Bryn Mawr College has received an anonymous gift totaling $25 million for its Defy Expectation Campaign. This is the largest gift in Bryn Mawr’s history and it is believed to equal the largest gift ever from an individual woman to a women’s college.
“We are so grateful that this extraordinary donor has chosen to support the mission of the College with this remarkable gift,” said Bryn Mawr President Kim Cassidy. “A longstanding champion of Bryn Mawr, she has always been willing to focus her giving on the College’s greatest needs.”
In this case, the donor’s $25 million commitment will be used to fund several current initiatives including a variety of international programming and the renovation of the Park Science Center.
“The fact that we are now close to fully funding phase two of the renovation of the Park Science Center is a game changer,” said Cassidy. “The College has a remarkable record of accomplishment in STEM (today graduating women with STEM degrees at a rate two and a half times the national average), and with this renovation, we’re ensuring that our science facilities match the excellence and ambitions of our faculty and students.”
The completed renovation will create new and flexible teaching spaces, will increase the number and quality of student study spaces, will fully support the disciplinary and interdisciplinary excellence of faculty research, and will dramatically open up the building.
Students in all fields—humanities, social sciences, and the sciences—will benefit from international initiatives supported by this historic gift. These include multidisciplinary courses with a global focus, international internships and research, partnerships that offer students opportunities to study at leading programs around the world, and scholarship support for international students.
“Global networks and exchange shape contemporary work, societies, and cultures,” said Cassidy. “This gift allows Bryn Mawr to capitalize on its distinctive international strengths in preparing students to succeed and lead around the world.”
Publicly launched in September 2016, the Defy Expectation Campaign began quietly in June 2011 with a minimum goal of $250 million. In addition to capital projects such as the Park renovation, the Campaign is also focused on expanding Bryn Mawr’s financial aid resources and sustaining the College’s academic excellence. With the help of alumnae/i, students, friends, and families the College has already raised $191 million and expects to exceed its goal by 2020.
“I have been honored to lead this effort to ensure that the next generation of Bryn Mawr students has the scholarships, academic rigor and innovation, and extracurricular programming they need to succeed,” said Trustee and Campaign Chair Denise Lee Hurley ‘82 P’17. “The outpouring of support and pride makes me even more proud to be a member of this special community. This particular donor’s leadership and partnership have been transformative both to the College and to me personally.”