The winner has been announced, so the award will not be up for grabs by the highest bidder. Pierre Omidyar (LA '89), the pioneer of online auctions and his wife Pam will receive the annual Light on the Hill award in recognition of their work in creating eBay and their philanthropic endeavors.
The couple will come to campus on Nov. 20 to receive the award and check the status of the University College of Citizenship and Public Service (UCCPS), which was created in part from their $10 million donation.
The award presentation will be the Omidyar's second visit to Tufts this year. They returned to their alma mater last April, when Pierre gave a speech to the UCCPS class entitled, "Leadership for Active Citizenship."
Since the success of eBay, the Omidyars have given much of their time and money to various charities and foundations. At Tufts, their gift helps fund the operating budget of the UCCPS and sponsor 21 "Omidyar scholars" - students who receive financial aid in return for their service as peer leaders. The Scholars work on campus to promote community service and also focus their energies on specific community-oriented projects.
Freshman Leslie Wang, an Omidyar Scholar, noted that program's goals are closely in line with the two philanthropists' vision of community activism. "Our goal of this process is to educate Tufts students and the Medford and Somerville communities about what active citizenship is and how it can affect people's lives," she said.
While the administration is thankful for the Omidyars' gift, officials say it had no impact on the decision to choose them as this year's Light on the Hill recipients. In fact, the decision was made before the two even made their donation, according to event organizer senior Moira Poe.
"They were offered the award in April and this is after we decided around December and January, which was before we knew about the gift," she said.
As last year's Tufts Community Union Senate vice president, Poe was responsible for leading the award search process and planning the ceremony. Poe, with the input of various students and administrators, chose the Omidyars in recognition of their business success and altruism.
"It seems very fitting that they were Tufts grads and they developed eBay, which is one of the most visited websites on campus," she said, adding, "Their dedication to service and citizenship is great.... It just seemed like a nice combination."
Wang agreed that the Omidyars' charity work makes them ideal choices for the award. "I think they're doing a very different thing. They're not trying to earn more capital. Instead, they're using the money they've gotten to invest into the community, trying to get more people involved with the community. That's what eBay is, a large online community and they're trying to implement that into society," she said.
Pierre Omidyar began his Internet auction site when wife Pam, a Pez dispenser collector with a master's degree in molecular engineering, was trying to find a way to communicate with fellow Pez enthusiasts. The concept eventually developed into a website where Pez dispensers, among other merchandise, could be bought and sold auction-style.
The company, which opened with six employees in 1993, now employs well over 1,000 people, and continues to expand into foreign markets.
The Light on the Hill award was established seven years ago to honor Tufts alumni who have excelled after graduation. Past recipients include actor Hank Azaria, Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson, New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzburger Jr., and NASA astronaut Rick Hauck.
