Citing the William T. Kemper Foundation and the Kemper family as among Washington University’s strongest supporters, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton announced the foundation’s gift of $3 million.
The grant will be split evenly between two initiatives: to support a permanent endowment for the position of director of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, as part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts; and to support WUSTL’s Hope Center for Neurological Disorders at the School of Medicine.
“Because of the longstanding loyalty, generosity and vision of the board of directors of the William T. Kemper Foundation and the Kemper family, Washington University has a nationally renowned university art museum and one of the world’s best research programs for the study and treatment of neurological disorders,” Wrighton said.
“These significant contributions, taken together, address major advances in the arts and the sciences at Washington University,” Wrighton said. “In different ways, both initiatives will improve our understanding of the human condition through world-class education and research.”
The William T. Kemper Foundation was established in 1989, and its mission is to support the arts, education, civic improvements and health and human services throughout Missouri, Kansas and western Illinois.
Endowed Art Museum directorship
Sabine Eckmann, Ph.D., chief curator of the Kemper Museum, is the William T. Kemper Director.
Eckmann, who specializes in 20th- and 21st-century European art and visual culture, earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in art history from the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg and a doctorate in 1993 from the University of Köln.
Eckmann joined Washington University in 1999 as curator and was appointed director in 2005. Under her leadership, use of the university’s permanent collection of 19th-, 20th- and 21st-century European and American holdings has expanded considerably. In addition to the preservation and development of the university’s holdings, Eckmann and her staff provide art historical scholarship, education and exhibitions that inspire social and intellectual inquiry.
“The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is the interdisciplinary nexus for our school and a cultural center for the Danforth Campus,” said Carmon Colangelo, the E. Desmond Lee Professor for Collaboration in the Arts and dean of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
“The beautifully designed space is fitting for our outstanding collection and is the result in large measure of the extraordinary generosity of the Kemper family and the foundation,” Colangelo said. “I am grateful for their longtime commitment and this new endowment, which provides a significant opportunity to expand our exhibition programs and to recognize the successful leadership and dedication of Sabine Eckmann, director and chief curator of the museum.”
Hope Center support
A gift of $1.5 million will support the Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, and it will be counted toward a $10 million challenge established by the Danforth Foundation.
The Danforth Foundation Challenge and matching gifts will create an endowed fund named in honor of Donald Danforth Jr. This fund will generate new research that has the potential for improving both the diagnosis and treatment of patients with neurological disorders.
“The importance of this support cannot be overstated, as it arrives at a critical period in brain and nervous system advances,” said Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.
“Through collaborations to create the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, the School of Medicine has in place a unique interdisciplinary group of researchers and scientists,” Shapiro said. “They are poised on the brink of major discoveries that will lead to new treatments and reduce suffering.”
The Hope Center for Neurological Disorders was established in 2004 in partnership with Hope Happens, an organization devoted to ensuring financial support for the Hope Center. The center brings together more than 500 world-class scientists in a collaborative environment with the goal of translating basic scientific discoveries into treatments for diseases such as ALS, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, Huntington’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
Its approach is based on the belief that many neurological disorders share common underlying causes. Fundamental discoveries related to one disease can rapidly lead to treatments in others, thus accelerating the journey from discovery to therapy to cure.
“These gifts empower our talented investigators, allow them to build upon the strides they have already made, and accelerate the research process,” said Mark P. Goldberg, M.D., director of the Hope Center, professor of neurology, and of anatomy and neurobiology in the School of Medicine, and professor of biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science.
Said Wrighton: “The William T. Kemper Foundation shares our belief that, through education and research, Washington University has the potential to make the world a better place. In partnering with us, its board of directors helps give us the tools we need to reach that goal.
“Together, we will bring reality to our plans and aspirations.”