Recent Gifts Support Arts, Humanities

UPDATED: September 18, 2014, at 10:25 p.m.

A $10 million gift from Maryellie K. Johnson '57 and her husband, Rupert, will benefit the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study as well as various other priorities set by University President Drew G. Faust.

The gift will be split evenly between Radcliffe and Faust’s chosen funds. At Radcliffe, the money will support various artistic initiatives. Some of the gift will also endow a faculty director of arts in academic ventures, a position currently held by professor Yukio Lippit.

Faust indicated in an interview on Tuesday morning that she will use her portion of the gift, which takes the form of endowment principal to be invested by the Harvard Management Company, for “endeavors” in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, but she was not more specific.

According to Jeff Neal, Faust’s spokesperson, the pledge was disclosed to Radcliffe supporters this May.

In addition, James F. Rothenberg ’68 and his wife, Anne, have pledged to support a new fund that will provide up to $200,000 annually for the next three years towards research in the humanities. A fund for humanities research run out of the office of Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 will also be increased to provide $150,000 a year for the next three years.

The money will be dispersed through an application process, and bids have already been solicited for the first awards.

Faust made it clear on Tuesday morning that the humanities will be a focus for her during the current academic year.

“We hope that will give some energy and some support to humanities faculty who need it and are excited [about] what they might do,” she said of the enhanced research support.

—Staff writer Matthew Q. Clarida can be reached at matthew.clarida@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @mattclarida.