Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • 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
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Alumnus Honored by Son with Creation of Endowed Scholarship Fund

Monday, October 30, 2017, By Kathleen Haley
Share
alumniAthleticsFalk College of Sport and Human DynamicsscholarshipsSchool of EducationStudents
Grossman3.new

Dr. Murray Grossman and his wife, Kathy, enjoy a tailgating event with their grandchildren before the Syracuse vs. Pitt football game Oct. 7 during Orange Central homecoming weekend. In the front row, from left, are Kate Leonard and Sylvie Grossman; second row, Zoe Grossman, Brady Grossman and Claire Leonard; and third row, Kathy Grossman, Grace Leonard and Dr. Grossman.

An alumnus is being honored by his son who has established a scholarship in his father’s name to support student-athletes pursuing graduate work in education or service-based fields.

The $1.5 million endowment is being provided by Brian Grossman in honor of his father, Dr. Murray Grossman ’43, G’45, who served as medical consultant to Syracuse University Athletics for 25 years. The Murray A. Grossman M.D., Endowed Graduate Scholarship Program Fund will assist former Syracuse University student-athletes with financial need who are pursuing graduate studies in the School of Education or the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.

When deciding on the scholarship criteria, the younger Grossman felt it was important that it represent something that was true to his father.

“My dad has given his life to Syracuse and the University in the sense that his entire life has been intertwined with the University,” Brian Grossman says. “He has always loved learning, teaching and intercollegiate sports. So first and foremost this is meant to honor his lifetime of commitment to the University. Second, I wanted to emphasize his passion for teaching.” He also wanted to provide a gift to the community that will have an impact.

Dr. Grossman was surprised and overwhelmed when he found out about the scholarship on a visit to his son’s home in September. “My wife, Kathryn, and I flew out to California to spend a week with our grandchildren and that’s when Brian and his wife, Beth, told us about it,” he says. “I was quite flattered and humbled by it.”

The goal of funding a scholarship was to meet a defined need as identified by the University and the athletics department. “This will fund athletes who want to go into careers in either education or service work and get a master’s degree,” Dr. Grossman says. “It’s a very real need.”

Deep connection to the University

Dr. Grossman has a deep connection with Syracuse University and teaching. His long history with the University started when he began his studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. He was accepted into the Syracuse University College of Medicine, which later became part of the SUNY Upstate Medical Center.

Dr. Grossman fondly remembers his years of schooling at Syracuse and the intensive training in the medical school. “I went to classes from 9 to 5, with labs every afternoon. I was very busy but I enjoyed those years. I’ve always liked school,” he says.

A walk-on member of the basketball team his freshman year, Dr. Grossman tried out his sophomore year but had to make a decision about playing ball. “I had labs every day till 5. I realized my career wasn’t in basketball; I wasn’t that good at it,” he says. “I made the decision to go to my labs and become a doctor.”

After graduating, Dr. Grossman served two years in the U.S. Navy before returning to Central New York, where for many years he practiced internal medicine and cardiology and taught at the SUNY Health Science Center. He was president of the former Crouse Irving Hospital from 1966-68 and was the first president of the combined Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital, now Crouse Hospital.

Rewards of teaching

During his career, Dr. Grossman was an American Heart research fellow for a year at the University of Utah Medical School. When he returned to Syracuse, he was offered a full professorship at SUNY Health Science Center, retiring as professor emeritus in 1992.

He found great rewards in teaching. “As a teacher, you’re around a lot of young, active minds, and it’s great to be dealing with young people who sometimes accept and sometimes challenge what you say—and it’s fun,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy meeting former students and residents and having them recount the times they were in training.”

Dr. Grossman, who was also a board member of the United Way of Central New York, also served as a consultant to the Federal Aviation Administration and was on the advisory board for Syracuse University Health Services. For his service to Syracuse Athletics as medical consultant, Dr. Grossman received an honorary LetterWinner of Distinction in 2016.

Brian, co-managing partner of Partner Fund Management, a San Francisco-based firm focused on health care and technology investments, looks back on his father’s life and career as one that has influenced and enhanced the community he’s lived in—something he hopes the scholarship will do as well. “I’ve had this longstanding view that what was good for Syracuse University is good for the community, more so than ever before,” Brian says.

Brian notes that pursuing a graduate degree in education or service work isn’t always an easy decision. “It’s financially difficult to justify making the investment in a graduate degree, but our country, our community needs great teachers and civic leaders,” he says, adding that he hopes that the students remain in the Syracuse area once they graduate.

Longtime supporters

Dr. Grossman, who turns 95 today, Oct. 30, and his wife also have three daughters Sarah G’07 (College of Law/Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs), Liz and Jacky, along with grandchildren, and are the foundation for a close-knit family. The couple continues to be active members of the Syracuse University community; they are longtime supporters of the University, visit campus and attend athletic events.

Dr. Grossman and his brother, Richard, who passed away last year, established the Lionel O. Grossman Trial Competition in the College of Law, which Dr. Grossman continues to support. In honor of Dr. Grossman’s half-sister, Faith Linda Grossman, he and his son fund a student intern position in the College of Law’s Disability Rights Clinic, directed by Associate Professor of Law Michael Schwartz.

Giving back is something Dr. Grossman and his wife always reinforced to their children. “We always preached to the kids—God gave you a number of gifts and you have to repay them to others,” he says.

 

  • Author

Kathleen Haley

  • Recent
  • Setting the Agenda in Biology Research: 2 Professors Join NIH Peer Review Committees
    Wednesday, September 27, 2023, By News Staff
  • iSchool Student Selected for Highly Competitive Data Librarianship Internship
    Wednesday, September 27, 2023, By Anya Woods
  • Exploring the Existence of Life at 125 Degrees Fahrenheit
    Tuesday, September 26, 2023, By Dan Bernardi
  • How Climate Warming Could Disrupt a Deep-Rooted Relationship
    Tuesday, September 26, 2023, By Dan Bernardi
  • College of Visual and Performing Arts Welcomes New Full-Time Faculty
    Monday, September 25, 2023, By Erica Blust

More In Campus & Community

‘Leading With Distinction’: Academic Strategic Plan Officially Launches at Tuesday’s Symposium (Video)

More than 400 members of the University community gathered in person and online yesterday for the official launch of “Leading With Distinction,” Syracuse’s new academic strategic plan. The launch of the plan follows more than a year of collaborative and…

Be Proactive: How to Keep Yourself Safe on Campus

While the chances of you becoming the victim of a crime during your time at Syracuse are low, it is still important to know what steps you can take to keep yourself and your belongings safe. We have teamed up…

College of Visual and Performing Arts Welcomes New Full-Time Faculty

Sixteen new full-time faculty joined the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) for the 2023-24 academic year. Two of the faculty members are also new department chairs in the college. Gregg Barron, assistant teaching professor of music industry in…

Academic Strategic Plan Launch Symposium Set for Sept. 26

Following a yearlong planning and development process involving hundreds of members of the campus community, “Leading With Distinction,” Syracuse University’s new academic strategic plan, was unveiled earlier this month. A launch symposium will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 26, from…

Water Main Break Near Bird Library to Be Repaired Monday

After a water main break occurred near Bird Library Sunday afternoon, construction efforts to resolve the issue will start around 6 a.m. Monday. While no buildings will be impacted by the efforts to repair the break, there will be both construction…

Subscribe to SU Today

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

Connect With Us

  • X
  • 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
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.