$200 million naming gift from philanthropists Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky will support university’s new public health school
Washington University in St. Louis has received a $200 million commitment from the Bursky Family Foundation, a landmark pledge that represents the largest gift in the university’s history and the latest chapter in Andrew and Jane Bursky’s long philanthropic relationship with their alma mater.
The gift will support the university’s new public health school, which opened in 2025 and will now carry the couple’s name as the Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky School of Public Health.
It is structured to fund the recruitment of top faculty, expand scholarships and fellowships for future public health leaders, and accelerate research focused on issues ranging from pandemics and chronic disease to the social and economic conditions that shape health outcomes.
For the Burskys, this is not a first major act of generosity but the culmination of decades of targeted giving to Washington University, particularly in science and medicine.
Earlier, the couple made a $10 million gift to establish the Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs at the School of Medicine, supporting research that harnesses the immune system to fight cancer, infectious diseases, and immune disorders.
They have also funded scholarships and other initiatives that reflect a longstanding interest in expanding educational access while backing high-impact research capable of changing patient care and public health practice.
Their philanthropy is deeply rooted in their own story with the institution. Andrew and Jane met as undergraduates at Washington University; he went on to earn degrees in economics and chemical engineering before building a career in private equity and investment, while she studied French and education.
Over time, Andrew has become one of the university’s key volunteer leaders, ultimately rising to chair of the Board of Trustees. That dual role—governance leader and principal benefactor—gives the couple a rare ability to align their giving with the institution’s long-term strategic priorities, particularly in health and medicine.
The $200 million gift positions the Burskys in the top ranks of higher education philanthropists whose names are attached not just to buildings or endowed chairs but to entire schools and cross-cutting research platforms.
By choosing public health as the focus of their largest commitment to date, they are effectively betting on an arena that sits at the intersection of science, policy, and social equity and one that came sharply into view during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their gift arrives at a moment when institutions are rethinking how to prepare leaders capable of confronting global health threats, misinformation, and structural inequities all at once.
It also underscores a distinctive pattern in the Burskys’ approach: rather than dispersing smaller gifts across many institutions, they have concentrated substantial resources in places they know well, backing initiatives where they can combine financial capital with strategic insight and governance influence.
With the naming of the Bursky School of Public Health and the earlier creation of the Bursky Center in immunology, their philanthropic footprint at Washington University now spans both population health and cutting-edge biomedical research.
As the Bursky Family Foundation continues to mature, this latest commitment sets a high watermark for their overall giving and firmly defines their legacy at the convergence of science, public health, and higher education.