Donor Profiles

Two Major Gifts for the Humanities

Inspired by their dedication to art and culture, two friends of NYU in Germany found creative ways to make generous gifts to the University. Eberhard Berent, professor emeritus of German at NYU, made a commitment to establish the Eberhard Berent Professor of Goethe in NYU's Department of German, and Paul Lott established the Paul Lott Lectureship and Fellowship Fund at NYU's Institute of Fine Arts.

Berent is making his contribution through a combination of life income gifts, which will provide him with tax-free income throughout his lifetime, and a bequest. "I wanted to devote my money to something meaningful," says Berent, who taught at NYU from the early 1960s until his retirement in 1987. "The age of Goethe was the high period of German literature, and having a chair in Goethe will be a real boost for the Department of German at NYU."

Lott is supporting his named lectureship at the IFA through a combination of cash gifts and a charitable distribution through his IRA, and will fund his fellowships through a bequest. Although his career background is in tax and finance, he wanted to support fine art because of the positive influence it has played in his life. "I hope my lectureship will give students an insight into the working of an artist," Lott says. "It will focus on ideas, not just the painters and their technique, but what is behind them."

Alumna Audrey Rabinowitz Establishes Seminar Series at CAS and New Curriculum at School of Medicine

The quality of medical care that Audrey Rabinowitz (WSC '44) and her late husband, Wilber, received at the NYU Medical Center led them to dedicate a recent gift to the NYU School of Medicine. With Audrey's support, undergraduate and post-doctoral students will now be offered a series of seminars that will focus on the business of practicing medicine, which Wilber saw as a priority.

"The Rabinowitz's gift came at the perfect time," says Veronica Catanese, senior associate dean for education and associate professor of medicine and cell biology. "The business education of doctors has not been a focus for most medical schools and this is an area that NYU is beginning to address."

Audrey made an additional gift to NYU to establish a seminar series at the College of Arts and Science, which will bring undergraduate students together with a leading scholar from either NYU or an outside academic institution. This experience goes beyond the standard classroom format to expose students to both the content and methods of intellectual discourse.

Courant Alumnus Establishes Fellowship in Financial Mathematics

When Jeffrey Rosenbluth (CIMS '99, '06) first became involved at NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, he was asked to provide his advice as a professional from the finance industry. Now, over fifteen years later, Rosenbluth is still actively involved at Courant-and has a Ph.D.

He was so moved by his experience as a student at Courant that he decided to create a fellowship for future students studying in the same program. The Jeffrey and Denise Rosenbluth Fellowship will be awarded to Ph.D. candidates who have completed their exam requirements and have begun dissertation research in financial mathematics.

"I was very pleased with my experience at Courant," says Rosenbluth. "I thought this fellowship would be a good way to help out and give back to the institution that has given me so much."

When Edward Gersh (Steinhardt '43, '50) was a student in the 1940s, it was a scholarship that made NYU a possibility for him. More than sixty years later, Gersh is showing his gratitude by supporting a permanent scholarship to benefit current and future NYU students.

Gersh first established the Edward Gersh Permanent Scholarship Fund at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development in 2005. To dramatically increase the number of students who will benefit, he recently named NYU as the ultimate beneficiary of a charitable remainder trust, which will provide him with income during his lifetime.

A native of the Bronx, Gersh was awarded two full football scholarships when he applied to college - one to NYU and one to George Washington University. "I chose George Washington," Gersh admitted. By the end of his first semester, he realized he had made a mistake and asked NYU if his scholarship offer was still on the table.

"NYU offered to give me a scholarship if I went out to prove myself to the team," he said. "My whole future depended on how I performed in scrimmage, and I was a demon. They put me on the second team right away."

Unfortunately, fate intervened, and a serious knee injury sidelined Gersh after his first collegiate football match. "I couldn't play football anymore, but NYU continued my scholarship," he said.

While an undergraduate at NYU, Gersh had to commute daily from the Bronx and spent approximately 35 cents a day on food and travel. Today, his wife, Holli, and he own four homes, three in New York and one in Florida. Now 88, Gersh said he is indebted to NYU for the generosity that made his achievements possible.

"If NYU had never continued my scholarship, I never would have achieved the lifestyle I'm living now," Gersh said. "If I can help some kids realize the dream of a college education, then I feel it's an obligation on my part, especially when I can afford it. I just hope I help some other young people attain their goals in life."

Edward Fox Establishes the Herman Robert Fox Deanship at College of Dentistry

Edward Fox (STERN '75) recently gave a generous gift to create the Herman Robert Fox Deanship at the College of Dentistry in memory of his father, Herman Robert Fox, who graduated from the College in 1926.

Edward Fox received an M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business. He was formerly dean of the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and chairman of SLM Corp. (Sallie Mae), the Student Loan Marketing Association. He currently serves as chairman of the Board of the American Ballet Theatre.

"When I made the decision to honor my father's memory, and spoke to my mother about her wishes, we agreed that it was altogether appropriate that my father's name be linked with his alma mater," said Fox.

Lerner Foundation Gift Establishes Permanent Fund for Religious Studies Program

Recent NYU graduate Jonathan A. Lerner (CAS '07) and his family's foundation have made a contribution to establish a new permanent fund for the Religious Studies Program at the College of Arts and Science. The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Fund for Religious Studies will be used to enrich the Program's offerings by supporting faculty research and travel grants, student research scholarships, undergraduate instruction and course support, symposia and conferences, lecture series, and other special events.

"Jonathan had such a wonderful experience at NYU and he urged our family to contribute to the school that means so much to him," says Mark D. Lerner, Jonathan's father. "It was really Jonathan's desire to give something back. Giving to the Religious Studies Program was his idea, and the entire family was unanimous in our support."

Jonathan earned a degree in both Religious Studies and also Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies from the College in the spring of 2007. He is now working toward a law degree at Georgetown University Law Center and believes that his undergraduate studies prepared him for his future career in law. "My classes were really eye opening," he says. "Religious studies teaches you to be open minded and to listen, analyze, and think before you speak."

"We want the Fund to provide the Program with a foundation that will help it grow in the years to come," Jonathan adds. "I hope the Fund will help bring together people who want to learn more about religion and bring more attention to the Program."