SCPS Newsroom

Expert Profile

Claire Gaudiani, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
cinical associate professor, George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising

From 1988 to 2001, Claire Gaudiani served as president of Connecticut College, a private liberal arts college in New London.  Gaudiani holds a Ph.D. and Master's degree in French literature from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree, also in French, from Connecticut College. She has served on the boards of numerous for-profit and not-for-profit enterprises including the The Henry Luce Foundation, MBIA Inc., The Shubert Theatre, The Connecticut Center for School Change, Connecticut Legal Services Advisory Board, Public Radio International, and Citizens Bank.

Areas of Expertise: 

• History and Economics of American Philanthropy
• Synergy of Capitalism and Philanthropy
• Higher Education and Civil Sciety

Recent Publications and Research:
Claire Gaudiani recently wrote The Greater Good: How Philanthropy Drives the American Economy and Can Save Capitalism (Henry Holt/New York Times Books). This widely-cited book argues that Americans are not generous because we are rich, but rich because we are generous. She asserts that citizen generosity is the defining American value, and urges that we leverage this legacy through the coming, post-boomer wealth transfer.