Barbara Walters donates $15M to Sarah Lawrence College

BRONXVILLE, N.Y., Feb. 26 (UPI) -- New York's Sarah Lawrence College said Thursday prominent alumna Barbara Walters has donated $15 million to establish The Barbara Walters Campus Center.

The building will be located on the college's Westchester County campus and will feature "adaptable social and academic spaces, a venue suitable for large public and campus events, lounges, dining facilities, the college's radio station, a media innovation lab, areas for career services, student clubs, activities and collaborative work," a news release said. It also will permanently house the Barbara Walters Archives.

The 85-year-old broadcast journalist's donation represents the largest single donation in the college's 89-year history and comes as the college prepares to enter the public phase of a capital campaign.

"The Barbara Walters Campus Center will stand as a tribute to Barbara Walters and her belief in the power of a Sarah Lawrence education," President Karen R. Lawrence said in making the announcement. "This remarkable woman has changed the face of broadcast news by establishing her unique genre of the investigative, long-form interview. She is a powerful role model for our students, and we deeply appreciate her generosity, her vision, and her many contributions to the college. This transformative gift will enable us to create a powerful magnet on campus -- gathering spaces large and small -- in which community will flourish at Sarah Lawrence College."

"When I donated my archives to Sarah Lawrence last year, I told the graduating class at commencement that at Sarah Lawrence I learned to ask questions," said Walters. "I attribute my success, in many ways, to the curiosity and confidence I came away with from this remarkable college. Today I am pleased to be able to make The Barbara Walters Campus Center a reality for future generations of Sarah Lawrence students."