Yesterday Albert Einstein College of Medicine issued a press release in which Dr. Philip Ozuah, President and CEO of Montefiore Einstein, the umbrella organization for Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System, announced free tuition in perpetuity for all medical school students, effective from this August onwards (this also entails reimbursing the spring 2024 semester tuition for all current fourth-year students).
The provision of tuition-free education, a historic move, owes its realization to an extraordinary act of generosity: a staggering $1 billion contribution from Ruth L. Gottesman, Ed.D., Chair of the Einstein Board of Trustees, a member of the Montefiore Health System board, and a former professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
The donation stands out not only for its size but also for its destination – a medical institution in the Bronx, New York's most economically disadvantaged borough, historically overlooked in favor of Manhattan, the city's affluent epicenter, which has received in the past substantial philanthropic investments in healthcare.
Dr. Gottesman emphasized that her donation aims to liberate aspiring physicians from the burdensome shackles of medical school debt, which is usually around $200,000 (annual tuition amounts to over $59,000). Beyond financial liberation, she expressed her hope that this initiative would foster a more diverse student body, enabling individuals from underprivileged backgrounds to pursue their medical aspirations without financial barriers.
While this marks a significant milestone, this isn't the first instance of a college adopting a tuition-free model (in 2018, New York University made headlines by initiating tuition-free programs for medical students). Yet the recent donation stands as the largest ever bestowed upon a medical school in the United States, as highlighted in the press release.
Founded in 1955, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine has established itself as a leading institution in research, medical education, and clinical inquiry. From its beginnings, the college has committed to inclusivity, striving to welcome students from all backgrounds, a mission it now fully realizes.
Currently, Einstein boasts a diverse student body and has garnered numerous accolades over the years, facilitating groundbreaking research across various domains including cancer, aging, developmental disorders, diabetes, liver disease, and AIDS.
Partnering with Montefiore, Einstein's affiliated university hospital and academic medical center, the college further strengthens its research and clinical capabilities.
Dr. Gottesman, the 93-year-old widow of a Wall Street financier, joined Einstein's Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) in 1968. She pioneered widely in the field of learning disabilities, that often went unnoticed or were misdiagnosed, launching screening tests and literacy programs. Dr. Gottesman inherited her husband David Gottesman's fortune - a portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway stock - upon his passing in 2022.
Initially reluctant to associate her name with the donation, Dr. Gottesman hoped to maintain anonymity. However, she eventually chose to disclose her identity, recognizing the potential of her story to inspire others.
In a heartening video shared on social media, Dr. Gottesman unveiled the news to a captive audience of students, eliciting a wave of applause. Their reactions were amazing: some leaped from their seats, while others were speechless or were moved to tears. For those among us who are or were burdened by educational debt, the scene resonates deeply.
Their joy mirrored that of individuals freed from a lifetime of financial burden, now able to focus solely on their studies without the weight of tuition fees and loan repayments (mind you, though, now the rush to the tuition-free college will probably cause a heightened competition for admission, making it more challenging for prospective students…).
This prompts us to ponder: why isn't such philanthropy more commonplace? Why do we not witness more affluent benefactors stepping forward to alleviate the financial burdens of students, across various disciplines and institutions? (in a way it is not unheard of if we think about movie stars or music icons offering to pay the tuition fees of a few students - last year Beyoncé's BeyGOOD Foundation, for example, assigned 20 Renaissance scholarships to final year fashion design students from the Institut Français de la Mode in Paris in need of financial assistance to allow them to finish their graduate collections - but Dr. Gottesman definitely took things further).
In fact, it would be laudable if representatives of the fashion industry would pay the tuition fee of fashion design students. While some corporations organize competitions or offer grants, notable figures in the industry, such as Bernard Arnault, LVMH's Chairman and CEO and the richest man in the world (as announced by Forbes in February this year), and François-Henri Pinault, the chairman and CEO of Kering, seem hesitant to make bold moves in this regard. Are they apprehensive about financial losses? In reality, they could potentially earn more by showcasing their generosity towards students as consumers would be happy to support a brand giving something back to an educational institution. Additionally, students may exhibit stronger brand loyalty towards companies that actively invest in their future.
Fashion prides itself on predicting trends and shaping the future. Yet, it seems to overlook the significance of leaving a lasting positive impact on people's lives and hearts, prioritizing sales figures over meaningful contributions to society.
Ozuah, the President and CEO of Montefiore Einstein, called Dr. Gottesman's contribution a "historic and transformational gift". Her donation and visionary approach towards a future where university fees are a thing of the past deserve commendation and will hopefully inspire others to do the same for students of other disciplines as well.
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