Kathwaris Donates $1 Million for University Honors Program

March 6, 2015  by in Community / Charitable Support, Industry   

Intended for the college’s Honors Program, the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities Board of Regents for Higher Education has approved renaming the program the Kathwari Honors Program.

“The Kathwari family and Western’s Honors Program are a perfect match,” said WCSU President James W. Schmotter. “Both epitomize dedication to excellence, recognition of the value of hard work, and commitment to making the world a better place. Farooq and Farida Kathwari’s generous gift not only honors their son Irfan’s memory; it also establishes a permanent foundation for educational experiences that will shape the lives of our Honors students.”

Kathwari said he decided to support WCSU with this gift in part because Ethan Allen has been involved with the university ever since Nathan Ancell moved the company headquarters to Danbury, Conn., in 1972. The Ancell School of Business is named for the former Ethan Allen CEO.

“Western has been part of our environment here,” said Kathwari, a member of the WCSU Foundation Board of Directors. “I appreciate Western because it focuses on students who are not necessarily coming from well-to-do families. They are serious and they attend Western to make a good career for themselves. Helping them, to me, is important. It is to help well-deserving students.

Kathwari’s first gift to the university in the 1990s was created to help students who intended to teach in inner-city schools. He praised the Honors Program, which serves more than 200 high-performing students with extra instruction and service opportunities. With this gift, the program is expected to grow to 500 students.

“The Honors Program is very important,” Kathwari said. “They are students who perform well and perhaps can use the extra help to further their education and careers. I believe these students will make a difference.”

The Kathwaris’ gift will support student scholarships and expansion of the Kathwari Honors Program. The building that will house the program, formerly Alumni Hall, will be named the Irfan Kathwari Honors House, in memory of the Kathwaris’ son. Alumni functions, along with development, communications and related departments, will be relocated to another building on campus.

A celebration of the gift and a building dedication is planned for the spring.