Jerome and Lorraine Aresty, Longtime Financial Supporters of Rutgers, Pledge $5 Million for Undergraduate Research and Other Initiatives that Benefit Students
September 09, 2004
NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Continuing a long tradition of generosity to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Jerome and Lorraine Aresty of Morristown have pledged $5 million to enhance undergraduate research and Jewish Studies at Rutgers and to improve facilities for honors students and student athletes.
Jerome, a 1951 Rutgers College graduate, and Lorraine Aresty have pledged $4 million of their latest commitment toward the establishment of a new program that will encourage and support undergraduates throughout the New Brunwick/Piscataway campus to work with faculty on original research projects. Rutgers University will provide matching resources for the undergraduate research program, to be administered by Rutgers College.
“Through their tremendous generosity over the years, Jerry and Lorraine Aresty have touched the lives of countless Rutgers students,” said university President Richard L. McCormick. “Their most recent gift will create a unique offering from New Jersey’s foremost public-research university – an exciting, new opportunity for students, as early as their first year at Rutgers, to pursue research projects with our esteemed faculty.”
“Lorraine and Jerry are truly wonderful people with whom I have developed a special relationship,” said Rutgers College Dean Carl Kirschner, who worked with the Arestys on their gift concept. “I admire them for their caring, thoughtfulness and unwavering commitment to supporting the potential in Rutgers’ students. Equally important, their vision to establish Rutgers’ first comprehensive undergraduate research program will enable Rutgers to move toward making research-based learning the standard. The Arestys recognize that at a public-research university, connecting accomplished faculty members with bright undergraduates beyond the confines of the classroom in the process of inquiry and discovery is crucial to a high-quality education and future success.”
The Arestys’ commitment also includes financial support to complete a state-of-the-art amphitheater at Rutgers’ new Football Complex, renovate an honors seminar room at Brett Hall and enhance an existing endowment established by the Arestys at the Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life.
This pledge brings to $7 million the total amount contributed by the Arestys to the university’s recently completed six-year, $615 million fund-raising campaign.
James G. Cullen, a 1964 Rutgers College alumnus and chair of the university’s fund-raising campaign, said, “The Arestys are a shining example of the spirit of giving that distinguishes the Rutgers family. In an environment of fiscal constraint, private support is critical for Rutgers to maintain and enhance its position as a leading institution of teaching, research and service.”
In their past contributions, the Arestys have established The Jerome and Lorraine Aresty Scholarship, which supports merit-based scholarships for 20 Rutgers College students, and The Jerome and Lorraine Aresty Undergraduate Research Scholarship, which supports 24 Rutgers College students as Henry Rutgers Scholars.
They also have supported the Class of 1951 Reunion Campaign and endowed scholarships for Rutgers students who compete in Olympic sports.
Jerome and Lorraine Aresty each received the Rutgers University Medal for Philanthropic Excellence in 1999.
“The Rutgers Campaign: Creating the Future Today,” which began in July 1998 and was completed in the summer of 2004, raised private funds to enhance academic programs, provide for scholarships and financial aid, support research, assist in faculty recruitment and enrich the campus and community environment. The $615 million raised in the campaign was 23 percent higher than its original goal of $500 million.
Established in 1766, Rutgers is America’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of the nation’s premier public-research universities. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Camden, Newark and New Brunswick/Piscataway, Rutgers is home to 29 degree-granting schools and colleges and more than 150 specialized centers and institutes. With 330,000 living alumni, Rutgers graduates are major contributors to all sectors of contemporary life.
Details of Jerome and Lorraine Aresty’s $5 million pledge to “The Rutgers Campaign: Creating the Future Today”
Contact: Greg Trevor
732/932-7084, ext. 623
E-mail: gtrevor@ur.rutgers.edu
$4 million to establish an undergraduate research program, administered by Rutgers College, to benefit students throughout the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus. The program will encourage and support undergraduates to pursue original research projects with Rutgers faculty. The university will provide permanent space for the program, which will be designated “The Jerome (RC ’51) and Lorraine Aresty Undergraduate Research Program.”
$500,000 to complete a 3,923-square-foot, state-of-the-art amphitheater at the new Football Complex. This facility will allow student athletes to meet and receive academic programming and provide space for team meetings, conferences and other gatherings. The space will be designated “The Jerome (RC ’51) and Lorraine Aresty Amphitheater.”
$325,000 to enhance an endowment established by the Arestys at the Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life. The endowment, now greater than $600,000, will enhance the ability of Rutgers to attract scholars in Jewish Studies and allow the continuation of the Aresty Visiting Fellow program at the center.
$100,000 in a special endowment at Rutgers College to support special initiatives designated by Rutgers College Dean Carl Kirschner.
$75,000 for the renovation of the honors seminar room in Brett Hall on the Rutgers College campus. Dean Kirschner has committed resources to renovate the Brett Hall common area adjacent to the seminar room, which will be designated “The Jerome (RC ’51) and Lorraine Aresty Seminar Room.”