George Soros to give US$500m to Bard College in New York

Billionaire philanthropist George Soros has committed US$500 million to a private liberal arts college in New York, which the school called a “transformational” gift that would be among the largest ever given to higher education in the United States, reports Associated Press.

In addition to the pledge from the 90-year-old investor, Bard College announced it raised US$250 million for its endowment and plans to raise another US$250 million over the next five years. The money will establish a new US$1 billion endowment that will support “the college’s full array of student financial aid, faculty and programme”, the school said, adding it will also “enable the college to sustain its mission and to grow its international profile”.

Soros said in the announcement that “Bard has had an outsized impact, setting the standard in liberal arts education in prisons, in high school age students, and in the arts and in its international work”.
Full report on the US News & World Report site