Students of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine erupted in enthusiasm and shock upon learning school will be completely tuition-free. Dr. Ruth L. Gottesman, 93, made the announcement to a student-filled auditorium at the Bronx college.
“I’m happy to share with you that starting in August this year, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine will be tuition-free,” Dr. Gottesman said as she stood at a podium.
The former Albert Eistein College professor and Chair of the Einstein Board of Trustees donated $1 billion to the med school, reportedly one of the largest donations ever made to an academic institution and to any medical school within the United States. The estate of her late husband, David Sandy Gottesman, a Wall Street investor who benefited from early investments in Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, enabled her to make the huge donation.
Dr. Gottesman continued, “I am very thankful to my late husband, Sandy, for leaving these funds in my care, and l feel blessed to be given the great privilege of making this gift to such a worthy cause.”
Watch The Reaction To The Announcement
Dr. Gottesman began her tenure at the college in 1968. Her focus was on learning disabilities in children as part of the Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) at the school. In her role, she developed screening and evaluation methods, along with the Adult Literacy Program at the center.
“Ruth Gottesman’s extraordinary and unprecedented gift gives new meaning to selfless determination and transformational philanthropy,” said Dan Tishman, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Montefiore Einstein. “She will have the lasting gratitude of all who choose to train and learn here.”
Tuition will be reimbursed for fourth-year students enrolled in the Spring 2024 semester. All other students who are enrolled after the semester will be able to go to the school tuition-free, which will be implemented in perpetuity.
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“This donation radically revolutionizes our ability to continue attracting students who are committed to our mission, not just those who can afford it,” said Dr. Yaron Tomer, Dean of Marilyn and Stanley Katz at the college. “It will free up and lift our students, enabling them to pursue projects and ideas that might otherwise be prohibitive. We will be reminded of the legacy this historic gift represents each spring as we send another diverse class of physicians out across the Bronx and around the world to provide compassionate care and transform their communities.”
