A Matter of Good Citizenship
George Weiss Gives $20 Million to
Penn Priorities, Challenges Alumni to Endow Scholarships
"Few people have been greater ambassadors
for Penn than George Weiss," President Judith Rodin said
in reflecting on Weiss's most recent $20 million gift to the
University. "His generosity encompasses his time and energy
and his financial commitment to an extraordinarily broad range
of student and campus life priorities.
| George A. Weiss, surrounded by
Weiss Scholars, is calling for "150 good men
and women of Penn" to endow scholarships. His
$5 million challenge grant will make it easier for
alumni of all ages to respond to his call. |
|
University Trustee George A. Weiss, W'65,
calls Penn his "first, second, and third philanthropic
interest." His $20 million gift from his Say Yes to Education
Foundation will provide for priorities in student life, faculty
support, and financial aid. Specifically, the fund will be used
to provide a challenge grant for undergraduate financial aid;
to create the Weiss House for Innovative Technologies; to create
an endowed professorship; and to provide support for athletic
priorities.
As Chair of the University Committee for
Undergraduate Financial Aid, which is charged with raising $200
million in new endowment, Weiss is especially excited about
his challenge grant. "For every two dollars committed to
scholarships, the challenge provides one dollar," Weiss
explains. "That means a donor can endow a $100,000 scholarship
for a total gift of $67,000."
Weiss expects that his 1:2 challenge will
have special appeal to younger alumni. "This challenge
allows alumni of all ages to stretch their giving," he
says. "What we now need are 150 good men and women of Penn
to accept the challenge and endow a scholarship today."
Weiss's commitment to his alma mater will
also be evident in the newly established Weiss House for Innovative
Technologies. Here, undergraduate students will find a setting
where they can take ideas about new technologies, develop products
from them, and explore how they can be successfully marketed,
financed, and developed into businesses.
Through the years, Weiss, who holds Penn's
highest alumni honor—the Award of Merit—has given
nearly $40 million to a wide variety of areas within the University.
He cites the Honorable Walter Annenberg, W'31, HON'66, as his
inspiration. "I have always taken to heart a comment he
[Annenberg] made after making a significant commitment. He said,
'It is simply a matter of good citizenship.'"
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