SCPS Faculty Profile

NYU-SCPS Welcomes Former College President
and Leading Authority on Philanthropy

Claire Gaudiani, an expert in the history and economics of philanthropy; and a renowned author on the subject, has become a full-time faculty member within the NYU-SCPS fundraising program at The George H. Heyman Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising.

According to Dr. Gaudiani, philanthropy lies at the very heart of American democracy and its importance, as a career choice, is immeasurable. This self –described “idealist and activist” presents exactly this viewpoint in her formative book, The Greater Good: How Philanthropy Drives the American Economy and Can Save Capitalism (NY Times/Henry Holt, 2003).

In 2006, Americans gave a record high of $295.02 billion, an estimated $11.97 billion more than in 2005, a year of unprecedented disaster contributions. Supported by mega-gift donations from philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, Dr. Gaudiani maintains that continued generosity from ordinary citizens—a characteristic of American culture that dates back to the Founding Fathers—represents a vital investment in the country’s physical and intellectual capital, creating invaluable opportunity and sustained growth across socio-economic borders. Americans are currently the most charitable people on the planet and, according to Dr. Gaudiani, are “not generous because we are rich, but rich because we are generous.”

Dr. Gaudiani served as president of Connecticut College, a private liberal arts college in New London, from 1988 to 2001. During that time, the college quintupled its endowment and applications for admissions rose dramatically, together with its national reputation.