Our alumni: they’re here, there, and everywhere . Check out some of their stories below.
Allen Questrom
Payback: Retail Leader Credits SMG for Success
Affiliation: School of Management (’64)
Impact: $10M gift endows two professorships and kick-starts new School of Management executive education center
Judy Coates
Canine Rehab: Physical Therapy of the Four-Legged Kind
Affiliation: School of Education (’74, ’81), College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College (’86)
In Brief: Aside from her duties as a physical therapist for humans, Coates also works with post-surgical dogs
Robert Knox
Focus on Global Health: Trustee Chair Endows Professorship
Affiliation: College of Arts & Sciences (’74), Graduate School of Management (’75)
Impact: The Robert and Jeanne Knox Foundation has given $2.5M to create a professorship, inaugurated by Jonathon Simon, head of BU’s Center for Global Health & Development
Alison Fong
Taking it to the Streets: Food Truck Revolution
Affiliation: College of Arts & Sciences (’01)
In Brief: Fong’s bright food truck delivers bold flavors to Boston neighborhoods
Meeting the world head on.
With over 300,000 of them, you’ll find BU graduates pretty much everywhere in the world, doing just about anything you can think of, and achieving almost every kind of success. And in some cases, wielding more power than Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga. According to the Hollywood Reporter, three alumnae ranked in the top 10 in the publication’s 2011 Women in Entertainment Power 100 list, released in December, beating the likes of Winfrey (number 20) and Gaga (number 30).
Bonnie Hammer (COM’71, SED’75), chair of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, led the trio, tying for second. CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler (CFA’79) took seventh place, with Nancy Dubuc (COM’91), general manager and president of the History Channel and Lifetime Network, following closely, in ninth.
On the other side of the country (and in a completely different universe from Hollywood), dentist Fidelito Gabriel (SAR’01, SDM’05) is doing important work of his own in Dorchester and Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. The Haitian-born Gabriel is providing others with the kind of help he received in America and at Boston University. He regularly travels on dental missions to the Dominican Republic and his home country, is a board member of a local charter school, and mentors the next generation of dentists in Boston.
Two very different kinds of alums living in two very different worlds. And yet they’re not that different: they’re all talented, ambitious people who want to make a difference doing what they do best.
From making every stadium in the country accessible to redefining news delivery to patrolling the skies, our alumni know how to leave their mark.
Rajen Kilachand: The $25 Million Man
Affiliation: Graduate School of Management (’74)
Impact: A $25M gift for the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College makes BU history
Michelle Johnson: Taking Flight
Affiliation: College of Fine Arts (’07)
In Brief: The young winner of the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is poised for greatness
Andrew Lack: Reinventing Media
Affiliation: College of Fine Arts (‘68)
In Brief: The Bloomberg Media Group CEO has a daunting daily task: distributing news from 2,300 reporters
Denise Miller: The Skyscraper
Affiliation: College of Engineering (’10)
Impact: BU 2010 ROTC grad fulfills dream, and family legacy, by becoming a naval aviator
Fidelito Gabriel: Serving at Home and Abroad
Affiliation: College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College (’01), Goldman School of Dental Medicine (’05)
Impact: Haitian-born dentist treats his hometown and lends expertise in medical missions abroad
Kevin McGuire: Game Day Access
Affiliation: College of Arts & Sciences (’83)
Impact: Leads a consulting firm specializing in disability laws, and working to make all venues accessible
Don’t just show us the money—show us what it will do.
While lots of BU alums go out and do great things in the world, many of those same alums also do great things for BU.
This year brought record gifts and participation from alumni. Indeed, a $25 million gift for the Kilachand Honors College was the largest in BU history—and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
But as Dr. Brown and others have emphasized, it’s not just about the money—it’s about what the money does for the University and how it improves the experiences of our students and faculty. Every university wants great facilities. At BU, we also want to ensure those facilities are generating the best possible outcomes for the people who use them.
A great example came up at last fall’s Campaign Leadership Dinner. During
his speech, Dr. Brown spoke of a letter that BU’s Center for Ecology & Conservation Biology had received from a seven-year-old girl named Miriam who loves bats and was desperately concerned about the problem of white-nose syndrome. In a letter to Santa, Miriam had asked if he would perform his magic and save the world’s bats. Fortunately, her parents had heard of BU Professor of Biology Thomas Kunz and his work with bats and convinced her that maybe BU could perform the magic instead. So the family sent a contribution of $100 to Professor Kunz and his team. A small donation with big hopes.
“This is what a great university does,” said Dr. Brown that night. “We create magic for our students and the world.”
Giving to BU isn’t just about building a building,
it’s about changing lives.
Generosity begets generosity. And the record participation of the Class of 2012 led the way, with 2,559 seniors donating to their Class Gift. With the launch of the Campaign for Boston University and more gifts, both large and small, BU can move forward confidently, knowing that our students, faculty, and staff can make the most of their experiences here.
$25million
Rajen Kilachand (GSM'74) made BU history with a $25M gift for the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College. For people to be future leaders, you need a focused approach to humanities and the fine arts so that you have a well-rounded personality, he says.
$10million
The Allen and Kelli Questrom Foundation made a second major gift to Boston University, giving $10 million to the School of Management, which will endow two professorships and kick-start plans for a new executive education center.
$3million
Arthur Marciano (CGE’49, COM’51) gave $3 million to endow programs in the new Center for Student Services. In recognition of his generosity, BU has named the center’s dining area for Marciano and his late wife, Ann (CAS’50), a onetime “Miss BU.”
$2.5million
The Robert and Jeanne Knox Foundation gave $2.5 million to endow a professorship. The inaugural Robert A. Knox Professor is Jonathon Simon, an SPH professor who leads BU’s Center for Global Health & Development.
$1.5million
Karin Addison Jack (MET’08) set up an endowment to support a program for inmates at a Massachusetts prison where BU instructors teach classes. The prison is one of two in the commonwealth that offers a BU degree.
$1million
Edward Slatkin (SMG’77) promised to donate $1 million to the University if 28,000 alums donated before June 30. More than 30,000 rose to the challenge, which will help the University support programs, scholarships, and more.
Ellie Anbinder (SED’62)
Cofounder of a public foundation that raises money to fund research into environmental causes of breast cancer. Over the last decade, it has awarded $85,000 in grants to researchers.
Glynn Lloyd (CAS’90)
Founder and CEO of City Fresh Foods, a business that prepares and delivers 11,000 fresh meals daily in the Boston area, primarily to low-income schoolchildren and elders.
Deborah Chud (MED’84)
Cook, food blogger, and cookbook author. With the help of six BU students, Chud has launched Trufflehead, a healthy-cooking app for iPhones and iPads with recipes, techniques, and tips, all aimed at inexperienced and intermediate cooks.