$21 million gift to university from Arts and Sciences graduate Louise Strauss

The University of Pennsylvania has received a transformative $21 million alumni gift that will strengthen two of its most cherished institutions: the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and the Morris Arboretum & Gardens.

The donation marks one of the most significant commitments in recent years, reflecting both a devotion to scholarship and a love of nature that has long been part of Penn’s story.

At the heart of the gift is Arts and Sciences graduate Louise Strauss whose connection to Penn ran deep.

Friends and family describe her as a passionate believer in the power of ideas and a guardian of beauty, equally at home in the quiet stacks of a library or strolling through the winding paths of a garden.

Her Penn years shaped her life, instilling in her a conviction that universities are more than places of learning—they are custodians of tradition, incubators of new knowledge, and sanctuaries for reflection.

She gave with the same thoughtful elegance she brought to her personal life: quietly, with conviction, and always with an eye toward what would endure.

Part of the gift will help the Katz Center extend its reach as one of the world’s leading institutes for advanced Judaic studies.

Already renowned for hosting fellows from across the globe, the center will now have greater resources to support research that bridges centuries-old texts with urgent questions of identity, faith, and belonging in the modern era.

University leaders noted that this gift secures Penn’s role as a place where Jewish scholarship not only survives but thrives.

Another portion will nourish the Morris Arboretum, Penn’s 92-acre public garden and living laboratory.

A longtime admirer of its towering trees and quiet groves, the donor often described the Arboretum as a place where the natural world seemed to whisper its secrets.

The infusion of resources will preserve rare collections, expand conservation efforts, and enhance the visitor experience for the thousands who wander its paths each year.

For Penn, the gift is more than a matter of financial support; it is a reflection of values. It binds together two seemingly different realms—the meticulous study of Judaic tradition and the care of living landscapes—into a shared vision of continuity and renewal.

University President Liz Magill called the donation “an act of extraordinary generosity and foresight,” noting that it reflects Penn’s mission to protect the past while cultivating the future.

Those who speak of the donor do so with reverence, recalling someone who combined a fierce intellect with a deep appreciation for beauty, and who believed that a university should be both a center of learning and a place of wonder.

The gift ensures that her vision lives on, carried forward in the scholars who gather in the Katz Center’s reading rooms and the families who find solace under the Arboretum’s ancient oaks.