By Margaret Hawryluk
Honors College received the largest individual gift ever donated to the University in its 70-year history, officials announced on Tuesday.
University alum and Board of Trustees Chair John D. Miller donated the $6 million gift to leave a legacy at the University, which he praises for its academic growth, and to teach his two sons the importance of charity.
“Hofstra’s growth in the years since I graduated has been phenomenal, and it is very satisfying to me that I am able to give back to the University that had so much to do with my business success,” Miller said in a University press release. “I believe we need to give back to those institutions that had a positive impact on our lives in hopes that our contributions will make a difference in the lives of others.”
Miller, retired chief financial advisor and co-founder of Arterial Vascular Engineering, a California-based medical equipment manufacturer, earned a degree in accounting from the School of Business in 1979.
Honors College Dean John Russell said he was grateful to Miller for not only his generous gift, but also for his confidence and investment in the college.
“As academic dean, I am especially fortunate in Mr. Miller’s relationship with my college. He is no distant donor, but a partner and an enthusiast,” he said. “Apart from the generosity of his gift, John’s advocacy of the Honors College and his practical suggestions have been immensely valuable to us.”
The Honors College program began in September 2001 with 93 students who graduated in 2005, and now has approximately 700 enrolled.
The program is designed for the University’s “most academically accomplished students” who take part in a “striking, focused, multidisciplinary first-year program” and then enroll in various honors-credit courses to complete the program, according to the college’s Web site.
Russell said the gift will help the college continue to flourish and will “keep Honors and Hofstra within the reach” of deserving students with some of the funds being used for scholarships.
John D. Miller donates $6 million to University