Baruch College Celebrates 50th
Anniversary of Bernard Baruch Gift

College Inaugurates the Baruch Medal at New Annual Dinner

BARUCH COLLEGE, NEW YORK, NY (5/7/03)—Baruch College celebrates the 50th anniversary of the major donation that gave the college its name and inaugurates a new annual award and dinner in the name of its chief benefactor, at the Bernard Baruch Dinner at the Plaza Hotel on May 7, 2003.

Financier and civic leader Bernard Baruch, who graduated from the City College of New York in 1889, was a self-made millionaire born of immigrant parents. He went on to become an advisor to six presidents, and held various positions in government, including head of the board that controlled wartime rationing during World War II. In 1953, in order to acknowledge his debt to the City University and to assist those students who, he believed, were crucial to keeping alive the spirit of the American Dream, he gave a donation to support public business education.

The business school of City College, then known “City College Downtown” because of its location in the Flatiron District, was renamed Baruch College in his honor. It became independent of City College in 1968 and is now the most competitive senior college in the CUNY system, with more than 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students in business, arts and science, and public affairs. The Zicklin Scholl of Business at Baruch College, which enrolls more than 12,000 of those students, is the largest business school in the nation.

At the Plaza Hotel gala, over 500 attendees recognize an alumnus of the College, a corporation, and a business leader for their contributions and leadership in support of business and community.

This year’s honorees:

Michael I. Roth (’67), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The MONY Group Inc., is the recipient of this year’s Baruch College Distinguished Alumnus Award. A certified public accountant, Roth holds both an L.L.M. degree from New York University and a J.D. from Boston University Law School. He serves on advisory committees for various civic organizations, including Lincoln Center for Performing Arts and the United Way of the Tri-State Board of Governors. He is also a board member of the Twin Towers Fund, a group that provides aid and services to families of rescue workers who lost their lives during the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001.

Ernst & Young receives the 2003 Corporate Leadership Award. The company is represented by James Turley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. E&Y is a leading professional services and financial reporting firm. Its 110,000-strong workforce in more than 135 countries exemplifies the company’s commitment to globalization and international synergy. Turley was named chairman in 2001, after previously serving as global vice chairman, Metropolitan New York Area managing partner, Upper Midwest managing partner, and area director of entrepreneurial services.

Sanford I. Weill, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Citigroup Inc., receives the Baruch Medal for Business and Civic Leadership. The award underscores Mr. Weill’s work as a longtime benefactor of public education in New York City and across the country. As Chairman of the National Academy Foundation, he has guided the group's efforts to improve the standard of finance education at the high school through its 394 academies throughout the nation. He is the recipient of numerous public service awards, including the 1997 New York State Governor's Art Award, and serves on advisory boards for various universities, hospitals and cultural institutions. Mr. Weill and his wife, Joan, have two children and four grandchildren.

For further information, contact:

Vince Passaro
Director of Public Relations
Baruch College
212.802.2916
vince_passaro@baruch.cuny.edu