Carole Weinstein donates $9 million to create International Center at University of Richmond
August 22, 2007
University of Richmond President Edward L. Ayers announced today that Richmond graduate and former university trustee Carole Weinstein will donate $9 million to construct a new campus facility dedicated to enhancing the university's rapidly growing international programs.
The building will be named the Carole Weinstein International Center in honor of the donor's generous support of the university's international education programs, which spans two decades. The facility will serve as a central location for coordinating Richmond's comprehensive approach to the internationalization of its educational programs and campus life.
"Once again, the University of Richmond is indebted to the Weinstein family for their vision and commitment," said President Edward L. Ayers. "This remarkable gift will permit the university to build upon a great legacy of international study and cement our position as a leader in this crucial aspect of higher education."
The International Center will foster greater synergies among Richmond's five schools in their international education efforts. The Office of International Education, which includes the university's study abroad and international exchange programs, will be housed in the new center. The International Center also will provide a home for several departments and interdisciplinary programs focused on international issues or whose work offers a global perspective.
The projected cost of the 40,000-square-foot facility is $18 million. The center will include high-tech classrooms, support for study abroad and international students and scholars, a wide range of teaching and social spaces for faculty-student interaction, state-of-the-art facilities for language instruction, faculty offices and programmatic venues. The new classroom technology will allow Richmond faculty and students to collaborate in real time with professors and students at partner universities around the world. The center will be built between the Jepson School of Leadership Studies and Sarah Brunet Hall. University officials estimate that the facility should be completed by the fall 2010.
"It has long been a dream of mine to have an international center on our campus, and I am thrilled and honored to partner with the university to make this dream a reality," said Weinstein.
Richmond's international education program is celebrating its 20th anniversary this academic year. During the past two decades, the number of courses with international content and the number of faculty with international teaching and research experience have increased significantly. At the same time, study-abroad participation has skyrocketed, and the number of international students attending Richmond has grown to more than 200 from more than 70 countries. International students currently constitute 7 percent of UR's student population. In recognition of the university's extensive internationalization, Newsweek magazine, in its annual college guide, recently named Richmond as the "hottest school" in the nation for international studies.
Leading the university's international efforts is Uliana Gabara, founding dean of international education. During Gabara's tenure, Richmond has adopted a comprehensive and integrated approach to internationalization. Academic courses and campus life are as much a part of international education as is study abroad. Students, faculty and staff are equal participants in the process. Gabara, faculty and staff have forged direct exchange agreements with more than 50 universities around the world, making it possible for the university to meet its goal of providing equal access for its students to study abroad.
"Carole Weinstein's encouragement, support and advice have had a great impact on the internationalization of the university," said Gabara. "This gift will make possible a qualitative leap in our ability to put international education at the center of the Richmond experience."
A prominent local philanthropist, Weinstein holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in English from Richmond. She served on the university's Board of Trustees from 1988-92. In 2004, the university awarded her an honorary doctor of letters degree.
Weinstein has been a strong advocate for international education for 20 years. She has funded scholarships for Richmond students to study abroad and supported a variety of international education and research programs at the university, as well as international students. In 2003, she created the Carole M. Weinstein Chair of International Education.
The Weinstein family—including her husband Marcus, daughter Allison, and son-in-law Ivan Jecklin—have generously contributed to a wide range of academic programs, endowed faculty chairs, lectureships and building projects at the university. The family was instrumental in the creation of both Weinstein Hall, which houses the university's social sciences departments and other programs, and the Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness, which opened in January. Allison Weinstein currently serves on the university's Board of Trustees.