Purchase College, SUNY Honors Patrons of Art and Education at Special Event

Thomas J. Schwarz, President of Purchase College, SUNY, hosted the 2016 President’s Donor Appreciation Event on Tuesday evening, November 15th at The Neuberger Museum of Art on the Purchase College campus. The annual event welcomed more than 100 benefactors who support the College, The Neuberger Museum of Art, and The Performing Arts Center.

Five recipients were honored with a Purchase College “Leaders in Philanthropy Award.” The new award recognizes the contributions of benefactors who have demonstrated a longstanding and unbridled enthusiasm for the arts, education, and the Purchase College mission.

“’Thank you’ hardly conveys our deep respect and heartfelt appreciation for the collective leadership, guidance and financial support provided by these generous donors,” said President Schwarz.

The honorees were:

Dr. John R. Ambroseo ‘83,CEO of Coherent Inc., recently endowed a new faculty fellowship in honor of Associate Professor Emerita of Chemistry Taina H. Chao.

Donald Cecil, a founding partner of private investment management firm Cumberland Associates, formed the Jandon Foundation with his late wife, Jane. The Foundation provides scholarships and helps to integrate the arts and business through programs such as the Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture series.

Emily Grant has been a driving force for the institution, serving as a member of the Purchase College Foundation Board of Trustees since 1969 and spending 18 years as its chair. Support from Mrs. Grant and her husband, Eugene, funds productions in the Conservatory of Music, provides student scholarships, and underwrites the recruitment and retention of distinguished faculty.

Marcella Kahn is a community activist and passionate patron of the arts. A former executive of Alkahn Labels, Inc., she served for more than 20 years on the Friends of the Neuberger Museum Board and as a benefactor for ballet students in the Conservatory of Dance.

Lucille Werlinich is the current chair of the Purchase College Foundation Board and an ardent supporter of all aspects of the College. Through her family foundation, she sponsors multiple undergraduate scholarships each year while providing support for faculty and production projects across the College and Performing Arts Center.

Full bio information of the award recipients and additional high-resolution images are available upon request. To learn more about giving to Purchase College, please visit www.purchase.edu/giving

About Purchase College

Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspiration for Purchase was to create a dynamic campus that combined conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, in order to inspire an appreciation for both intellectual and artistic talents in all students. Today, Purchase College–SUNY is a community of students, faculty and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu.