Alumni family donates $10 million to BU

The Feld Family Foundation has pledged $10 million to Boston University to enhance faculty development, President Robert Brown announced Wednesday.

The donation will allot $7.5 million to the establishment of three new endowed professorships, including the Feld Family Professorship of Teaching Excellence in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Feld Family Professorship of New Media in the College of Communication and the Feld Family Professorship of Marketing in the School of Management, according to the foundation’s press release.

The other $2.5 million will be allocated for multiple university purposes by mutual agreement, according to the release.

BU spokesman Colin Riley said the money would go towards paying for new positions for professors in each of the three schools. It also set to play a key role in the multi-year development plan that will encompass ongoing work with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, he said.

‘The direction of the Board of Trustees is to build on these gifts and continue on successfully,’ he said. ‘It’s an extraordinary commitment by a family that contributes to the strength of the university and is appreciated by all.’

COM Dean Tom Fiedler said the funds would allow COM to bring in more new media talent.

‘The Feld Family Professorship has the potential of being transformative for COM,’ Fiedler said in an email. ‘It provides the opportunity to attract a truly extraordinary leader in the field of new and emerging media to our already great faculty, someone whose presence will draw positive attention to COM nationally and internationally.’

Fiedler said the donation would also allow for an increased connection between the schools.

‘It also provides the resources enabling the professorship to create a cutting-edge curriculum linking COM to programs in CAS, SMG, CFA and perhaps other schools within the university,’ Fielder said.

SMG spokeswoman Jennifer Ivers said the Feld family’s gift would fund the first endowed chair at SMG that has a specific academic focus.’

‘Usually, when we receive gifts like this, we choose the focus,’ she said in an e-mail. ‘But they were very specific about this donation.’

Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, a BU trustee and chair of the Trustees’ Development & Alumni Committee, said in an earlier statement that his family is in a position to give back.

‘Our goal at the Feld Family Foundation is to support higher education. . .’ he said. ‘We are an alumni family and we have all benefited from our experiences with BU and are very pleased with the direction Dr. Brown is taking the university.’

The Feld Family Foundation is a private philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting the performing arts, higher education and conservation of the endangered Asian elephant, according to the release.’ Directed by the Feld Family, including Kenneth (SMG ’70), Bonnie Feld (CAS ’73) and their daughters, Nicole, Juliette and Alana, (COM ’02), the foundation has had previous ties to BU.

They gave $2 million to the Feld Career Center in SMG, which opened in 1996 and the Feld Family Skating Center at Agannis Arena.

School of Hospitality junior Erin Smith said she was glad BU received the gift regardless of whether it affects her school directly.

‘It’s great that BU has been given such a large donation,’ she said. ‘It makes sense that they are contributing to other students’ educations since their experience was so beneficial to them.’

Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences junior Kristen Lally said she hopes students outside CAS, SMG and COM will also benefit.

‘Of course a $10 million donation is good news for BU,’ she said. ‘Hopefully they will use it so that all students can benefit from it, instead of just the professors in the other three schools.’