President Wallerstein remarks
Bernard Baruch Dinner
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Cipriani 25 Broadway
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Welcome
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It is my pleasure to welcome you, and our honorees
and special guests, to the 27th annual Bernard Baruch Dinner. Among our special guests
this evening are CUNY Chancellor James B. Milliken, and his wife, Nana. Chancellor, may I
ask that you stand and be recognized? Thank you.
Tonight, we are pleased to gather for the first time in the landmark Cunard Building. Nearly
a century ago, this historic space was a grand ticketing hall devoted to maritime trade and
international travel. The frescoes around us invoke the spirit of global commerce, limitless
opportunity, and the forward momentum of civilization.
These same attributes apply to Baruch College today. Evidence of our forward momentum
is summarized on the posters that are situated around the room and the digital display above
me. These list our continuously improving national and regional rankings and honors, as well
as some facts regarding our increasingly competitive and high-achieving student body.
Baruch is also moving toward becoming an international campus—and not just because of our
uniquely diverse student population that includes representatives of more than 160
nationalities who speak 130 languages. As the world becomes increasingly globalized, it is
our goal to build on our intrinsic diversity in order to become more international and
inclusive.
• We have a growing number of students participating in study abroad and cultural
exchanges in places as diverse as Cuba, Germany, Great Britain, and Turkey. And I
have set an aspirational goal to have 15% of our students benefit from some sort of
international experience at some point during their undergraduate years.
• We are also seeking to increase the number of foreign students studying at Baruch.
As an example, we are currently in the final stages of completing an agreement with
the Southwest University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, China that will
bring 80 undergraduates a year to study at Baruch.
• More of our students are applying for—and winning—prestigious awards, such as
Fulbright, Gilman, Congress-Bundestag, and the federally-funded Critical Language
Scholarship.
• And the same is true of our distinguished faculty: They are leading cultural programs
and conducting research the world over, and they are receiving accolades and awards
from world-renowned entities such as Fulbright, the National Endowment for the
Humanities, and National Geographic.
• Our alumni network also spans the globe, with Baruchians in such varied places as
Sao Paolo, London, Istanbul, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Hong Kong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
And just as importantly, we are cultivating a greater sense of internationalism for all students
here at home.
• Next week, for example, we are bringing the international experience to campus by
hosting “China at Baruch,” a special event celebrating the College’s relationship with
China, as well as Chinese culture and our students and alumni of Chinese descent.
• Our Strategic Plan calls for the development of an international student center to
foster relationships and cultural exchange among students from every ethnic and
national background.
• We encourage student organizations, such as Hillel, to promote the values of
pluralism while fostering Jewish education and awareness.
• And we are expanding internships and experiential learning programs with the global
companies and organizations that are in New York City—our own back yard.
In this vein, tonight we will recognize two honorees who have made tremendous
contributions to New York City, and whose lives exemplify the ethos of community, cultural
understanding, and broad-mindedness that we are promoting across the College.
• Ronald Perelman is one of New York’s most renowned and successful business and
philanthropic leaders, and we are delighted to welcome and recognize him tonight.
• We are also excited to celebrate one of Baruch’s most important families, our own
Sandra and Bert Wasserman, who are among the most steadfast and significant
benefactors of the College. I will have the pleasure of speaking more about the
contributions of Sandy, Bert, and the Wasserman family later in the evening.
***
Introduce Charlie Rose
Now, it is my great pleasure to introduce a very special guest and tonight’s special host,
Charlie Rose.
• As anchor and executive editor of Charlie Rose and Charlie Rose: The Week; co-anchor
of CBS This Morning, and a regular contributor to 60 Minutes, Charlie Rose is a face, a
voice, and an intellectual force we all recognize.
• Over the past three decades, Mr. Rose has brought numerous preeminent leaders and
luminaries into our homes and lives: President Obama and First Lady Michele
Obama. Noam Chomsky. Steve Jobs. Vladmir Putin. Warren Buffet. Bashar al-Assad,
and many, many more.
• It is truly our honor to have Charlie Rose with us tonight. Please join me in
welcoming him to the stage.
[Lead applause. Take a seat on stage]
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Rose speaks; introduces Max Berger
Berger speaks; introduces Jay Berman
Jay Berman kicks off the scholarship campaign
Rose returns; introduces Barry Schwartz.
Schwartz introduces Perelman
Perelman speaks.
***
Congratulations and commence dinner
On behalf of Baruch College, I would again like to congratulate Ronald Perelman on this
well-deserved honor—the Bernard Baruch Award for Business and Civic Leadership. I also
want to thank Charlie Rose, Barry Schwartz, and the president of the Baruch College Fund,
Max Berger, for participating tonight.
I will return after dinner to present the William and Anita Newman Medal for Philanthropy.
But for now, please enjoy your meal and good conversation around your tables.
***
Newman Medal remarks
You have heard a lot tonight about how incredible Baruch is, as illustrated by our annually
improving academic standards and growing student achievement, our successful job
placements, and our alumni body’s long-term success in the world.
• We need to keep this forward momentum going, because today we are competing
with SUNY, NYU, Columbia, and many other colleges and universities outside of
New York for well-qualified students from the City.
• Even though our tuition is low—$6,330 per year—it is still out of reach for many of
our students—more than half of whom come from households with family income
of less than $30,000 per year. That is why scholarships and our scholarship campaign
announced earlier this evening are so vitally important.
• Just like the big state schools and private universities, we need an expanding portfolio
of scholarships to attract and retain the most competitive and deserving students—
those who will someday, enrich the social, economic and cultural fabric of New York
City and the world.
[Slideshow of Wasserman photos begins on the digital display]
Few people understand—and demonstrate—the importance of giving back like Sandy
Wasserman and her wonderful family, several generations of whom are with us this evening.
As many of you know, Sandy and her late husband Bert met at Baruch more than six decades
ago, and in the ensuing years they became tireless volunteers, model philanthropists, and
among the most passionate supporters of Baruch’s deserving students.
In fact, foreshadowing the theme of this very evening, the first major gift that Sandy and
Bert made to Baruch was a scholarship, in both of their names, for graduate students
majoring in accountancy.
That gift sparked a lifetime of Wasserman family philanthropy at the College. Bert and Sandy
went on to fund:
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The Bert W. and Sandra K. Wasserman Trading Floor,
The Bert W. Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance,
And most recently, the Sandra Kahn Wasserman Jewish Studies Center.
As of tonight, the contributions of the Wasserman family total $9.6 million.
The Wasserman’s also have been most generous with their time, expertise, and collaborative
spirit.
• Bert was a founding member, and the former President, of the Baruch College Fund,
and he galvanized the inaugural fundraising campaigns whose results live on today.
• Sandy has likewise donated countless hours and immeasurable energy to the BCF
Development Committee, the College’s Hillel Board of Trustees, and the BCF Board.
While, regrettably, I never had the opportunity to get to know Bert Wasserman, I can say
without qualification that Sandy Wasserman is the heart and soul of Baruch.
• She understands our mission, having been a student herself at the College, and she is
attuned to the present-day needs of our students.
• When Sandy speaks in the BCF board meetings, everyone pays attention.
• So it is not in any way an over-statement to say that Baruch would not be the
extraordinary place that it is today without the generosity and commitment of the
Wasserman family!
So impressive is the history of Wasserman family philanthropy to Baruch that a very special
guest, and fellow Baruch philanthropic champion—Mr. Bill Newman—is here tonight to
help me present his namesake award, the William and Anita Newman Medal for
Philanthropy. Bill, will you please join me on the stage?
Sandy, for your continuing exemplary efforts and your visionary outlook, it is my great
honor to present you with the William and Anita Newman Medal for Philanthropy in
recognition of the totality of your and Bert’s many contributions to the College.
• Sandy speaks
***
Closing.
Thank you, Sandy. We appreciate everything you and Bert have done—and that you
continue to do—for Baruch students and for the Baruch College community.
What a wonderful evening this has been! Thank you all for your interest, for your
attendance, and for your generosity. Please don’t forget to turn in your scholarship donor
cards on the way out. And as you leave, please be sure to pick up the small token of our
appreciation that is waiting for you.
Thank you for coming, and please get home safely. Good evening.
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