Dear Faculty and Staff,

I am pleased to announce that Clark has received a gift of just over $2 million from the estate of Betty J. Singer ’71 to endow a professorship in Jewish Studies to be affiliated with the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

This gift will help to further advance one of the University’s premier academic programs and, potentially, expand the areas of teaching and research expertise at Clark. Provost Sebastián Royo will award this chair to a current or new member of the faculty in consultation with the director of the Strassler Center and relevant department chairs.

Ms. Singer’s final gift to Clark builds on over four decades of intentional philanthropy to help advance the University. As an engaged and dedicated alumna, her lifetime of giving included unrestricted funds, scholarships, support for ClarkU Hillel, and contributions to the Strassler Center by way of The Clark Fund.

A native of Wayne, New Jersey, Ms. Singer started her education at Clark in 1968, where she became an active member of ClarkU Hillel and chaired multiple Jewish education committees. She was a life member of Jewish Women International; the National Council of Jewish Women; the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education; the American Jewish Historical Society; the Society of Friends of Touro Synagogue; and the Council of Jewish War Veterans. Ms. Singer graduated from Clark with a degree in psychology in 1971.

Since her graduation, Ms. Singer was actively involved at Clark, serving for 30 years as an Alumni and Parents Admission Program volunteer, and attending our class reunions for over 20 years. She passed away at the age of 74 on November 1, 2023.

Ms. Singer’s extraordinary gift is a testament to her lifetime pursuit of advancing the frontiers of knowledge related to Jewish history and identity, and I am deeply grateful for her extraordinary commitment to Clark and the University’s academic excellence and distinctive approach to education.

Sincerely,

David Fithian ’87
President