that have been so meaningful to Alan and Amy. The Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance will elevate the AU student experience and propel generations of changemakers to future success.”
The University of Utah has received a $20 million gift from the Red Crow Foundation, the philanthropic entity established by Marie and Clay Wilkes. The gift, to be distributed over seven years, will be used to create the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy, an interdisciplinary unit that will, according to the university, “promote research, study effective public policies and propose entrepreneurial business solutions to curb and combat the threats that climate change poses to human and environmental health.”
Clay Wilkes is the founder of Galileo Financial Technologies, which was sold in 2020 to SoFi for $1.2 billion. He proposed the center last year to University President Taylor Randall.
“Climate change is one of two or three issues that are absolutely critical to humanity,” Wilkes said, in the university’s news release. “As I consider the difference I can make for my grandchildren and so many other generations that follow, there is no more important cause.”
“Because of the state’s unique geography, every facet of the environment impacts Utah. Our ability to address these urgent and immediate problems, locally and internationally, will serve as a model for governments and communities throughout the world. With this new center, the University of Utah is leading by example, and we challenge every other university within the state and beyond to do likewise.”
Salem State University has received a $10 million donation from the Cummings Foundation for its School of Education. According to the university, the gift is the largest cash contribution in the history of the nine Massachusetts state universities.
The Cummings Foundation’s gift will be used to expand the School of Education’s programming, including diversifying the educator pipeline; creating a center for professional learning aimed at retaining teachers and school leaders; preparing educators to meet student needs beyond PreK-12 education, and supporting alternative pathways to licensure for emergency-licensed teachers in the region.
“We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Salem State University, and in doing so, support the vibrancy of the North Shore,” said Bill Cummings, founder of Cummings Foundation and commercial real estate firm Cummings Properties.
In recognition of the university’s continued partnership with the Cummings Foundation, Salem State will name its school of education after alumnus James L. McKeown, establishing the McKeown School of Education. The naming celebrates the legacy of McKeown, who was a Salem State alumnus and former Cummings Properties president.
Villanova University announced a $7.5 million anonymous donation to establish the William and Julia Moulden Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS).
The gift honors the late William and Julia Moulden, a Black, Catholic couple who provided crucial support to the Augustinian founders of Villanova College in the 19th century. It will be used for investments in key areas such as curricular enhancements, new academic programs and centers of excellence, and support for faculty and student research and scholarship.
It will also create an endowment in the office for undergraduate students to support student internships, professional development experiences, immersion programs and other forms of experiential learning.
“This is a transformational gift for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” said Villanova President Rev. Peter Donohue. “We are grateful to the donors not only for their financial commitment, but for honoring the important legacy left by the Mouldens—a family whose generosity to Villanova and the Augustinians left an indelible mark on the University.”
Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, reported receiving an $8 million gift from an anonymous donor, the third largest gift in the Baptist-affiliated university’s history. The gift is expected to be used to address several facility needs at the university which has a total enrollment of about 4,000 students. The gift brings Cedarville close to its comprehensive campaign goal of $125 million, with more than $114 million raised since the campaign’s inception last year.
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