Couple plans seven-figure bequest to support Harpur faculty

Howard Wiener ’77 and his wife, Rose Cheney, have planned an estimated seven-figure bequest that will create the Howard Wiener ’77 and Rose Cheney Junior Faculty Development Fund for Harpur College.

“I’m a big believer in education, but in particular public education,” Wiener said. “Public universities need to exist so people without much money can access education. I really got a good education at Binghamton. Some of my best friends are from Binghamton.”

Binghamton is where Wiener, a retired prosecutor, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and in political science that helped put him on the path to a successful legal career.

Cheney, who is also retired, was executive director of the Firearm Injury Center at Penn. The center was established as part of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine to advance

the study of firearm injury and help healthcare professionals address firearm violence as a public health issue.

The work Cheney did there, she said, made it clear to her that funding is essential for

faculty to seed their research, especially in the beginning of their careers.

The endowed faculty development fund will fulfill three main goals:

• Help selected tenure-track or recently tenured Harpur faculty develop successful research programs that position them to become leaders in their field
• Open new opportunities for the recipients to grow as scholars and artists
• Help Harpur recruit and retain the most promising faculty, thereby enhancing teaching and research in the college

“Receiving financial support early in their careers will change the entire trajectory of their work, allowing them to contribute in important ways to their academic fields and in

the classroom,” said Celia Klin, interim dean of Harpur College of Arts and Sciences.