Forward Thinking: Summer 2024
From the board chair
To our alumni and friends:
Interdisciplinarity has long been core to Case Western Reserve University’s institutional identity. Soon, this commitment will be seen in physical form, as preparations continue for the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB).
The 189,000-square-foot facility for innovation and research will face Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and, at an estimated $300 million, it represents the largest investment to date on the university’s Case Quad. Campus transformations are already underway, as are the collaborations that will fill the halls of the ISEB with lively chatter when it opens during the university’s bicentennial in 2026.
Our cover story dives deeper into some of the work that will take place in the ISEB, from a crab-like robot that can retrieve dangerous explosives to energy-dense batteries aimed at creating a more sustainable future. We are also proud to share stories of the alumni and friends making it possible and their personal reasons for supporting the future of science and discovery at CWRU.
Throughout this issue, you will learn how our donors empower students through scholarships, enable faculty to pursue groundbreaking research, fuel collaborations in our community and establish lasting legacies through endowed funds.
While our donors do all of this and much more year-round, Case Western Reserve’s 12th annual Day of Giving once again illustrated the power of collective support.
On April 10, 2,835 students and families, faculty and staff members, and alumni and friends came together to give $1,894,635 for a variety of campus causes. The number of donors set a record as the highest in the campaign’s history, with dollars raised marking second-highest.
As part of the celebration, the Office of Annual Giving hosted an event at Tinkham Veale University Center to spread the word on campus. There, students wrote thank-you notes to donors while they enjoyed cookies and took photos with Spartie.
“Thank you for your support of every CWRU student’s personal and academic goals,” one student wrote. “Your support is the reason we’re able to accomplish all we do.”
I hope students’ sentiments, and the stories you will read in this issue of Forward Thinking, show how your generosity makes an indelible mark on our university community. Thank you for your continued dedication.
Fred DiSanto
Chair, Board of Trustees
Case Western Reserve University
Features
Building the future of research (cover story)
Set to redefine possibilities of collaborative research, new building comes into focus
Encouraging collaboration (cover story)
Alumni and friends supporting the vision of the ISEB
Remembering alumnus James C. Wyant
"Jim Wyant believed passionately in the power of universities to advance discoveries and open opportunities for students," President Eric W. Kaler said.
Making sparks (cover story)
Alumnus spurs research and innovation at CWRU
At the intersection of humanities and STEM
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation's latest gift for interdisciplinary study continues long history of university support
Scholarship and student experience
Dedication to education
After a half-century of teaching, a professor and his wife look to the future of the School of Medicine
Opening doors
Alumnus makes STEM education more accessible for Cleveland students
Accelerating growth
Alumnus commits $10 million to support and expand opportunities in computer and data sciences
Research
From crisis to collaboration
$2 million grant from The Roe Green Foundation catalyzes multidisciplinary research building in Uganda
‘North star’ in healthcare for older adults
CWRU School of Nursing awarded $2.56 million for age-friendly care program at MinuteClinic, the medical clinic inside select CVS Pharmacy locations
Professorships
Ride of a lifetime
A couple's commitment to patient care—and each other—recognized in endowed professorship
Giving highlights
Fostering inclusive medical training
CWRU is one of six institutions to win the 2024 Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Catalyst Award for Transformation in Graduate Medical Education
Unlocking potential
Nearly $3 million in grant support from the Mellon Foundation expands opportunities for community college humanities students
The good is ‘what counts’
Alumnus pays tribute to mentor by naming CWRU in his estate
Strategic giving
Twist of fate
A simple mistake on Harry Rosen's college application took him down a path he hadn't anticipated—one that led him to earn an engineering undergraduate degree and eventually become a practicing dentist
An expression of gratitude
James Sampson was a Jesuit priest studying biology at Harvard when he began to doubt his plans for a career in academia. He watched as friends and colleagues succumbed to HIV and AIDS, and wanted to help—but wasn't sure how.
Student profile
Dreams realized
Gifts from a variety of donors make a CWRU education accessible to first-generation American and college graduate