By Sophie Lange, Assistant News Editor
During the Summit on the Future held Sept. 22 through Sept. 24, President Bob Iuliano announced that Daria Lo Presti Wallach ’76 committed $10 million to Gettysburg College. This is the largest contribution by a living donor in the college’s history.
During this Summit, over 200 stakeholders and college leadership participated in working together to envision the future of Gettysburg College through the Strategic Direction. This plan consists of committees that focus on four areas of development within the Gettysburg Approach to education: academic excellence, a transformational and integrated student experience, a culture of belonging and wellness and institutional effectiveness.
When asked to comment on the commitment, Vice President of College Advancement Tres Mullis expressed that Wallach’s commitment is an expression of the faith people hold in the college’s future.
“She has long been a dedicated and generous alumna, and her most recent philanthropic commitment will no doubt inspire others who share her passion for Gettysburg College and its future. We are deeply grateful to Daria for her magnificent generosity and for the great momentum she has added to this early stage of our comprehensive fundraising campaign,” Mullis said.
Wallach majored in English during her time at Gettysburg, and in 2020, she gifted $1.5 million to establish The Daria L. & Eric J. Wallach Professorship of Peace and Justice Studies. This is currently held by Professor Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams in the Department of Africana Studies.
The professorship was created to promote programming about peace and justice at the college in collaboration with other programs, such as the Eisenhower Institute, the Center for Public Service and the Garthwait Leadership Center.
Wallach spoke on her latest commitment to the college and how her time as a student has influenced her professional life.
“My Gettysburg experience was foundational to my career and to my life. I am delighted to be able to support the College’s strategic vision and its commitment to a consequential education and to help assure that students continue to receive a superb liberal arts education at Gettysburg,” Wallach said.
President Bob Iuliano explained to The Gettysburgian that this money is “unrestricted,” which means that as the money is received, the administration can allocate it in ways that best serve the needs of the college.
Laken Franchetti contributed to the reporting for this article.
