The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts & Sciences has received a nearly $84 million gift for science initiatives — the largest in the school’s history.

Most of the $83.9 million gift from P. Roy and Diana Vagelos, announced Thursday by Penn, will go toward graduate education in the Department of Chemistry, including the establishment of 20 new Vagelos fellows, according to the university.

It will also establish a permanent endowment for the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology, fund an endowed chair in chemistry, and fund undergraduate student awards in the Vagelos Program in life sciences and management, the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER), and the Vagelos Scholars Program in the molecular life sciences.

In a statement, Roy Vagelos — a 1950 Penn graduate and retired chairman and chief executive officer of Merck & Co. — said that he and Diana Vagelos “have always been great believers in the power of basic science to find solutions to global problems.”

“Whether through enhancing understanding of the natural sciences in order to one day cure neurodegenerative diseases, or tackling the enormous threat that climate change poses to people around the world through energy science, investing in students and faculty mentors is the best way we can think of to enable learning and advance discoveries,” said Roy Vagelos, who along with his wife has now given $239 million to the School of Arts & Sciences, including a $50 million donation in 2019 to create an energy science and technology building.

Their latest donation comes against the backdrop of a tumultuous last semester, when Marc Rowan, a Wharton graduate and CEO of Apollo Global Management based in New York, called on alumni and supporters to “close their checkbooks” until then-President Liz Magill and Scott L. Bok, then-chair of the board of trustees, stepped down. Rowan faulted their handling of the September Palestine Writes festival, which critics said included speakers with a history of making antisemitic remarks, and their subsequent leadership amid protests over the Israel-Hamas war.

This gift follows a much smaller $1 million gift to the university announced in December by entrepreneur and Wharton graduate Stewart Colton to “let the healing begin” and “support the early work” of J. Larry Jameson, who took over after Magill resigned.

Jameson said in a statement that the Vageloses’ support “has been expanding Penn’s horizons in the sciences for more than four decades.”

“Their commitment to this University can be seen across campus and we are deeply committed to their bold vision for what Penn can accomplish, from discoveries in the lab to inspiring students in the classroom,” Jameson said. “The legacy of their partnership will have an enduring impact on generations to come.”

Author: Maddie Hanna

Publication: The Philadelphia Inquirer

Link: Penn receives a record $84 million for chemistry initiatives in its Arts & Sciences school (inquirer.com)