Steyer Family Inaugurates New Scholarship Endowment Fund
Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Tuition-plus packages will make higher education a reality for deserving students

Social equality in Israel took a step forward with the inauguration of the Helen Sarah Steyer and Thomas Mark Steyer Scholarship Endowment Fund on June 10, 2012, during Tel Aviv University's annual Board of Governors Meeting. The endowment will provide full tuition and partial living expenses for seven outstanding undergraduate students annually, chosen for their academic success, curiosity, open-mindedness, reason, and resolve in their intellectual pursuits in spite of financial pressure.

"In this gift, more than any other gift, we were inspired by the example of our father, Stanley," said Helen Steyer, speaking on behalf of her brother, Thomas Steyer, and herself at the inauguration ceremony. "His own dream for the future involved Israel and higher education," she said, noting that throughout his life, he believed education and understanding would lead to a more peaceful world.

A tribute to that vision, the endowment fund is an effort to increase the accessibility of higher education and help young people to achieve their maximum potential, opening the door to opportunity regardless of socio-economic background. In addition to financial support, each Steyer Scholar will receive personal guidance throughout the education process — assistance designed to increase the chances of academic success and a bright future.

Long-standing friends of Tel Aviv University, Helen and Thomas Steyer were encouraged to become involved with the school by their father. Both have served on TAU's Board of Governors since 1990, and on June 7, 2012, both were awarded the university's most distinguished recognition, an honorary doctorate.

The siblings have created a number of major philanthropic projects at Tel Aviv University, with a focus on cancer research, the health professions, and scholarship aid. Their initiatives include the Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions which they endowed in honor and in memory of their late father.

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