Long before climate change made environmentalism an everyday issue, William and Johanna “Nan” Alderfer Harris ’51 worked assiduously to make sure their alma maters were preparing students for this challenge. Now, a $4 million dollar commitment to Bryn Mawr by the Harrises will serve as a capstone to a lifetime of advocacy and philanthropy.
Through a combination of outright giving and a future bequest, the gift will fund a new faculty position—the Nan Alderfer Harris ’51 Professorship in Environmental Studies—and support the sciences at Bryn Mawr College. In celebration of this gift, and all that they have done for the College, Bryn Mawr will name the soon to be constructed atrium in the renovated Park Science Center after Nan.
A true Bi-Co couple, Nan and Bill met while in school and have been married for more than 60 years. In Nan’s time as an alumna, she has served as a leader in her local club, as president of the Alumnae Association, as a long-time trustee, and now as trustee emeritus. Nan was also instrumental in the creation of the Bryn Mawr Bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for which she volunteered for decades. Bill is a graduate, trustee emeritus, and longtime supporter of Haverford.
Their formal leadership roles in the Bi-Co, however, are only one of the many affectionate connections they have built across the Bryn Mawr and Haverford community. “It has been my privilege, along with so many students, faculty, trustees, administrators and alumnae, to get to know Nan and Bill over the years. In addition to their kind friendship, thoughtful counsel, and steady leadership for so many years,” President Cassidy notes, “it was Nan’s passion and the Harrises’ philanthropy that have allowed the College to grow the environmental studies program so quickly and so well.”
The Harrises’ deep love of and loyalty to Bryn Mawr has been truly transformational for the College. For Nan, the feeling is mutual. At her 50th reunion Nan noted, “My years at Bryn Mawr enriched the rest of my life.”
Pictured above: Tamara Rozental ’95 and husband Peter Vieira chat with Bill Harris. Vieria is an associate principal at Payette Architects, the firm responsible for the upcoming Park Science renovation.