This line was made famous, or perhaps infamous, in the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire;

Yesterday, Jehuda Reinharz took it one step further. This very accomplished President of Brandeis University announced a $22.5 million transformative gift from the Cleveland based Mandel Foundation for a new center to study and protect the humanities.

“In partnership with The Mandel Foundation,” said Reinharz, “Brandeis intends to create a truly visionary place to restore prestige to the humanities and provide a model for other colleges and universities.” He added that the Mandel gift is believed to be the single largest commitment to the humanities by any foundation – at least in recent memory.”

With a long history of supporting Brandeis, the Mandel Foundation has also been a consistent supporter and major funder of projects that strengthen the Jewish community along with nonprofit education and professional development.

However, according to President Reinharz, this gift was unique. “With this gift, they wanted to make a statement that this is a field that needs support. They wanted to set an example.”

As to Brandeis, with another eighteen months to go, they are well positioned to exceed their $770 million fundraising goal. (The Campaign for Brandeis)

Kol HaKavod.