Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society

Taishoff Family Foundation Gives $3 Million to School of Education to Support Expansion of InclusiveU

Thursday, September 3, 2015, By Jennifer Russo
Share
School of Education

The School of Education received a $3 million gift from the Taishoff Family Foundation of Naples, Fla., to support the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education at the University. It is the largest single gift in the School of Education’s history and will support research, make higher education more inclusive to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and create pathways to academic and social success.

Syracuse Peer Mentor talks to new InclusiveU Students at Welcome Event on Sept. 1

A peer mentor talks to new InclusiveU Students at a Syracuse Welcome event on Sept. 1.

The gift will also be used to expand InclusiveU, the Taishoff Center’s signature certificate program. InclusiveU enables students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to become fully included in campus and community life at the University, while achieving their highest potential through post-secondary education. InclusiveU currently supports 12 students on the Syracuse campus, and plans to increase that number to 60 over the next five years.

“For many years, the Taishoff Family has very generously supported the School of Education’s historic leadership in disability studies and inclusion,” says Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Inclusion is an important theme as Syracuse University moves forward in educating students who are prepared to achieve their fullest potential. This gift will help to continue the school’s groundbreaking research, and support important opportunities such as InclusiveU.”

“Nine years ago I had an idea for a center of excellence that would offer a fully integrated educational experience within the University, focusing on the specific needs of members of the community who are largely marginalized after high school,” says U.S. Navy Retired Capt. Robert P. Taishoff ’86, chairman of the Taishoff Family Foundation and Syracuse University Trustee. “One of the main criteria of this educational experience is that it should lead to employment just like post secondary education does for typical students. Many individuals with intellectual disabilities have untapped talents that will ultimately contribute to society. This is not easy work as an institution, but I am confident that under Chancellor Syverud’s leadership we are going to fulfill the vision my father and I hoped for so many years ago!”

The Taishoff Center is dedicated to providing full and equitable participation of students with disabilities in higher education, especially students who have traditionally been excluded from post-secondary education. The center was established in 2009 by the Taishoff Family and has been operating InclusiveU at Syracuse University since 2013. Since its inception, the Taishoff Center has made significant impact in supporting students with disabilities in higher education and within society at large. The center has hosted two national conferences and its staff have secured more than $1.2M in grants from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) and National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), and presented at conferences nationwide.

The expansion of the Taishoff Center and the development of InclusiveU is another milestone in the University’s long history of leadership in disability studies and inclusion. The first Disability Studies program in the country and the first Disability Cultural Center of its kind for students on campus were both created at Syracuse; and the School of Education is also home to research and training centers like the Institute on Communication and Inclusion and the Center on Human Policy.

Beth A. Myers, interim director of the Taishoff Center and research assistant professor at the School of Education, says the $3 million gift will strengthen the work of the Taishoff Center and InclusiveU, and she hopes that the University will become a global destination for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“At Syracuse, students with disabilities can participate in University classes based on their interests, complete individualized coursework, professional internships, and participate in student activities,” says Myers. “The five year plan for the center includes on-campus living options that will prepare them for employment and self-direction.”

Individuals who are age 18 or older with intellectual and developmental disabilities—including labels such as autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy—have traditionally been excluded from full and equitable participation in postsecondary education and, after age 21, experience unemployment at rates of up to 80 percent. Nationwide, the number of students with disabilities who may be eligible for postsecondary education is near 3 million, and only 86 four-year universities welcome students with intellectual disabilities. Of those 86, fewer than 15 offer a fully inclusive learning experience.

Myers says that in addition to offering a top-notch experience here at Syracuse, another goal is for InclusiveU to be viewed as a national model of best practice in post-secondary education for students with significant disabilities. “The intention is not for Syracuse University to become the only place for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but rather to support the growth of capacity within all institutes of higher education so students can attend the college or university of their choice.”

  • Author

Jennifer Russo

  • Recent
  • Action Required: Review and Commit to the Stay Safe Pledge
    Thursday, January 21, 2021, By News Staff
  • Future of News Production the Focus of NSF Planning Grant
    Thursday, January 21, 2021, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • College of Law Adds Vincent H. Cohen ’92, L’95 to Board of Advisors
    Wednesday, January 20, 2021, By Martin Walls
  • Students Invited to Network and Skill-Build with Alumni
    Wednesday, January 20, 2021, By Gabrielle Lake
  • ‘Confronting ‘Who We Are”
    Tuesday, January 19, 2021, By News Staff

More In Health & Society

‘Trust the Process’ with COVID Vaccine, Emergency Management Director Says

Trust the process. As a 16-year member of the United States Air Force Reserve and now in his job as director of emergency management and business continuity at the University, Joseph Hernon has always followed that philosophy. And that’s why…

Ph.D. Student in Clinical Psychology Works with Non-Profit to Fill Unmet Need in Asian Community

Jin Zhao is a fourth year Ph.D. student working toward his career goal of becoming a practicing psychologist. His qualifying exam project is researching Asian college students and how their experiences of microaggression are related to their attitudes about going…

‘2020 Was Broken and Beautiful. 2021 Needs Grace and Grit.’

The Reverend Brian E. Konkol, Ph.D., dean of Hendricks Chapel, wrote an op-ed for Syracuse.com titled “2020 was broken and beautiful. 2021 needs grace and grit.” The Rev. Konkol leads religious and spiritual life both at the University and across…

Student Gets Dose of ‘Hope, Optimism and Relief’ with COVID-19 Vaccine

Louis Smith was thrilled when he was named valedictorian of his class at Mynderse Academy in Seneca Falls, about 50 miles west of Syracuse. A lifelong Syracuse University sports fan, Smith was ecstatic when he received his acceptance letter from…

Participants Sought for Survey on Information, Preventive Behavior and Disparities in Pandemic Circumstances 

A research team in the School of Information Studies, in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin and University of Washington, is seeking participants for a survey about information behaviors, risk perceptions and health disparities relating to COVID-19. Participants…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.