Spring Break
Alum donates $15 mil
by Ruth Orbach
Staff writer
News | 5/20/08
Posted online at 7:42 PM EST on 5/19/08
/ Last updated at 5:22 AM EST on 5/19/08
A $15 million gift by Donald Soffer '54, the largest donation to the University by an alumnus in its history, was given to the Campaign for Brandeis Initiative to help fund the constructon of the atrium in the new Carl J. Shapiro Science Center.
According to the Brandeis Web site, the Campaign for Brandeis Initiative focuses on campus facilities, financial aid, endowments and the sciences. The gift pushed the campaign to its goal of $770 million, according to the Web site.
Soffer, the founder of real estate development and property management company Turnberry Associates, is one of 35 University alumni to donate gifts of over $1 million. These donations have been instrumental to the improvement of the campus and the programs at the University, said Nancy Winship, senior vice president of institutional advancement. In addition to his other gifts, Soffer donated the money to build the men's locker room in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.
"It often happens that as the years go by, our alums look back at their Brandeis years and realize that they got an extraordinary education at this institution," said Winship. "We have a relatively small endowment, and gifts like this have a transformative effect on the institution. They can really make a difference," she said.
Winship stressed the importance of such gifts to a relatively new university such as Brandeis. As a young institution, the University has not had many fundraising campaigns in the past, she said. She explained that the average age of Brandeis alumni is 41, while other universities' alumni are around 60 years old. The implication of this is that there are fewer large scale donations for the University, as many alumni are still earning their wealth, she said.
The Brandeis Web site shows that the Campaign for Brandeis Initiative included the construction of the new science building, which will be finished next year. The overwhelming response from alumni helped to achieve the monetary goal well over a year in advance.
According to the Brandeis Web site, the Campaign for Brandeis Initiative focuses on campus facilities, financial aid, endowments and the sciences. The gift pushed the campaign to its goal of $770 million, according to the Web site.
Soffer, the founder of real estate development and property management company Turnberry Associates, is one of 35 University alumni to donate gifts of over $1 million. These donations have been instrumental to the improvement of the campus and the programs at the University, said Nancy Winship, senior vice president of institutional advancement. In addition to his other gifts, Soffer donated the money to build the men's locker room in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.
"It often happens that as the years go by, our alums look back at their Brandeis years and realize that they got an extraordinary education at this institution," said Winship. "We have a relatively small endowment, and gifts like this have a transformative effect on the institution. They can really make a difference," she said.
Winship stressed the importance of such gifts to a relatively new university such as Brandeis. As a young institution, the University has not had many fundraising campaigns in the past, she said. She explained that the average age of Brandeis alumni is 41, while other universities' alumni are around 60 years old. The implication of this is that there are fewer large scale donations for the University, as many alumni are still earning their wealth, she said.
The Brandeis Web site shows that the Campaign for Brandeis Initiative included the construction of the new science building, which will be finished next year. The overwhelming response from alumni helped to achieve the monetary goal well over a year in advance.
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