Philanthropist George Soros and UConn alum Gary Gladstein \u201966 with his wife, Dr. Phyllis Gladstein, announced a $4 million gift to the UConn Human Rights Institute, the largest donation to the internationally renowned program.<\/p>\n
The gift, which requires the UConn Foundation to raise an additional $2 million in matching funds, would give the Institute a $6 million endowment and provide scholarships to undergraduates majoring in human rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vision and generosity of our donors continues to make an incredible impact on this program and is helping to make UConn a global leader in human rights education and scholarship,\u201d said University President Susan Herbst. \u201cWe could not be more grateful to both Gary Gladstein and George Soros for their support and commitment to our university and the field of human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Institute, with its interdisciplinary focus, is one of the top human rights programs in higher education worldwide. Faculty members are drawn from most schools and colleges across the university, including anthropology, political science, business, and law. The program has a strong focus on collaborative research and scholarship. The Institute has a rapidly growing student population and its graduates have landed key humanitarian jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a child in Hungary when the Nazis invaded. I then lived under Soviet rule, so I know what it is like to live under brutal regimes that deprive people of their basic human rights,\u201d Soros said. \u201cI am pleased to support UConn\u2019s critical work in researching and promoting human rights. I am glad to partner with Gary to help build UConn\u2019s program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gladstein, who has been the Institute\u2019s primary benefactor, is giving the Institute a gift of $2 million. Soros, a businessman, philanthropist, and political activist, has pledged to give a $2 million challenge grant. Soros\u2019s grant is through the Open Society Foundations, his grant-making network dedicated to building democracies with accountable and open governments.<\/p>\n
Soros\u2019s grant requires the UConn Foundation to raise an additional $2 million in matching funds from donors. Once completed, the $6 million endowment will provide scholarships, fellowships, internships, and program support for signature programs, such as the Scholars-at-Risk Initiative.<\/p>\n
Gladstein said he was pleased to partner with Soros, a friend and colleague who first raised his awareness of the vital importance of human rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll civilizations must learn to share and respect the human rights of others,\u201d Gladstein said. \u201cThe true differences around the world are not between different religions or races, but more about those who embrace peace and those who would destroy it.\u00a0We can all do much better when we work together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese gifts are transformative because they provide us with a financial foundation that we haven\u2019t had before,\u201d said Dan Weiner, UConn\u2019s vice provost for global affairs.<\/p>\n
The Institute is a leader in human rights education and scholarship. It has the largest number of undergraduates studying human rights in the U.S. with 80 students majoring and 55 minoring in human rights. Another 35 participate in the Institute\u2019s graduate certificate program.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Martin Luther King Day, as we celebrate a man who stood for civil rights and justice, it is a fitting time to announce a gift that will strengthen UConn\u2019s own commitment to human rights,\u201d said Joshua R. Newton, president and CEO of the UConn Foundation.<\/p>\n
The Institute\u2019s cross-disciplinary research teams of faculty and graduate students focus on three distinct areas: economic and social rights, humanitarianism, and global health and human rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis gift will sustain cutting-edge, interdisciplinary scholarship on human rights at the University of Connecticut,\u201d Institute Director Kathryn Libal said.<\/p>\n
Program graduates have gone on to hold positions at leading universities and in the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International USA, AmeriCares, and Jewish World Watch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are educating the next generation of human rights scholars, teachers, and practitioners,\u201d Weiner said.<\/p>\n
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