$25 million naming gift for new arts centre from principled donor Dan Benton

After the October 7 terror attacks, some big Jewish benefactors have delayed or withdrawn their donations from colleges they believe are not responding adequately to campus antisemitism.
However, successful tech investor, trustee and alumnus Dan Benton overturned that narrative at an unexpected Colgate University rebranding ceremony.
Benton donated $25 million for a lavish new Center for Arts, Creativity, and Innovation, called the Benton Center.
The center will open as Bernstein Hall in September.
Benton wanted to honor his family. Bernstein was his family name until his grandfather changed it in the 1940s to prevent antisemitism.
But Benton wanted to say something. Benton claimed he “wanted to stand in contrast to that” as Jewish donors criticized their alma maters.
He saw it as “an opportunity for Colgate to look different and act different,” showcasing Jewish philanthropy and representation at a 205-year-old liberal arts college.
Benton observed Jewish philanthropists’ names on significant buildings during his daughter’s visit of nearby campuses last year.
The campus-edge Saperstein Jewish Center was Colgate’s only Jewish-named building. Bernstein Hall is one of Colgate’s first buildings students and tourists notice in rural Hamilton, N.Y.
He adds “It is impossible for them to overlook it.”
In a year when the terrible Israeli-Palestinian issue has heightened tensions on many American campuses, a single donor altering the name of a little liberal arts building may seem little.
Many American Jews and others near those universities have been emotionally impacted by colleges’ responses to the war and protests, forcing them to reflect on their identities, experiences, and place in their communities.
Benton called Bernstein Hall’s renaming a “personal journey” during the renaming event.