Weissman school’s partial namesake dies at 102

[Weissman] -

Baruch College

Amanda Salazar, Editor-in-Chief

Mildred Weissman, who — along with her husband, the late Baruch College alumnus George Weissman — became the namesake of Baruch’s school of arts and sciences, died on Feb. 6 at the age of 102.

The Weissman’s together donated $10 million to what was then called the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences in the late 1990s. The school was renamed the Mildred and George Weissman School of Arts and Sciences on Feb. 23, 1998.

“While I never had the privilege of meeting Mildred, she left a lasting legacy on our campus for which I am deeply grateful,” Baruch President S. David Wu wrote in his message to the school about Weissman’s passing on Feb. 10. “When I asked those on campus who knew Mildred what words best described her, I heard ‘gracious,’ ‘funny,’ ‘warm’ and ‘smart.’”

Weissman was born in Rye, New York but was raised in Brooklyn. She graduated from Hunter College and became a lifelong supporter of CUNY, alongside her husband.

In addition to the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, the couple also established the Weissman Center for International Business as part of the Larry Zicklin School of Business. The Weissman Center handles international scholarships and internships for Baruch students, and international job placements.

On her own, Weissman served on the board of The Scholarship and Welfare Fund of the Alumni Association of Hunter College.

Even after her husband’s passing, Weissman continued to make donations to his alma mater to ensure that the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences and the Weissman Center would continue to have funding.

“We will remember her with deep appreciation as a leading catalyst that helped propel Baruch to new heights,” Wu continued in his message to the school community.

Outside of her commitment to CUNY, Weissman was an avid supporter of women’s rights and the ability of women to thrive in the arts and education, exemplified by her serving on the board of Lilith Magazine. She was also a supporter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the National Women’s History Museum.

She was also in touch with her Jewish faith, serving on the board of the Jewish Museum and co-founding the US Israel Women to Women Inc, now a part of the National Council of Jewish Women.

The Weissman’s decided to donate to the humanities and sciences school even though George graduated with a business degree from Baruch. The pair believed that liberal arts were just as important to be educated in as business for a fully developed life.

“It’s the well-rounded person who goes on to live a fruitful personal life as well as a corporate life,” George was quoted as saying in the about page of the Weissman School’s website. “Arts and sciences are the bloodstream that course through the entire body of knowledge and through our civilization.”

The Weissman School of Arts and Sciences is home of 13 subject departments run by more than 200 full- time faculty members and that offer 2,600 majors, and many minors.

The Weissman’s are survived by their three children, Paul, Ellen and Dan, their grandson, Leo, and their nieces and nephews.