CANTON — St. Lawrence University alumna Sarah Johnson and her parents, Charles and Ann Johnson, have donated a $25 million “unrestricted gift” to the school. The donation represents the “largest gift in the university’s 161-year history,” St. Lawrence said in a news release issued May 20. Sarah Johnson, who graduated from St. Lawrence in 1982, […]
CANTON — St. Lawrence University alumna Sarah Johnson and her parents, Charles and Ann Johnson, have donated a $25 million “unrestricted gift” to the school.
The donation represents the “largest gift in the university’s 161-year history,” St. Lawrence said in a news release issued May 20.
Sarah Johnson, who graduated from St. Lawrence in 1982, is a member of the university’s board of trustees and co-chair of the university’s upcoming fundraising campaign. She is also a film producer.
She had previously provided $10 million for the school’s Johnson Hall of Science. That gift had been the school’s largest donation until now.
Dedicated in October 2007, the school says it was the first LEED gold-certified science building in New York. LEED is short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
The St. Lawrence release described the Johnson family as “leading American philanthropists in arts and education.”
“This extraordinary vote of confidence is a life-altering gift for St. Lawrence in its proportions and intentions and will allow the university to fund myriad priorities in people and programs,” William Fox, president of St. Lawrence University, said in the release. “The Johnsons believe in what makes this place so special, and their exceptionally generous giving helps advance St. Lawrence for today’s students and the generations to come.”
Charles Johnson is the retired chairman and president of Franklin Resources/Franklin Templeton Investments. Ann Johnson is a retired psychiatrist.
Enrollment gains
St. Lawrence also separately announced that it has exceeded its enrollment targets for the incoming Class of 2021 this fall.
“Although the total number of students who matriculate will not be final until the institutional census in September, enrollment is expected to be one of the institution’s largest class sizes in recent history,” the university said in a May 23 news release. More than 720 students made a deposit to ensure their spot in the incoming class, a record for the university and nearly five percent above its target.
Founded in 1856, St. Lawrence University is a private, independent liberal-arts institution of about 2,500 students located in Canton.
