Case Western Reserve University has received a $125 million commitment from the Mandel Foundation, the largest single gift bestowed in the foundation’s 73-year history and the biggest gift ever designated for higher ed in the state of Ohio.
The funds will support four different initiatives at Case Western: establishing a new humanities building, increasing student scholarships, creating a presidential fund for discretionary spending and expanding investment in the “experimental humanities.”
The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Building, named after the three brothers who first established the eponymous foundation in 1953, will be a 50,000-square-foot center focused on “human-centered digital scholarship, interdisciplinary creativity and community partnerships,” according to the news release. It will feature collaborative workspaces, state-of-the-art classrooms and interdisciplinary research areas.
The gift also aims to double the scholarship capacity at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, ensuring that social work students from all socioeconomic backgrounds can complete their degrees.
The Morton L. Mandel Presidential Chair earmarks funding for the Case Western leader—starting with current president Eric Kaler—to invest in new opportunities that advance innovation. And funding for the Experimental Humanities Program in the College of Arts and Sciences will support fellows with scholarships and stipends to develop programs that “tackle societal challenges through integrative, ethical and technologically informed approaches,” the announcement said.
The Mandel brothers and the foundation have already given Case Western roughly $70 million in previous charitable donations; the latest gift increases that total to nearly $195 million.
“The Mandel Foundation’s historic commitment is a reflection of the exceptional work done each day by our students, faculty and staff; their efforts have inspired this investment that will be transformative for the humanities, nonprofit leadership and, most importantly, our students,” said Kaler. “We are grateful for the visionary partnership of the Mandel Foundation over the decades and its continued support of Case Western Reserve.”
