(Photo Provided: Anita Zucker with College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu)

The College of Charleston has received a $2.5 million gift from the Zucker family.

To attract talented engineering students, $2 million will go to scholarships for the newly created School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics; and to foster a culture of philanthropy, $500,000 will go to the Zucker Family Challenge on CofC Day over the next five years.

College officials said the scholarships, with a preference to female and underrepresented minority candidates, will help recruit, inspire and prepare diverse talent from across the country who wish to combine a rigorous engineering education with a broad-based liberal arts curriculum, giving them a unique value proposition in the workforce.

“We are very interested in this area,” says Anita Zucker, who received an honorary degree from the College of Charleston in 2010. “My late husband, Jerry Zucker, was gifted at math and science. These skills made him the incredible person he was and built our businesses. Couple that with liberal arts, including the importance of communication and writing proficiency, and it completes the person.”

In addition to engineering scholarships, Zucker partnered with the university to create a $500,000 Zucker Family Challenge for the annual CofC Day events. 

College officials said that over the next five years the challenge will both motivate the college’s existing donor base and encourage new donors. 

During the 2024 CofC Day event, March 13 and 14, the Zucker Family Challenge awarded $100,000 to match the gifts of 2,000 donors.

Along with financial contributions, Zucker plays an active role at the college. She serves on the President’s Strategic Initiatives Committee, the School of Business Board of Governors and the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program Advisory Board.

“We have been so fortunate to have the Zucker family as part of our campus community over the past 30 years,” said College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu. 

Hsu added, “The Zuckers’ latest gift for engineering scholarships will help the college provide a pipeline of talent to our region’s growing high-tech, manufacturing and life sciences industries. We would not be where we are today without loyal donors like the Zuckers.”