Leader in philanthropy to retire as trustee chair

After almost 20 years of service on the Board of Trustees, including seven years as chairman, Nathan Gantcher (LA '62) will retire at the end of the current academic year. Gantcher is credited with creating an atmosphere of generosity and philanthropy toward the University replacing the more parsimonious spirit that had previously existed.

Gantcher was "a tremendous chairman," said University Professor Sol Gittleman, who has worked with Gantcher for many years. In recent history, the trustees of the University tended to shirk their philanthropic responsibilities, Gittleman said. "In the last 25 years, thank God it's changed ... Of all the last three chairs, Gantcher was the most philanthropic, and the most willing to step up to the plate."

The legacy that Gantcher leaves at Tufts is a new understanding of the Board's responsibility to the University, Gittleman said. "My deepest hope is that this sense of real philanthropy is permanently embedded in our Board of Trustees."

Gantcher has served on the Board of Trustees since 1983 and has acted as chairman since 1995. He had planned to leave at the end of the previous academic year, but agreed to stay during the transition when Tufts was gaining a new president, Larry Bacow, and losing a provost, Gittleman.

The process of choosing the next chairman of the Board of Trustees is in its initial stages. The committee on trusteeship, which governs the Board's operations, has begun to seek out qualified candidates. Trustees work with President Larry Bacow to identify the needs of the Tufts community and to form an agenda.

The process is more "comprehensive" than when he became chair, Gantcher said.

Excluding trustees emeriti, there are currently over 30 members of the Board of Trustees. The entire Board meets three times per year, but its committees meet more frequently.

One of Gantcher's primary contributions as chairman was his participation in the past three capital campaigns. The most recent campaign, titled "Tufts Tomorrow," raised $609 million and was co-chaired by Gantcher. The Board of Trustees and the Board of Overseers contributed a large proportion of that $609 million, Gantcher said.

Over the past few decades, Tufts' endowment has grown concurrently with its status in the greater academic community, the caliber of its students and faculty, and the quality of education that it offers.

"I've been lucky enough to witness in the last 19 years a tremendous growth," Gantcher said. "I think I've seen a school which has grown in almost every way." Gantcher credits most of the University's growth to the dynamic leadership of Tufts' presidents.

The first major gift that Gantcher made to the University was a chair in Judaic Studies. Sol Gittleman, who was recently honored with the title of University Professor, continues to hold the Alice and Nathan Gantcher chair.

Gantcher's most visible gift to the University was funds for the Gantcher Family Sports and Convocation Center. The $9 million, 70,000 square-foot Gantcher Center was completed in Nov. 1999. The center's facilities include a 200-meter track, four tennis courts, and enough space to accommodate up to 6,000 people for events.

Tufts was seeking funds for the new athletics center at the same time Gantcher was seeking to make a major gift, he said. At first he resisted because "Athletics were not my priority," Gantcher said. "[But] my family and I decided to answer the need of the school rather than [what] we particularly needed."

"[He] is just a very generous, very giving guy," Gittleman said. "Every gift that Nathan Gantcher gave was a defining gift."

Gantcher was also responsible for connecting the Lunder family to the University. As a result, members of the Tufts community can now make use of the exercise equipment in the Lunder Fitness Center. Students have also benefited from Gantcher's generosity through his gifts to Hillel, the library, and financial aid funds.

After completing his final year as chairman, Gantcher will continue to serve on the board of the Columbia University business school and remain involved with a number of organizations in New York City. He is a trustee of the Anti-Defamation League Foundation and the director of the Jewish Communal Fund.

"I think I'll keep busy from a philanthropic point of view," Gantcher said, adding, "I hope to continue to be involved in Tufts."

Aside from his tenure as chairman, Gantcher has also served on the investment committee and committees on trusteeship and compensation. The first chairman ever based outside of Boston, he worked from his home in New York. Working remotely is easy, he said, "as long as one is willing to travel and to do things by video and conference calls."

Gantcher's most recent position in the business world was as president and chief executive officer of Alpha Investment Management. He continues to act as an adviser for the firm. Previously, Gantcher worked with CIBC World Markets Corp. and Oppenheimer and Company, Inc.

Gantcher currently resides in Scarsdale, New York and New York City with his wife Alice. They have three grown children