Alumni couple donates $100,000 to Burton Blatt Institute

Gift from Robert ’66 and Carol ’70 Tannenhauser will directly impact people with disabilities

In support of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University, Robert ’66 and Carol ’70 Tannenhauser have announced a commitment to BBI of $100,000, one of the institute’s most generous private donations to date.

“This marvelous gift will ensure that BBI continues to build on the legacy of its namesake, Burton Blatt, by enhancing direct impact for people with disabilities,” says University Professor Peter Blanck, BBI chairman. “Bob and Carol’s fantastic commitment is an investment in the future of BBI. Their generosity will have an immediate impact on people’s lives.”

The Tannenhausers’ contribution will advance BBI’s programs in outreach and entrepreneurship activities for people with disabilities. “I have witnessed the profound impact BBI has had locally and across the world,” says Robert Tannenhauser, a member of BBI’s board of advisors. “Our gift reflects our passion and enthusiasm for BBI’s work to advance the lives of people with disabilities.”

Officially launched at SU in 2005, BBI is named in honor of Burton Blatt, former dean of SU’s School of Education and a pioneering disability rights scholar, to better the lives of people with disabilities. With a staff of more than 65, BBI has offices in Syracuse, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Ga., New York and Tel Aviv, Israel.

“BBI builds on SU’s longstanding achievements in the struggle for an inclusive society for all,” says Carol Tannenhauser. “We are thrilled to support this mission.”

Robert Tannenhauser, chief executive officer of the Ruxton Capital Group LLC, is the founder of BoeFly, LLC (http://www.boefly.com), a premier online marketplace connecting lenders with business borrowers, secondary market loan buyers and professional service providers. He also serves as board chairman of the Children’s Health Fund, founded by singer-songwriter Paul Simon and Irwin Redlener. He received a B.A. from SU, J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and an L.L.M. (taxation) from the New York University School of Law.

Carol Tannenhauser, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications alumna, is an accomplished author and journalist. She also volunteers at the Doe Fund in New York City, which implements programs to break the cycles of homelessness, addiction and criminal recidivism.

The Tannenhauser gift will be counted in The Campaign for Syracuse University’s total. With a goal of $1 billion, The Campaign for Syracuse University is the most ambitious fundraising effort in SU’s history. By supporting faculty excellence, student access, interdisciplinary programs, capital projects and other institutional priorities, the campaign is continuing to drive Scholarship in Action, the University’s vision to provide students, faculty and communities with the insights needed to incite positive and lasting change in the world. Officially launched in November 2007 with a goal of $1 billion, the five-year effort has raised a total of over $898 million with less than two years left to achieve the $1 billion campaign goal. More information is available online at campaign.syr.edu.