Donors increase opportunities for students, faculty

A seven-figure gift from Beth and Ronald Akel is being used to establish the Akel Family Scholarship and the Akel Family Faculty Fellow. It marks the latest in a record-breaking number of seven-figure gifts made by alumni and other donors to support Binghamton University.

• Sheldon Krebs ’63 also made a seven-figure gift, through a charitable bequest, to establish the Sheldon Krebs Professor in International Relations. It’s the first commitment for an endowed professorship in Harpur College of Arts and Sciences. More information about joining Krebs in the Esther W. Couper Heritage Society is available at plannedgiving.binghamton.edu. Couper Society members are those who have included support for Binghamton in their estate plans.
• Debora Elliott Ward ’76 made a generous gift to support TRIO programs — the first gift of its size to support TRIO at Binghamton, which serves first-generation college students, low-income students and students with disabilities. Thanks to the support, Flynn Anderson ’22, for example, was able to conduct research at Harvard University on 3D printing live liver cells that could ultimately lead to the ability to produce fully functional organs for those with liver failure.
• Judith Garczynski Fleishman ’90 and Steven I. Fleishman ’91 wanted to give undergraduate students with extreme financial need internship opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise experienced without support. So, they established the Fleishman Career Success Initiative to help.

Learn more about donor impact at Binghamton online.