Campaign Annual Report 2007–2008
Law, Business, and International
From the President
Dear Friends,
This Campaign Annual Report for 2007–2008 caps an outstanding year. The enthusiastic support of alumni, parents, and friends is continuing to transform Yale, and I thank you for your extraordinary and continuing generosity. In fact, the tremendous momentum of the Yale Tomorrow campaign, which continues to exceed projected targets, has allowed us to raise our sights even higher.
After careful study and input from all corners of the Yale community, the Corporation voted in June to increase the enrollment of Yale College by building two new residential colleges. This decision will enable us to admit more of the world’s most talented students, while maintaining and enhancing the unique character of undergraduate life. To help fund this historic initiative—constructing the colleges themselves as well as the corresponding investments in additional financial aid, an expanded faculty, and enhanced programs and related facilities—we have raised the Yale Tomorrow campaign goal by $500 million to $3.5 billion. With your support, I am confident that we can achieve this ambitious new goal.
We are also pursuing advances in science and technology at an accelerated pace. Yale’s new West Campus—the 136-acre former Bayer Healthcare complex—has dramatically expanded the University’s capacity for research. Building on our existing strengths in the biomedical sciences, plans for the campus include an integrated cluster of institutes focused on cutting edge research and supported by state-of-the-art instrumentation facilities.
Across campus, this year was marked by significant progress in so many areas. From Science Hill to the School of Medicine, from the Divinity School to the Arts Area, from Old Campus to West Campus, Yale is thriving. And your generosity is making it all possible.
I know you will enjoy reading about the impact of your giving. Thank you again for providing us with such extraordinary opportunities and for spurring us on to even greater accomplishments.
Richard C. Levin ’74 Ph.D.
President
From the Campaign Co-Chairs
Dear Friends,
We are pleased to report on the ongoing success of the Yale Tomorrow campaign. This has been a year of dramatic progress and historic decisions that would not have been possible without the support of our dedicated Yale alumni, parents, and friends.
Thanks to your generosity, $603 million was raised during the 2007–2008 fiscal year, bringing our Campaign total to $2.299 billion. This momentum is helping Yale make extraordinary advances in scientific research, financial aid, inter- national programs, the arts, undergraduate education, athletic facilities, and many other areas that you will read about in this report.
The strength of your commitment was also an important factor in the decision to expand Yale College, making a Yale education more widely available. The process is now underway for expansion of the student body, faculty, programs, services, and facilities, including building two new residential colleges. As you know, in order to help fund this expansion, we have raised our campaign goal by $500 million. As of June 30, 2008, $140 million had already been committed toward the Yale College expansion.
As Campaign Co-Chairs, we are confident that together we can fulfill this promise, and all our promises, to future generations of students and faculty. We are proud to represent such an extraordinary group of volunteers and donors. Thank you for all you have contributed and for believing so strongly in the future of Yale.
G. Leonard Baker, Jr. ’64
Edward P. Bass ’67
Joshua Bekenstein ’80
Roland W. Betts ’68
Susan M. Crown ’80
Consistent support fuels campaign momentum
In year two of the public phase of the Yale Tomorrow campaign, alumni, parents, and friends continued their outstanding support of the University. During the period July 1, 2007–June 30, 2008, Yale was fortunate to receive a total of $603 million in gifts and pledges from generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. Every supporter played an important part, with annual gifts, reunion gifts, and other contributions making an impact campus wide.
The Campaign’s growing momentum is also reflected in its annual cash revenue, which reached a record $492.8 million in 2007–2008. In the past four years, cash revenues have averaged $404.7 million annually, compared with an average $274.2 million for the four years prior to the Campaign. This consistent momentum was a pivotal factor in the decision to raise the Campaign goal from $3 billion to $3.5 billion to support the expansion of Yale College and the construction of two new residential colleges.
Giving combines with stewardship to preserve Endowment strength
In fiscal 2008, the Yale Endowment earned a 4.5 percent return, bringing its value to $22.9 billion. In a year of volatile market conditions, this performance reflects Yale’s commitment to responsible stewardship of Endowment gifts and once again places Yale among the nation’s top institutional investors. But after ten years averaging double-digit returns, it also marks a sea change for the University’s investment outlook and emphasizes the critical importance of donor support.
Since 1998, the Endowment has returned an annualized 16.3 percent, earning almost $13 billion more in ten years than would have been generated by the aver-age college or university endowment’s investment returns. Thanks to favorable market conditions and superb management, Yale’s investments grew from $6.6 billion to $22.9 billion during this period. In contrast, the advent of fiscal 2009 brought a global financial crisis and dramatic declines in global equity markets.
The gifts of alumni, parents, and friends truly make the difference in difficult times, and they are even more important in the long term. Of the $400 million net increase during fiscal 2008 in the Endowment’s value, a total of $250 million, or 62.5 percent, came from gifts. Since 1950, more than 75 percent of the Endowment’s value has derived from gifts and the investment performance on those gifts.
Spending from the Endowment was again Yale’s single largest source of support in 2007–2008, providing $850 million, or more than 37 percent of the operating budget. This percentage will increase further in 2008–2009 as Endowment spending reaches $1.16 billion. About one quarter of the funding supports Yale’s faculty; a little less than a fifth supports financial aid; and a quarter funds specific programs and activities. The remaining portion is unrestricted.
Thanks to the strength of the Endowment and the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends, Yale can continue to pursue its most forward-looking initiatives: increasing access to the University and its educational resources, improving financial aid in Yale College and the professional schools, increasing the undergraduate student body from 5,300 to 6,000, and adding substantially to the faculty. On West Campus, too, Yale remains on a fast track to establishing several major research institutes in the biomedical sciences. Giving through the Yale Tomorrow campaign helps to make these goals a reality.
Undergraduate Experience
Today every undergraduate travels a greater distance.
“From financial aid to new facilities and programs, the success of the Yale Tomorrow campaign is expanding the horizons of every student and of the College itself,” said Provost and former Yale College Dean Peter Salovey.
The June decision to increase enrollment and build two new residential colleges will enable Yale to admit more of the world’s most gifted students without compromising the unique and intimate quality of the residential college system.
Equally critical, the expansion of undergraduate financial aid will open Yale’s doors even wider and lighten the burden of debt for many students and their families. Beginning this academic year, families with incomes below $120,000 saw their contributions cut by more than 50%, while most families with incomes between $120,000 and $200,000 saw cost reductions of 33% or more.
Among this year’s programmatic initiatives is the creation of a new Modern Middle East Studies major at the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies. Students can take courses in both classical and modern thought, the contemporary Middle East, and become proficient in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish. Another new program, the Yale College Fellowship for International Research in the Sciences and Health Studies, enables undergraduate science majors to have a meaningful international experience while still fulfilling their demanding course requirements.
Across campus, new and renovated facilities are enhancing the quality of undergraduate life. The reconstructed Bass Library is again the center of student life, and its Thain Family Café has already become a favorite place to take a break or discuss assignments. Another important milestone was reached in November when the glory of the Yale Bowl was fully restored. And the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center was recently completed. With eight courts, the center is one of the best indoor facilities in the Ivy League.
Here are just some of the many ways that alumni, parents, and friends are contributing to Yale College at this transformative moment.
Expanding Yale College
A small but loyal cadre of Yale alumni have contributed $140 million toward the construction of two new residential colleges, the centerpiece of the program to expand Yale College. Their gifts form a nucleus fund that dramatically advances the University toward its incremental goal of raising $500 million by the close of the Campaign in 2011.
President Richard C. Levin said, “The expansion of Yale College simply cannot happen without the vision and incredible generosity of alumni and friends, and I am extremely grateful that some of our closest supporters have united to make these extraordinary gifts. Their combined giving will have an impact that is truly transformative.”
The nucleus fund will support two facilities modeled after Yale’s existing residential colleges, with traditional styling, courtyards, common spaces, and student suites organized around entryways. Yale is also planning substantial upgrades to the area around Prospect and Sachem streets, including new academic buildings, theater space, and a café to serve undergraduates. The colleges are slated to open in September 2013.
The new Campaign goal includes substantial targets for new financial aid endowment, enabling a 15 percent growth in the student body. The University also plans to hire new faculty so that tomorrow’s students receive the same outstanding education current students enjoy.
“I am delighted that some of our most generous alumni and friends have stepped forward to help fund the expansion of Yale College,” Levin said. “Their strong statement of support for this project will enable us to welcome more students into Yale College and should inspire anyone wishing to strengthen our core teaching mission.”
Opening more doors
To support financial aid at Yale College, Alison S. Fitzgerald ’90 has endowed the Mr. and Mrs. Frank J. Scarpelli Scholarship Fund in honor of her parents. Mrs. Fitzgerald has served as a class agent and is a regular member of the Nathan Hale Associates, which recognizes leadership annual giving. “Increasing our financial aid resources helps us to continue opening our doors to exceptional students, regardless of their ability to pay, and it enables those students to graduate without shouldering an unbearable burden of debt,” Yale President Richard C. Levin said.
Steven J. Kumble ’54 has established the Steven J. Kumble Scholars Fund to provide financial aid for undergraduates who wish to work or study abroad, further strengthening the University’s commitment to ensuring that all undergraduates will have at least one international experience during their time at Yale. Traveling outside of the United States exposes students to new cultures through immersion, giving them a range of opportunities—from perfecting their foreign language skills to learning about themselves as they face challenges and opportunities that arise from living and working in a completely new environment. “The pursuit of a more global educational experience is consistent with other developments in business and politics,” said Mr. Kumble. “I wanted to support that effort.”
Shelby M.C. Davis and Gale L. Davis are strengthening their partnership with Yale by making a long-term financial commitment to the University to ensure that students of the Davis United World College Scholars Program will continue to receive financial support to attend Yale College well into the future. The program offers scholarships to undergraduates who have completed their last two years of high school at one of twelve United World Colleges located around the globe. Hailing from as many as 126 different countries, these students are enrolled in more than eighty-eight American colleges and universities. The eleven Davis Scholars currently enrolled at Yale – a number that continues to grow each year – have become an integral part of the College’s diverse international community and they contribute immeasurably to a greater international understanding on campus.
Michael A. Petru ’73 established the Michael A. Petru Scholarship Fund to commemorate his 35th reunion and honor Yale’s lasting significance in his life. Funded through a bequest, the scholarship will provide financial aid to Yale College students from less-advantaged areas of Los Angeles who, like him, are graduates of the Los Angeles Unified School District. A proud alumnus, Dr. Petru passed away in March 2008.
Revitalizing an icon
Following the 2007–2008 hockey season, the University embarked on a $23 million initiative to expand and renovate the historic David S. Ingalls Rink, with many alumni, parents, and friends contributing to the project. The University received leadership gifts from the Louise H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation, Lois and Roland W. ’68 Betts, Michael C. ’67 and Diana D. ’72 Brooks, Cynthia K. and Andrew T. ’71 Dwyer, and Claudia and Nelson Peltz as well as generous support from many other alumni and friends. Yale Director of Athletics Thomas Beckett said, “The renovation of Ingalls Rink will have a tremendous impact on our hockey programs as well as the Greater New Haven hockey community. We are extremely grateful to the University and the donors who have chosen to support this project.” The renovation will provide a new rink surface, lighting and sound systems, and a new hockey heritage exhibit. To preserve the “Yale Whale,” expansion will be underground, with 14,000 square feet added for varsity coaching and state-of-the-art training facilities.
Nurturing creativity and innovation
The Yale College Dean’s Resource Fund supports a broad spectrum of innovative endeavors undertaken by students and faculty, and Jonathan and Sheryl Sokoloff P ’11 have generously contributed to this important resource. This year, the dean utilized the fund to contribute to a variety of student and faculty activities, including a student project to provide cleaner water in villages in Latin America and research into the spread of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam. The fund also served as an important resource for on-campus programs, including clubs and pre-orientation activities. The fund exists to encourage an environment that fosters creativity and enables opportunities to be addressed as they arise.
Supporting the Alumni Fund
Susan E. Holden ’84 has been a generous supporter of the Yale Alumni Fund and a longtime contributor to the Class of 1984’s Alumni Fund activities. As a class agent she has led impressive efforts to reach out to fellow classmates, in some years achieving 100 percent participation. In addition, Ms. Holden is a member of the Yale Alumni Fund Board of Directors, the Yale Tomorrow Campaign Committee, and her class’s 25th Reunion Gift Committee. She also hosts annual Class of ’84 cocktail parties in New York City where she is a TV and film animation producer. “It’s part of my DNA to give to Yale, especially to the Alumni Fund because of the focus on unrestricted annual dollars,” Ms. Holden said. “I am so grateful for what Yale has done for me. It’s a privilege to give something back.”
A championship team
In November 2007, the Yale Chinese Language Debate Team defeated Oxford to win the International Varsity Debate Series. After besting Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia in the preliminary rounds, Adam Scharfman ’08, Nick Sedlet ’08, J.T. Kennedy ’09, and Austin Woerner ’08, spent a week in Beijing representing the United States against competitors from Europe, Australia, and Korea. Demonstrating fluency in Putonghua, or standard Chinese, the team defended assigned positions on public smoking, bullfighting, and the ideal university system. “The Yale team’s performance in Beijing raises the bar for future competitions and greatly impressed the Chinese public who watched the debates on television,” said Wei Su, Senior Lector, East Asian Languages and Literature, and the team coach. “Adam, Nick, Austin, and J.T. are not only expert speakers, they can frame arguments and debate with tremendous proficiency. They certainly benefited from their experiences studying in China as Light Fellows and from Yale’s intensive teaching techniques which stress an understanding of Chinese culture as well as speaking, reading, and writing skills,” Su continued.
Arts and Culture
If we don’t nurture the arts, how will the arts nurture us?
“One of the things that is so exciting about Yale is that the four schools in the arts, along with the museums and collections, make it a resource for the University and the nation unlike any other,” said James Bundy, dean, Yale School of Drama. “Yale’s unique array of professional schools, museums, and programs in the arts foster both extraordinary creativity and scholarship in the University, and bright promise for the future of the American imagination.”
This year’s momentum is epitomized in the recent restoration and renovation of the historic Art + Architecture building. Now renamed Paul Rudolph Hall in honor of its original architect, the building is connected to the new Jeffrey H. Loria Center for the History of Art and Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library. “Yale will now have a central arts library that unites collections, staff, and other resources previously distributed all across campus, including the Art & Architecture Library, the Drama Library, the Arts of the Book Collection, and the digital Visual Resources Collection. This creates unprecedented opportunities for intellectual exchange and interdisciplinary collaborations,” said University Librarian Alice Prochaska.
As Yale encourages students to push artistic limits, nothing is more important than the examples set by an exceptional faculty. This year, Yale School of Art Professor Jessica Stockholder won the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s annual Lucelia Artist Award. The award recognizes Stockholder’s “extensive and ongoing achievement as an artist and celebrates her profound impact on generations of artists.” In July, Paula Vogel, one of the country’s most widely produced and honored playwrights, became the Eugene O’Neill Professor (Adjunct) and Chair of the Department of Playwriting. “I am delighted to join the Yale School of Drama, an institution with a vibrant theatrical community forged by students and faculty alike,” Vogel said. “Yale is well positioned to launch, sustain, and inspire the paths of American artists.”
Here are just some of the many generous gifts that are supporting the arts at Yale and beyond.
Preserving musical collections
In 1900, New Haven piano manufacturer Morris Steinert donated several historical instruments to Yale, establishing its Collection of Musical Instruments. Since that time, the School of Music has amassed a collection of more than 1,000 objects ranging from antiquity to the present. Sylvia and Leonard M. Marx, Jr. ’54, along with their daughter Nancy Marx Better ’84 and son Richard H. Marx ’83, are supporting this Yale treasure by creating the Virginia and Leonard Marx Endowment with a gift from the Virginia and Leonard Marx Foundation. The fund will provide resources for instrument conservation and acquisition, as well as a recital series, which will allow the Yale community to experience the sounds of music from centuries ago. A meticulously preserved and accessible collection will also offer opportunities for student learning, research, and inspiration.
Encouraging undergraduate performance
Rick and Jan Cohen P ’03, ’09 appreciate Yale’s vibrant music scene. Undergraduates here can encounter a wide range of musical genres, from early music to opera, and share their talent and skills with the University community through performance. The Cohens have established the Cohen Fund for Undergraduate Vocal Performance in the Department of Music to further encourage students at all levels of interest and ability to express themselves through music. As one of the original liberal arts, music maintains an important place in the University. Many students within the major pursue professional careers and others use their experience in music as a foundation for lifelong learning and appreciation.
Championing outstanding theater and human rights initiatives
In honor of Jerome L. Greene who was devoted to the performing and visual arts, the Yale School of Drama has received its largest single gift to endow a scholarship fund from The Jerome L. Greene Foundation. The fellowship will be awarded annually and will underwrite the full tuition and living expenses of four students in the Acting Department in their third and final year of training.
Commitments from the Robina Foundation, founded by Yale alumnus James Binger ’38, will help advance core objectives of both the School of Drama and the Law School. Support for the School of Drama will establish the Center for New Theatre at the Yale Repertory Theatre to foster the creation and presentation of new works for the stage. The Robina Foundation Human Rights Fellowship Initiative at the Law School will support students, scholars, and practitioners focusing on international human rights. Both initiatives reflect Mr. Binger’s interests and commitments during his lifetime.
Creating opportunities in architecture
David M. Schwarz ’74 M.Arch., James Stewart Polshek ’55 M.Arch., and Gordon H. Smith ’57E made major contributions this year to the School of Architecture.
Schwarz, whose firm designed the Class of 1954 Environmental Science Center, substantially increased the Dean’s Resource Fund he established in 2002 to provide general support for the School.
Polshek, whose firm designed the renovation of Yale University Art Gallery’s Louis I. Kahn wing and its upcoming expansion in the Swartwout Building and Street Hall, along with his wife, Ellyn, named the drawing studio in the newly renovated Rudolph Hall for Eugene Nalle ’48 B.Arch., as a reminder of the importance of the intellectual discipline of drawing.
Smith, who worked with Polshek Partners on the renovation of the Kahn wing and the Gwathmey Siegel team on Rudolph Hall and the new Loria Center and Haas Family Arts Library, named the conference room in Rudolph Hall.
Michael Vlock and Karen L. Pritzker have endowed the first-year building project at the School of Architecture in honor of Michael’s father, Jim Vlock, who has long-time ties to both the School and the City of New Haven. The gift will provide permanent funding for the building project, a signature Yale program since 1967. Unique among architecture school programs nationwide, the project provides students with an opportunity to design and build a single-family, affordable home in the New Haven area. Students experience the excitement of translating an idea into a tangible structure and learn important skills like how to work with a client, gain approval from the local zoning board, and respond to the challenges of affordable housing. The project also serves as an important link between the University and the local community.
Bringing new perspectives to campus
As aspiring artists develop in their craft, they require exposure to the international artists who are defining today’s contemporary scene. For many years, the Yale School of Art has met this need through its visiting artists program, which brings distinguished practitioners to Yale to share their art, creativity, and expertise. Richard and Susan Hayden P ’06, ’09 are bringing new rigor to this program by establishing the Hayden Fund for Art and Ideas. This new endowment will provide resources to attract leading artists from major art centers around the globe and support their activities while they are on campus, including exhibitions, publications, and special programs. Students and the Yale community will have the opportunity to learn from the most creative voices in the field through this critical link with the international arts community.
Supporting initiatives across campus
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation generously supported the Center for British Art to further strengthen its research programs, and awarded a New Directions Fellowship to Elliott Visconsi in the English Department to foster his scholarship on the interplay of legal and literary discourses in 17th- and 18th-century England and America. In addition, the Mellon Foundation provided funds to Yale Press to develop a digital documentary edition of Stalin’s Personal Archive. The Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology received support for the Savanna Convergence Project, a study of the role of fire and herbivory in South African and North American grasslands.
Securing the arts at Yale
Nancy and Robinson Grover ’58, ’75 MSL have made a significant bequest to support Yale’s Art School, Art Gallery, and Law School. The Grovers framed their gift “to allow the deans and directors great flexibility” in funding a variety of programs, from visiting artists and lectures to exhibitions and symposia. They have also donated several pieces from their personal collection of contemporary photography to the Yale University Art Gallery, with the intention of donating their entire collection over time. “We are thrilled that students will be able to examine and discuss our original images,” the Grovers said. Their commitment coincides with Mr. Grover’s 50th reunion.
Continuing their parents’ long tradition of giving to Yale, Frederick W. Hilles, Jr. and Susan Hilles Bush have directed contributions from a charitable remainder annuity trust established by their late mother, Susan Morse Hilles, to the Frederick W. Hilles Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Yale University Art Gallery. The scholarship, named for Frederick Hilles ’22, provides financial aid to graduate students in the schools of Art, Architecture, and Drama. Support for the Art Gallery will fund ongoing efforts to document the Gallery’s art collections, which include over 185,000 works organized into curatorial areas such as African art, ancient art, coins and medals, modern and contemporary art, and prints, drawings, and photographs.
Expanding access to collections
Fleur E. Fairman ’78 has made a gift toward the renovation of Yale University Art Gallery’s Swartwout building. Erected in 1928, the building is being expanded to provide accommodations for both teaching and exhibitions, while simultaneously maintaining its unique character as a part of the Chapel Street community. Completely renewed, this historic space will enhance the Gallery’s ability to attract traveling exhibits and display more of its own extraordinary collection. Ms. Fairman’s commitment, marking her 30th reunion, will directly promote an appreciation for and an understanding of art and its vital role in society.
Supporting great talent
“I never could have imagined that my Romanian high school orchestra trip to Germany would have such a dramatic effect on my life,” said cellist Mihai Marica ’08 ArtA. “I played a solo during our last performance in Berlin, and by chance a recording was sent to Professor Parisot. That started the process of auditions that led to my coming to Yale.” Mihai studied with Aldo Parisot, renowned cellist and the Samuel Sanford Professor of Music, for the past seven years. As Mihai explained, “my teachers have been fantastic and I have also had incredible opportunities to perform. The support I received at Yale has made me who I am as a musician.” Mihai has won numerous awards and honors, including First Prize at the 2006 “Dr. Luis Sigal” International Competition in Chile. In 2008, Mihai played a Carnegie Hall debut concert, and he is currently the principal cellist of the New Haven Symphony.
Law, Business, and International
How far can your support go? There are no boundaries.
“Yale is in the midst of a transformative campaign. What better time to be expansive about what our faculty, students, and graduates can contribute to the larger society,” said Ian Shapiro, Sterling Professor of Political Science and Henry R. Luce Director of the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies. From pioneering teaching programs to ambitious public policy and environmental initiatives, Yale is tackling issues that are critical to people throughout the country and the world.
As part of Yale’s ongoing efforts to increase dialogue between diverse cultures, the MacMillan Center this year announced the Women, Religion, and Globalization Project. The program will include courses, visiting fellowships, and workshops that explore the relationship between women religious practitioners and political, economic, and social developments.
Another broad-based initiative brings Yale scholarship to the largest possible audience. Open Yale Courses, supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, offers anyone with a computer the opportunity to participate in selected Yale College courses. People around the world can now access lectures, discussions, and reading lists on a wide range of subjects.
Sustainability continues to be a major focus of business and society. In April, President Levin appeared before Congress to discuss Yale’s successful and ongoing efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Yale also hosted governors from around the country who are seeking more effective ways to combat the economic and environmental repercussions of climate change.
For governments throughout the world, learning to prevent epidemics is an issue with profound economic consequences. This year, a team from the Yale School of Public Health advanced the study of epidemics by determining that Lyme disease, now a significant health issue in the United Sates, is caused by a bacterium with European ancestry. “By understanding the evolutionary history of pathogens, we can better predict their evolutionary future,” said Durland Fish, professor of epidemiology and principal investigator on the Yale research team.
Here are some of the many generous gifts that are helping Yale contribute to society and the world.
Honoring an esteemed mentor
Professor William C. Brainard ’63 Ph.D. has been a part of the Economics Department at Yale for nearly fifty years. Now alumni, faculty, and friends are honoring his commitment to both teaching and research by contributing to an endowed chair, the William C. Brainard Professorship, and a student research fund. A specialist in economic theory, macro-economics, and monetary theory, Professor Brainard has served as provost of the University and director of the Cowles Foundation. He has also held every major administrative position within the Economics Department, including director of undergraduate studies, director of graduate studies, and chair. “Bill Brainard influenced my life in many profound ways,” Yale’s Chief Investment Officer David Swensen said. “As my teacher, dissertation advisor, and friend, Bill provided the intellectual framework for my approach to economics and finance.”
Sustaining a Law School tradition
Gifts from Robert C. Baker ’56, ’59 LL.B., Jonathan P. Rosen ’70 J.D., and James Star ’86 J.D. have estab-lished a nucleus fund to support the renovation of Yale’s “Swing Space” as a residential facility for law students. Since the early 1930s, students of Yale Law School have lived in the Sterling Law Buildings, an experience that is dear to generations of alumni. But competition from a growing faculty, clinical programs, and student organizations makes it increasingly difficult to house students on campus. Reallocating the Swing Space, built to house Yale College students during the residential college renovations scheduled for completion in 2011, will help renew the School’s distinctive community and restore a time-honored residential experience.
Envisioning a new SOM campus
Scott A. Schoen ’80, a member of the SOM board of advisors and the Yale Tomorrow Campaign Executive Committee, is supporting the construction of Yale School of Management’s (SOM) new campus. The new complex will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, faculty offices, academic centers, and student and community spaces on a 4.25 acre site. “As we continue to develop our distinct model of leadership through our innovative integrated MBA curriculum, Schoen’s generosity will help us construct a campus that manifests our highest aspirations for the Yale School of Management,” said former Dean Joel M. Podolny. The new SOM campus is being designed by Foster + Partners, the preeminent architectural firm chaired by Pritzker Laureate Lord Norman Foster ’62 M.Arch.
Promoting cross-cultural understanding
Supporting Yale’s vision to be a truly global University, the late Marion J. Lebworth ’48 has made a gift to the European Studies Council at the MacMillan Center. The council promotes and coordinates undergraduate- and graduate-level study of the nations and cultures of Europe, the Balkans, and Russia. Mr. Lebworth’s generosity will provide financial support for the council’s plans for growth, which include developing cross-regional courses, establishing links with European institutions of higher learning, and building the infrastructure necessary to reflect changes in the European community.
Fostering transatlantic collaboration
A grant from the Fondation Leducq has allowed Yale scientists to join leading researchers in Switzerland, France, and Mexico in a transatlantic collaboration aimed at pinpointing the kidney’s role in high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart attack. Yale Professor Richard P. Lifton coordinates the American effort for the program, which aims to identify new therapeutic targets for hypertension.
Supporting international research
Robert A. Packenham ’64 Ph.D. has included a bequest in his estate plans to establish the Robert A. Packenham Graduate Fellowship in International and Area Studies. The fellowship will provide annual awards to students who are conducting research in developing countries while pursuing a graduate degree. Packenham’s generosity will support the MacMillan Center’s commitment to fostering empirical understanding through the exploration of other countries and cultures. “I am so pleased to have the opportunity to recognize the exceptional education provided to me through the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and to express my life-long interest in and dedication to International and Area Studies,” he said.
Rona and Randolph M. ’85 Nelson and Campaign volunteers Rosemary McNicholas Ryan ’88 and Michael D. Ryan ’89 are supporting international opportunities at Yale by funding financial assistance programs for student participants. The Nelsons’ contribution toward International Summer Awards will underwrite the summer income obligation for financial aid recipients participating in a Yale-administered international summer activity. Their generosity will help ensure that travel opportunities are open to all students, regardless of their financial circumstances.
The Ryan Summer Scholars Fund will facilitate summer travel specifically for Yale athletes, musicians, or other students with financial need who are unable to take a semester abroad. Student athletes and musicians face significant demands on their time, and for many, work or study abroad must be limited to the summer months. “We are thrilled to contribute something back to Yale,” Mr. Ryan said, “and to help current and future students to reach their educational goals and broaden their horizons with an international experience.”
Encouraging ethical leadership
For generations, Yale Law School has prepared its students for public service. Many graduates have provided visionary leadership in important areas of social policy, including domestic civil rights and global human rights. Andi and Tom A. ’74, ’77 J.D. Bernstein have established the Tom and Andi Bernstein Fund for Human Rights to ensure that this tradition continues. The endowment will initially fund up to two fellowships for leading human rights practitioner-scholars who will become part of the fabric of daily life on campus. Sharing their knowledge through lectures, classes, research, and writing, these field-tested experts will help students understand how theoretical knowledge can translate into real world practice.
John K. Castle MED P ’02 has provided leadership support to the MacMillan Center to engage the debate on ethical international behavior. Mr. Castle, who has a long-standing commitment to the University and to encouraging the discourse on ethical consciousness, is descended from one of Yale’s original founders. His gift establishing the John K. Castle Fund for Ethics and International Affairs will support new course development, visiting faculty, conferences, research, and public outreach. The Castle Fund will impact both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty in schools and departments campus-wide. “This is an especially important time to emphasize morality in the study and conduct of global affairs,” said Mr. Castle. “I am pleased to help make it a part of an international education at Yale.”
An intensive international experience
As part of the Yale School of Management integrated MBA curriculum, every first- year student takes part in the International Experience. These faculty-led ten-day business, cultural, and social immersions offer first-hand perspectives on the increasingly complex global economy. About 20 students take part in each trip; this past year’s eight destination opportunities included studying ecotourism in Costa Rica, economic development in South Africa and Namibia, healthcare in Israel and Turkey, and manufacturing and financial services in China. The days were intense, with tours and meetings with business, government, and NGO leaders lasting from early morning until evening, often followed by many hours of informal discussion. “The lessons learned were not ones you can effectively teach in a classroom,” said Yulee Newsome ’09. As Dave Bledin ’09, explained, “This experience allowed us to hold a mirror up to what we’re doing at SOM, to find the bigger issues at stake, and to think about how businesses really operate in the global economy.”
Science and Medicine
Science will advance life. But not before we advance science.
“Innovation and discovery depend in part on far-sighted donors who support early-career scientists, early-stage research, and facilities that foster groundbreaking work. This year, the accomplishments of both younger and established faculty underscore the depth and breadth of scientific achievement at Yale,” said President Levin.
Yale School of Medicine researchers Susan Kaech and Sven-Eric Jordt, and economist Dean Karlan were honored with Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. They earned five years of support for their “innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology, and community service demonstrated through scientific leadership, education or community outreach.” Derek Toomre, assistant professor of cell biology at Yale School of Medicine, received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award. Dr. Toomre is pioneering optical techniques for microscopes used in researching cancer and diabetes.
The long-term work of Dr. Gil Mor, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Services has resulted in remarkable progress. This year, his team announced a blood test that is 99% accurate in detecting early stage ovarian cancer.
The Journal of Neuroscience reported on the work of Anthony van den Pol, Professor of Neurosurgery at Yale Medical School. Dr. van den Pol and his team have developed a virus that can find its way through the vascular system and kill deadly brain tumors.
Alexey Fedorov, Yale assistant professor of geology and geophysics, received a 2007 Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering for his research on large-scale interactions between tropical oceans and the atmosphere.
And this year, two separate teams of Yale scientists put quantum computers into real practice, sending a photon signal on demand from a quantum bit (or qubit) onto wires and transmitting the signal to a second, distant qubit.
Here are some of the many gifts that are helping Yale accelerate scientific research at an unprecedented pace.
Creating a place of hope
Joan and Joel E. Smilow ’54 have made a transformative gift that will support the construction of the Smilow Cancer Hospital. The new facility will consolidate Yale’s oncology patient services in one building, explains Robert J. Alpern, Dean of Yale School of Medicine. “Medical school faculty members will be able to offer the latest, cutting-edge therapies, integrating improved care—which will be much more comfortable for our patients—with clinical research,” he said. “Joel and Joan Smilow are assuring the future of a very important aspect of patient care at Yale.”
The Smilows are building on a long tradition of giving to Yale. In the 1980s the former CEO, chair, and president of Playtex endowed the head football coach position, then held by the legendary Carm Cozza. Smilow was lead donor to the renovation and expansion of the Lapham Field House, now part of a larger complex called the Smilow Field Center, and he endowed five other coaching positions. He stewarded the major gifts component of the “… and for Yale” Campaign in the 1990s and received the
Yale Medal in 1993. A decade later, after serving as treasurer and then secretary of his Class, he was a leader driving 1954’s $120 million gift to Yale, the largest class gift in the University’s history.
“This opportunity resonated with three of our philanthropic interests (medical care, medical research, and Yale) because
of the inextricable link between the Yale-New Haven Hospital, the Yale School of Medicine with its extensive research program, and, Yale itself. For these reasons, the Smilows were and are delighted and excited about providing the naming gift for this wonderful project,” Mr. Smilow said.
Pioneering melanoma research
Jerome H. Meyer ’72 M.D. and Roslyn Milstein Meyer ’71, ’77 Ph.D. have established the Milstein Meyer Center for Melanoma Research and Treatment at the Yale School of Medicine. The gift includes resources to fund clinical research in melanoma and recruit nationally renowned faculty in tumor immunology, immunotherapy, and translational research. The gift will also fund pilot grants to stimulate interest among existing faculty and support clinical trials, offering patients the most up-to-date options in care. “Melanoma is one of the fastest growing and most deadly forms of cancer,” Roslyn Milstein Meyer said. “We’d like to see new treatments—effective treatments—developed, as well as new understanding of how cancer works.”
Creating flexibility for discovery
Former vice president of finance and administration at Yale John E. Pepper, Jr. ’60 and his wife, Frances, have established the Frances G. and John E. Pepper, Jr. ’60 Science Development Fund. This new endowment advances one of the Campaign’s highest priorities by providing unrestricted funding for the University’s research programs in the life, physical, and biomedical sciences. At a time of tremendous growth in Yale’s teaching and research programs, this generous support will have a powerful impact on scientific innovation and discovery.
Sustaining an environment for learning
Support from John K. Greene ’51 will relandscape Hillhouse Park, an area known to many as the former Sachem’s Wood. The grassy site extending north from Prospect Street to the crown of Science Hill was partially excavated to support construction of nearby Kroon Hall, the future home of the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. At the nexus of Yale’s burgeoning science initiatives, Hillhouse Park is also at the center of ongoing efforts to make Science Hill a more welcoming part of the greater Yale campus.
Ted T. Lin ’92 M.D. and his wife, Sharon Chang, have established the Ted Tai-Sen Lin and Sharon Chang Fund in Environmental Studies. This new fund will support the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES), offering resources for curriculum expansion, student work in sustainable community development, and interdisciplinary studies between F&ES and other parts of the University. Mirroring Lin’s and Chang’s personal interests, the fund will also invest in activities that relate to understanding the environmental impact of tourism and sustainable design.
Providing critical support for young scientists
Isabelle J. Bauer has made a gift in memory of her husband to establish the Grant W. Bauer ’35 Science Fellowship Fund. The fund will underwrite the participation of Yale College students in summer programs of faculty-mentored, scientific research. When undergraduates engage in original research, they make a vital transition from receivers to originators of knowledge. Working in a laboratory or in the field also brings context to concepts learned in the classroom and allows students to become familiar with compiling data and exploring new hypotheses.
One of Yale’s top priorities for the twenty first century is to enhance science teaching and research opportunities for under-graduates. Two anonymous Yale College parents have advanced this mission by establishing the Yale Science Scholars program, which promotes the engagement of promising science students in original research. Students selected for the program will be awarded funding for summer research under the supervision of a Yale faculty member following their sophomore or junior year. In addition, this gift will support research related travel, participation in conferences abroad, and symposia on campus.
Yale undergraduate science majors benefit from Boehringer Ingelheim’s support of the highly successful STARS program, which provides an integrated experience in research to students who may come from disadvantaged circumstances. Research in the interdepartmental program in Vascular Biology and Therapeutics also benefited from the generosity of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Supporting excellence in cancer care
Yale friends Louis and Debbie Chênevert are dedicated supporters of Yale Cancer Center. Together they co-chair the Smilow Cancer Hospital Campaign Committee, and Mr. Chênevert is a member of the Yale Cancer Center Advisory Board. Furthering their commitment, they have made a generous gift to the Smilow Cancer Hospital, scheduled to open late in 2009. With state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment services, this single point of access will offer the greater New Haven community the very best options in cancer detection, treatment, and prevention.
The global effort to elucidate the intricacies underlying breast cancer is supported in large part by Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Researchers at Yale University are privileged to be recipients of generous grants from the foundation, to study not only the mechanisms of invasiveness of breast cancer, but also to determine more effective modes of treatment based on validation of biomarkers from a large cohort of patients.
Demystifying dyslexia
Campaign volunteers Tamra and Kurt C. ’79 Mobley have made a commitment to provide current use and endowment support to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity at the Medical School. The center’s co-directors, Dr. Sally E. Shaywitz, the Audrey Ratner Professor in Learning Development, and Dr. Bennett Shaywitz, professor of pediatrics and neurology, have used functional brain imaging to achieve a series of breakthroughs in the understanding of reading processes and dyslexia. This gift will support the Shaywitzes pioneering research, which is now exploring the linkage between dyslexia and creativity, and their advocacy for change in certain education policies and practices, including the prevailing reliance on timed, standardized test results in college and professional school admissions.
Recognizing superior teaching
Henry P. Becton ’37, a longtime supporter of Yale Engineering, has made testamentary plans to endow the Henry Prentiss Becton Professorship of Engineering and Applied Science, a position first funded on a term basis by the Becton family and currently held by Gary Haller. Over the past decade, the University has invested in facilities, faculty, and the student body, resulting in the Faculty of Engineering being formally elevated to the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science at Yale in April 2008. A permanent Becton Chair will support Engineering’s renaissance.
Advancing the frontiers of research
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation made a generous grant to the School of Engineering & Applied Science to advance the study of microbial ecology in the built environment. The study will provide insights into biological materials and yield improved understanding of the nature and significance of bioaerosols in indoor environments. Additionally, the Foundation awarded prestigious Sloan Research Fellowships to Thierry Emonet and Dean Karlan, enabling them to further their research at the frontiers of computational biology and economics respectively.
The John Templeton Foundation is supporting research aimed at providing an understanding of the role of creative processes in organic evolution. The project is utilizing a systems biology approach to study the emergence of higher levels of biological organization by focusing on the genetic underpinnings of the origination of a novel cell type, the endometrial stromal cell. In this way, the study seeks to establish a paradigm for investigating natural creativity.
GlaxoSmithKline has formed a bio-imaging alliance with Yale, building on research excellence in both institutions. The alliance will support basic and applied research and utilize a vast library of compounds available from the company, to conduct positron emission tomography imaging studies. Results from these studies will have far-reaching implications in drug development and patient care for a number of diseases, particularly those that are still without a cure.
The freedom to discover
The Yale Scholars program at the School of Medicine is helping to attract some of the world’s most talented young researchers to the School’s faculty. The program offers critical start-up support so that these scientists can establish their labs and pursue promising ideas. Natalia Ivanova, the Robert T. McCluskey, M.D. Yale Scholar, conducts basic research on embryonic stem cells. “I have been able to accelerate my research and conduct experiments on gene activation that I could not even think about without this level of support,” she said. Antonio Giraldez, the Lois E. and Franklin H. Top Jr. Yale Scholar, uses Zebrafish as a model system to investigate a central question in biology: how does a fertilized egg develop into a complex multicellular embryo? As he explained, “being named a Yale Scholar has allowed me the freedom to take chances on high-risk, high-reward investigations. The only string attached is success.”
