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updated 04.18.08
Diana and Roy Vagelos Advance Women's Education and Philanthropy with Largest Gift in Barnard College's History
Judith R. Shapiro, President of Barnard College, announced today that trustee Diana T. Vagelos, a member of the class of 1955, and her husband Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, former CEO and Chairman of Merck & Co., have donated $15 million to the Nexus, Barnard's new award-winning multi-use campus center, currently under construction in the heart of the school's Morningside Heights campus. It is the largest gift in Barnard's history and reflects the Vageloses' longstanding commitment to the education and advancement of women.
"Diana and Roy Vagelos are visionary philanthropists and, lucky for us, deeply committed to excellence in education for women," said Shapiro. "This historic gift will not only influence future generations of Barnard women, it will also benefit the residents of New York City and surrounding communities, who come from near and far to attend classes, see cultural performances, and hear interesting speakers."
Today's announcement was made at a "Topping Out" ceremony, celebrating the placement of the final piece of steel at the structure's highest point, which was opened by Chair of the Board of Trustees and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Anna Quindlen '74. All friends and neighbors of the College, including members of the Harlem and Morningside Heights community and construction workers working on the project, were invited to the late afternoon event.
Mrs. Vagelos hopes the gift inspires other women to build on the many advances already made by giving philanthropically—and giving big—to causes and institutions affecting women. While women are increasingly earning more and giving more, their donations are often not focused on programs or causes benefiting other women and girls. Women also lag behind in the donation of the largest contributions.
The Vageloses hope to change this, starting with Barnard. They have issued the "Vagelos Challenge" to other potential donors that provides for a direct 50 percent match to any Nexus gift over $250,000, as well as matching gifts for donations less than that amount. They have also donated generously to the College in the past, funding a scholarship named after Diana's parents, and creating the Vagelos Alumnae Center, a former Deanery that is now a welcoming hub for graduates, students and others on campus. Barnard's campus holds special significance for the Vageloses, who met over fifty years ago on Morningside Heights when Diana was a first-year student and Roy was attending Columbia Medical School.
Investing in brick and mortar made a lot of sense to Mrs. Vagelos, chair of the trustee committee on buildings, grounds and environment. "It really seems obvious to us that the activity that goes on at Barnard, which is highly intellectual, really requires space," she said. "While the funding of scholarships and internships is of course important, it would be foolish to think that teaching and learning can go on without a comfortable and appropriate environment in which to engage in it." Barnard, the most sought-after women's college in the nation, has graduated dozens of prominent alumnae, including Zora Neale Hurston, Margaret Mead, Anna Quindlen, Jhumpa Lahiri, Judith Kaye, Cynthia Nixon, Natalie Angier and Laurie Anderson.
The Vageloses were also attracted to the innovative design of the project and its goal of connecting not just the Barnard community, but the Harlem and Morningside Heights community. The unique terra cotta and glass design, created by another husband-and-wife team, Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi of the architectural firm Weiss/Manfredi, has already garnered prestigious design awards from organizations such as the American Institute of Architects and ARCHITECT Magazine. The building's planned glass façade opens up a previously walled section of Upper Broadway with sight lines that go straight through the building into the Barnard campus. The 110,000-square-foot building will house dining facilities, cafes, a black box theater, a green roof, event spaces, classrooms, and meeting rooms that will be used for events and programming open to the public. The Nexus, which will eventually receive its permanent name from the Vageloses, is scheduled to open in September 2009.
For information about the Nexus, including renderings of the project, visit www.barnard.edu/nexus. |
