“Louise Strauss’s generous legacy gift will have a lasting impact across multiple pillars of Penn’s academic mission,” says Penn President J. Larry Jameson. “We are grateful for her commitment to provide support that will strengthen our entire community—from advancing Jewish studies scholarship and preserving rare historical materials, to supporting plant science research.”
The gift will extend the Katz Center’s fellowship program to more global scholars and provide significant general and programmatic operational support in the years ahead. The funds will also greatly bolster Penn Libraries’ ability to acquire rare materials for its Judaica collections—globally recognized for their exceptional historical depth, scholarly value, and institutional legacy—in perpetuity. The Morris Arboretum & Gardens will use its portion of the gift to support critical work in the field of plant science research. It was made in memory of Louise Strauss’ father, class of 1956 School of Arts & Sciences graduate student Hilary Strauss, who was an avid Penn supporter.
“Each of the initiatives Louise chose to support are home to exceptional scholarship and outreach,” says Mark Trodden, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Physics & Astronomy. “Her steadfast support of our Jewish studies initiatives further enhances Penn Arts & Sciences’ excellence in the field.”
The funds from College of Arts & Sciences alumna Louise Strauss will bolster Penn Libraries’ ability to acquire rare materials for its Judaica collections, and will fund the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and Morris Arboretum & Gardens.
Strauss was a member of the Katz Center’s board of advisers, following in the footsteps of her mother, Ione Apfelbaum Strauss, 1954 graduate of the College of Liberal Arts for Women and former chair of the board at the Center. In addition, Strauss previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Alumnae, the Penn Alumni group founded in 1912.
“This final act from Louise follows a life of profound generosity, devotion to scholarship, and sustained public service,” says Steven Weitzman, Abraham M. Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literature and Ella Darivoff Director of the Katz Center. “She was a very self-effacing person, but all that she has done to support others is something that deserves to be honored for generations to come.”
Strauss’s public service commitments extended beyond Penn to multiple advisory boards, among them, her service as trustee of Harcum College. She also served as a volunteer archivist at the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center before volunteering as a processing archivist in the library at the Katz Center. Over the course of a decade, she worked to single-handedly organize the Lenkin Collection of Photography, consisting of more than 5,000 early photographs of the Land of Israel. She then uploaded them into an online repository, where the public may now discover and freely download them.
“Louise’s extraordinary gift enables Penn Libraries to grow its rare Judaica Collections in unprecedented ways,” says Brigitte Weinsteiger, H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and Director of Libraries. “Her years of volunteering alongside Schottenstein-Jesselson Curator of Judaica Arthur Kiron reflect the same devotion that now lives on in her legacy, advancing our mission to preserve and share Jewish life across time and around the globe.”
“Through thoughtful estate planning, Louise Strauss and her family significantly invested in the future of Morris Arboretum & Gardens,” says William (Bill) Cullina, F. Otto Haas Executive Director of Morris Arboretum & Gardens. “The family’s generous gift provides truly transformational support for our research staff and new plant science lab. It will allow us to attract the best and brightest in the field and bolster our ability to maintain and cultivate our exceptional gardens and plant collections, which are enjoyed by more than 175,000 visitors annually.”
Nanoparticle blueprints reveal path to smarter medicines
New research involving Penn Engineering shows detailed variation in lipid nanoparticle size, shape, and internal structure, and finds that such factors correlate with how well they deliver therapeutic cargo to a particular destination.
A generous gift from alumni Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman brings the work of internationally acclaimed artist Jaume Plensa to the University of Pennsylvania. The latest addition to the Penn Art Collection expands Philadelphia's public art.
A massive chunk of ice, a new laser, and new information on sea-level rise
For nearly a decade, Leigh Stearns and collaborators aimed a laser scanner system at Greenland’s Helheim Glacier. Their long-running survey reveals that Helheim’s massive calving events don’t behave the way scientists once thought, reframing how ice loss contributes to sea-level rise.
