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Farewell to Philip Merrill
The dedication reads, "To Philip Merrill, Enlightened Philanthropist." The book? ACTA's Intelligent Donor's Guide to College Giving.
Philip Merrill was a man of passions--and one of his passions was higher education. He had gone to Cornell and he was grateful for an education that prepared him both to make a living and to lead a life. In the succeeding years, he acknowledged that debt--as both a Cornell trustee and donor.
That's why in 1995, Phil signed on to ACTA's National Council, a group of distinguished individuals from around the country--including David Riesman, Lynne Cheney, Joseph Lieberman and Martin Peretz--who, like Phil, cared deeply about academic freedom, academic quality and accountability.
And that's why ACTA was also important to Phil. Both shared an undying affection for higher education, but both believed that informed input and scrutiny from the outside were important if American higher education were to remain the finest in the world. When others were focusing on access, diversity, and matters far from the heart of liberal education, Phil--and ACTA--were focusing on the need for a strong liberal arts education and ways to promote educational excellence, not mediocrity or political agendas.
With that in mind, Phil was a leader behind ACTA's Donors' Working Group, a group of higher education philanthropists who convened--in the wake of the failed Bass gift to Yale--to plan ways donors might have a greater beneficial influence on their colleges and universities. Because of that effort, ACTA published The Intelligent Donor's Guide--a guide dedicated to and supported by Phil--who believed, as he said in the book, that the "donor who just gives money and walks away is unlikely to achieve the best results."
Over the years, Phil was generous in terms of time and opinions. In thanks for that generosity, ACTA was indeed pleased last year to award a national prize dedicated to liberal arts education and to Phil, the inaugural Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts in Education.
The only award of its kind, the Merrill prize honors individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the advancement of liberal arts education, core curricula, and the teaching of Western civilization and American history--topics about which Phil felt passionately. It offers a unique tribute to those dedicated to the transmission of the great ideas and central values of our civilization and is presented to inspire others and provide public acknowledgment of the value of their endeavor.
While Phil is gone, the award remains--testimony to a distinguished public servant, publisher, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who tirelessly supported and affirmed the importance of academic excellence and a common core of learning in a free society.
We will forever be grateful for Phil's enlightened philanthropy.
Anne D. Neal, President
Posted by aneal at June 20, 2006 10:11 AM
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