October has shaped up to be a very good month for higher education philanthropy. This past week, Villanova University and the University of Washington have received private gifts of $40 million and $45 million, respectively, adding to a lengthy list of historic donations given to colleges and universities this month.

Villanova University

Villanova University received a gift of $40 million from an anonymous donor as part of Espiritus Nova: The Campaign for Villanova University, which was launched on October 5. The donation is the second largest individual gift in Villanova’s history and helps kick off its new capital campaign, which has a fundraising goal of $1.25 billion.

“This generous gift will strengthen our ability to advance Villanova’s educational mission and play a part in achieving our bold plans for the Villanova community set out in our Strategic Plan, Rooted. Restless.,” said University President Peter M. Donohue, in a news release. “I could not be more grateful for the continued belief and investment in the Villanova experience.”

The gift will be used to support the president’s strategic initiative fund, through which the president of the university can direct funding for priorities that include new academic programs, capital improvements and enhancements to student support.

University of Washington

At the University of Washington, a $45 million bequest from the estate of Stan and Alta Barer was received by the UW School of Law. The gift, described by the university as one of the largest bequests in its history, will be used to expand the Barer Institute for Leadership in Law & Global Development, which the couple helped establish originally as the Barer Institute for Law & Global Human Services with a donation of $4 million in 2008.

The gift will be used to support several priorities, including recruitment of additional international fellows, addition of more scholarships for students, creation of an endowed faculty chair to lead the institute, and enhancement of the institute’s global impact.

According to the university, the gift will allow the Barer Institute “to expand its work with mid-career attorneys from developing countries, enabling them to come to Washington state and then return to their homes to improve health outcomes, advocate for law and justice, boost education and spur economic development.”

“We are honored to extend Stan and Alta’s inspiring legacy of global leadership development with the help of this transformative investment,” said UW President Ana Mari Cauce, in a news release. “The work of the Barer Institute to cultivate talented mid-career attorneys for the benefit of their home countries and the world is one of our law school’s most innovative and effective programs, and we are delighted to be able to expand its reach.”

Stanley H. Barer was a University of Washington alum, earning both his undergraduate and law degree there. A well-recognized attorney nationally, he helped write the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

He served as a UW regent from 2004 to 2012 and was also a member of the university’s foundation board. Barer was given the 2021 Gates Volunteer Service Award, the university’s highest honor for volunteer service, prior to his passing in 2021. His wife, Alta, who preceded him in death in 2019, was also active in advocating and fundraising for the university.