Barnard College's Annual Benefit Raises Over $1.7 Million for Scholarship Aid
Event Honors Gandhi Scholar and Retired Professor Dennis Dalton and Trustees Helene L. Kaplan '53 and Jolyne Caruso-FitzGerald '81
May 7, 2009
On April 29, alumnae and friends of Barnard College gathered at Manhattan architectural landmark Guastavino's for the institution's annual scholarship dinner and auction. Those in attendance responded to this year's need with great generosity; in addition to bidding on luxury vacations, products, and special opportunities, bidders raised their paddles to pledge individual gifts ranging from of $500-$10,000. To date, not including all of the proceeds from an online auction that ends on May 7, this year's benefit raised over $1.7 million.
More than 500 guests attended, including notable alumnae such as Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Anna Quindlen '74; Martha Stewart '63, who brought five employees who were also Barnard alums; songwriter and performer Suzanne Vega '81; founding editor of CosmoGIRL! and former editor-in-chief of Seventeen Atoosa Rubenstein '93; philanthropists Cheryl Milstein '82 and Philip Milstein; and Lisa Cohen '81 and James Cohen, president and CEO of Hudson Media.
Martha Stewart '63 with fellow Barnard alumnae
Emceed by ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts, who urged everyone who
attended to "bid early and bid often," the event honored Dennis Dalton, retired political science professor and renowned scholar of nonviolent political theory. Dalton accepted the Margaret Mead Award, named for the famed cultural anthropologist and 1923 Barnard graduate, on behalf of the Barnard Faculty: “I never could work with a group of teachers as dedicated as the Barnard faculty remains today. But,” Dalton continued, “dedication doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it is inspired by the students of Barnard College.”
Also honored for their long and continued service to the College were Vice Chair of the Barnard College Board of Trustees Jolyne Caruso-FitzGerald '81, who established and has grown Barnard's Annual Scholarship Dinner and Auction, given generously to financial aid herself, and has served as co-chair of the fund-raising event since 2005; and Barnard Trustee Emerita and Chair Emerita Helene L. Kaplan '53, who with her husband, Mark, established Barnard's first endowed chair in the physical and natural sciences. Kaplan's friends and family also set up the Helene L. Kaplan '53 Scholarship Fund in her honor.
Anna Quindlen '74, Jolyne Caruso-FitzGerald '81, Dennis Dalton, Helene L. Kaplan '53, Cheryl Milstein '82, and President Debora Spar
Addressing the crowd, Barnard President Debora Spar noted, "With the difficult economic situation facing families of all income levels today, the financial aid program is more important than ever. We are grateful that our alumnae and friends have responded with such remarkable generosity." Barnard's financial aid department saw a noticeable increase in requests for additional assistance during the 2008-2009 academic year. The evening's auctioneer, Harmer Johnson, echoed President Spar's sentiment, remarking that "benefit auctions in New York have gone through the roof" this year, despite the economic challenges everyone is facing.
Mistress of Ceremonies Deborah Roberts and
chair of the Board of Trustees Anna Quindlen '74
The benefit featured live and silent auctions, as well as an online auction running through May 7. The most desirable auction item proved to be the opportunity to play in a doubles match with tennis greats Andre Agassi and Justin Gimelstob at The Kennedy Funding Invitational; the match brought a winning $12,000 bid. Many other exciting items are still part of the online auction, including dinner with Barnard parents, legendary comedian Chevy Chase and his wife, Jayni; lunch and a tour of the WB Studios with Donald DeLine, producer of I Love You, Man and The Italian Job; and the opportunity to meet Martha Stewart at a taping of The Martha Stewart Show.
Auction-goers bid on luxury vacation getaways as well as a number of items graciously donated by Barnard faculty and staff, including artwork, handcrafted jewelry, and services ranging from counseling sessions with Jennifer Fondiller, the College's Dean of Admissions, to a dog behavior-analysis session with Professor Alexandra Horowitz of Barnard's psychology faculty. Bidders could also enjoy a cooking class and dinner with Liz Neumark '77, founder of New York mega-caterers Great Performances, or opt for a collection of stylish baby bibs from Baby Chaleco by Carol Schiller '88.
Anna Quindlen '74, chair of the Board of Trustees, emphasized the importance of the event's cause: financial aid for Barnard students, "Barnard is the most sought-after women's college in the country, but more than half of our students couldn't attend without some form of aid. Proceeds of the event allow us to educate strong, capable, confident women who make a real difference in the world."
If you'd like to view more photos from Pass the Torch, you can browse the online photo album.
— Martina Szarek |
