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In Memoriam: Vartan Gregorian
In Memoriam: Vartan Gregorian, 1934–2021
The Trustees and staff of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars are deeply saddened by the passing of Vartan Gregorian. An extraordinary innovator in American education and philanthropy throughout his long and distinguished career, Vartan was a champion for higher education, for the humanities, and for American democracy. For nearly the past quarter-century, he provided bold, far-seeing, dynamic leadership for the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which has supported the work of our organization in so many ways since 1949, during the days of the earliest Woodrow Wilson Fellowships. Most recently, Vartan had helped to provide and secure support for the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships and for Citizens & Scholars’ work on American history education. For citizens and scholars throughout our nation, he was a thought partner, a leader, and an inspiration.
Vartan Gregorian was and will remain one of the major figures in the United States’ intellectual and civic life during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and we are deeply grateful for his lifelong commitment to learning and to civil society. On behalf of all our colleagues, we send our heartfelt condolences to Vartan’s family and to his colleagues at the Carnegie Corporation.
In sympathy,
Jane Phillips Donaldson, Chair, Board of Trustees
Rajiv Vinnakota, President