Harcum College has received an extraordinary $40 million gift from the estate of Louise Strauss, a devoted former trustee (2009-2024).
This historic donation marks the largest single gift in the College’s history. It will have a transformative impact on generations of students to come — particularly those from underserved communities — which has been a cornerstone of Harcum’s mission for over 110 years.
The funds will significantly expand scholarship opportunities for Harcum students, the majority of whom are first-generation and low-income individuals seeking to improve their career prospects. During Strauss’s lifetime, she established two endowed scholarship funds in memory of her parents, Hilary Strauss and Ione A. Strauss. The new gift allows Harcum to expand our scholarship program through a third fund called the Strauss Family Fund. In addition to scholarships, the Strauss Family Fund will help chart the College’s capital improvement projects.
In 2023, just 1.5 percent of the $58 billion in higher education philanthropy went to community and non-four-year colleges. This gift alone represents nearly 5 percent of that national total, highlighting both the generosity of the Strauss estate and the critical need for investment in institutions that drive opportunity and equity.
“Louise Strauss touched countless lives through her service to Harcum,” said David Jacobson, Chair of the Board of Trustees. Following in her father’s footsteps, she became a trustee in 2009, holding numerous leadership positions on the board, including longtime chair of the Development and Alumni Relations Committee. “Louise was an integral member of our board, and I am grateful for the enduring legacy she and the Strauss family have created at Harcum.”
Strauss also volunteered at the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center, the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, and the Kislak Center at the Van Pelt Library of the University of Pennsylvania, also named as a beneficiary of her estate. “Strauss will be remembered as kind, giving, and devoted to service and Harcum College,” said Dr. Jon Jay DeTemple, President, Harcum College. “Her extraordinary gift ensures that her spirit of giving and dedication to educational access will continue to inspire and uplift.”
Learn more at Harcum College. Founded in 1915 as the first college in Pennsylvania authorized to grant associate degrees, Harcum College is a private, residential institution located in Bryn Mawr, a suburb of Philadelphia.
