Wellesley College announced Monday that it has received a record $50 million gift from two alumnae, getting the school off to a fast start with its new $500 fundraising campaign designed to ensure the college’s students and faculty make a huge impact in the 21st century — what the school markets as “The Wellesley Effect”.
The previous record for a single gift was $25 million in 2000 for the campus center, donated by Lulu Chow Wang and her husband, Anthony. They gave another $2 million in 2004 for the same project, for a total of $27. The school isn’t publicly naming the big philanthropists behind the $50M gift.
(Hey, you could buy the North 40 with that kind of dough!)
Wellesley College President Kim Bottomly said in a statement: “In making this gift, these alumnae are expressing—with great conviction—their belief in Wellesley’s mission, and in the imperative of investing in women and women’s education as the surest way to improve the world.”
The college’s last major campaign, which ended in 2005, raised $472.3M.
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