Ithaca College

Contributed on behalf of Vincent Wang, Dean, School of Humanities and Sciences

An Ithaca College alumna has created a $500,000 endowment fund that will be used to attract visiting theatre artists, managers, and designers to teach in the Theatre Arts Department.

 Dori Meyers, ’84, who majored in drama at the college, made the gift to support visiting professors who would teach classes of faculty members in the department who are on sabbatical.  The visiting instructors would teach for up to two semesters.

“I’ve always wanted to give back to the theatre program because it is such a specialized program and requires such dedication and passion,” said Meyers, who lives outside of Chicago. “My college experience was very much Dillingham Center and all the people who lived and worked within those walls.”

Meyers thought of the idea for the endowment while talking to Catherine Weidner, chair of the Theatre Arts Department, who mentioned the need for visiting professors to fill in for faculty who are on sabbatical.

She hopes her donation will encourage other alumni to consider giving what they can to the college. “If this gift can inspire any of my peers to reach out and do something, that would be fantastic,” she said.