You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Colgate University has received a $50 million gift from alumnus Peter Kellner, part of a total $105 million donated by five alumni to support the institution’s Campaign for the Third Century.
Kellner’s donation represents the largest single gift in the university’s history.
Colgate launched the Third-Century Plan during its bicentennial celebration in 2019; its goals include attracting more high-quality faculty, increasing financial aid and building a residential commons system for all students, among other things. In 2022, the university launched the campaign with the aim of raising $1 billion for the plan.
“When President [Brian] Casey began working with the faculty, administration, and trustees on the Third-Century Plan, that really grabbed me—recognizing that it’s not going to be done overnight,” said Kellner. “I wanted to do something that really would have an impact on the university.”
A new social center will anchor student life on the lower campus, where housing for juniors and seniors—including an abundance of single rooms—is also being built or renovated.
“Residential life at Colgate plays an important part in the education of our students,” said vice president and dean of the college Paul McLoughlin. “In their first and second years, they build community with their classmates. In their junior and senior years, we want that experience to continue even as they build the skills to live independently and to be good citizens after they graduate. I am so grateful for the gifts that have made it possible for Colgate to achieve this vision.”
