Eggers endowment gift honors Mildred Eggers, UC’s Bea Gonzalez and supports Maxwell economics department

Eggers endowment gift honors Mildred Eggers, UC’s Bea Gonzalez and supports Maxwell economics departmentOctober 12, 2006Eileen Jevisejevis@uc.syr.edu

William Eggers, Richard Eggers and the Melvin and Mildred Eggers Charitable Family Foundation have pledged a $1 million gift to Syracuse University that will be used to create an endowed scholarship in the name of University College’s interim dean, Bethaida Gonzalez; augment the Mildred Eggers Endowed Scholarship Fund; and substantially enhance faculty support in the Maxwell School’s economics department.

“At the Women of the University Community Luncheon last spring, I observed that scholarship winners had a genuine bond with Dean Gonzalez,” says William Eggers, son of the late Chancellor Melvin Eggers and his wife, Mildred. “Dean Gonzalez and her colleagues at UC make a difference in the lives of part-time students. There is a closeness between UC students and UC administrators and faculty. This is what my mother loved about the work done at University College, and Rick and I wanted to honor that tradition today as much as our mother did years ago. Bea has ensured a highly personalized student atmosphere at UC for more than 20 years.”

“I love the satisfaction that I get from seeing our students succeed,” Gonzalez responds. “It’s the most gratifying aspect of my professional life. I want to thank the Eggers family for recognizing the bond that exists between University College and its students. This gift ensures that the Eggers family will have an enduring impact on the quality of education for full- and part-time students for generations to come.”

The Eggers family has also provided funding to the Maxwell School to establish the Melvin Eggers Fund for Economics, in honor of the former chancellor and economics department chairman. The gift will be used to help nurture the work and careers of both emerging and established scholars and to support faculty research, distinguished seminar speakers, program development and other scholarly activities in the department.

The Mildred Eggers Endowed Scholarship is given annually at the Women of the University Community Scholarship luncheon.

The Melvin and Mildred Eggers Family Charitable Foundation was established in 1995. Its purpose in large part is to support higher education.

University College offers a variety of SU degree programs in formats tailored to the busy schedules of part-time students. UC also offers numerous opportunities for professional and personal enrichment and civic education, and is home to a variety of centers serving the public. For more information on part-time programs, visit the UC website at http://www.yesu.syr.edu.

The Maxwell School, founded in 1924, is the premier academic institution in the United States committed to civic leadership and careers in public and international affairs. It is home to Syracuse University’s graduate social science departments and to numerous nationally recognized multidisciplinary programs in public policy and finance, international studies and conflict resolution. Maxwell’s graduate program in public administration — the first of its kind — is consistently ranked the best in the nation.