Two Syracuse University alumni donated $15 million to support scholarships and immersion experiences for students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Marylyn Turner and her husband Chuck Klaus made the donation to support VPA’s School of Art, according to a SU News release. The gift will fund scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students and will endow two immersion experiences for emerging student artists.

“Marylyn and Chuck’s generous gift to the School of Art is transformational,” said Michael Tick, dean of VPA. “Scholarship support is critical to attracting the most talented and promising young artists.”

SU’s Art Week in LA and Turner Semester immersion experiences will be supported through the donation. Through Art Week in LA, SU students travel to Los Angeles over spring break to tour the city’s museums and art studios. The Turner Semester invites three students to San Pedro, California to study art for a semester.

Turner and Klaus graduated from SU in 1956 and 2005, respectively. The alumni are already involved in both of the immersion programs, providing studio space and housing for students.

“A scholarship from Syracuse University gave me the chance to have a college education, and that changed my life,” Turner said. “It is a pleasure being able to help today’s students learn and grow during their time with us in Los Angeles.”

The gift is part of SU’s Forever Orange Campaign, a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign that aims to increase the university’s endowment through private donations. The campaign, announced in November, raised more than $770 million by its official launch.

The S.I. Newhouse Foundation recently made a $75 million pledge to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications as part of the capital campaign. It was the largest such gift in SU’s history.

Published on January 31, 2020 at 2:23 pm

Contact Chris: cjhippen@syr.edu