Public Health Receives $20.7M

In one of the largest endowments for faculty development in Columbia’s history, the Mailman School of Public Health announced Friday that it has received $20.7 million from the estate of alumnus Ronald H. Lauterstein, MS ’58.

The funds will be used to recruit and retain top teachers and researchers, said James Lavery, trustee of the estate. The $20.7 million was made available as a lump sum so that the income earned off the money can be used to hire teachers, he explained.

“If you don’t have the teaching, you don’t attract the students, and you don’t get a school of excellence,” Lavery said. “Mr. Lauterstein attributed a great deal of his success to Columbia University.”

Lauterstein, who passed away in 2006, made his fortune as co-founder of COMCARE, a major chain of nursing and home care services in Canada. With this latest gift, his contributions to Mailman total $24.6 million, including money he gave to support policy and research on aging.

“We are deeply moved by this incredibly generous and important gift,” said Allan Rosenfield, dean of the Mailman School of Public Health, in a statement. “This gift underscores Ron’s commitment to the school’s continued growth as a world-renowned public health institution. We are both humbled and delighted by his generosity and look forward to honoring the Lauterstein name for many years to come.”

During his lifetime, Mr. Lauterstein established the Lauterstein Scholars Program to support the development of aging policy and research, and established a student scholarship named in honor of Doris Nickerson, his companion of many years. With a portion of his bequest, the board of trustees established the Lauterstein Professorship in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences. David Rosner, who currently studies occupational and environmental health at Mailman, has been appointed as the first to fill the position.

For many years, Lauterstein was a member of the school’s board of overseers and alumni executive board. In 1994, he received the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award, and in 1996, the Alumni Federation Medal for conspicuous alumni service.

Lee Goldman, executive vice president for health and biomedical sciences and dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, said in a statement: “As we all know, extraordinary faculty attract extraordinary students—a powerful combination that will serve to strengthen the school’s core commitment to education and research. Mr. Lauterstein’s foresight and dedication to the Mailman School will have a lasting impact on the institution.”

Ashley Pandolfi can be reached at ashley.pandolfi@columbiaspectator.com.