Brandeis Alumni, Family and Friends

Celebrating the past by paying it forward

November 9, 2025

Alumni celebrating reunions raise more than $10.5 million for Brandeis

Three alumni from the class of 1990 hold champagne glasses in toast

Brandeis alumni often found their closest friends, their spouses, and their career passions during their time on campus. They also learned to think critically, challenge assumptions, and engage deeply with the world around them.

Class reunions – held every five years during Alumni Weekend on campus – offer alumni a chance to reflect on these shared experiences and reconnect with the university that helped shape their lives. More than just nostalgic gatherings, these reunions celebrate enduring friendships, transformative learning, and the lasting impact of a Brandeis education.

Many alumni also view reunions as a time to give back to Brandeis out of gratitude. This year, alumni in reunion classes came together to raise more than $10.5 million in support of scholarships, internships, visiting lecturers, and more. Their generosity helps ensure Brandeis continues to offer a world-class education while expanding access to students with financial need. Just as importantly, their support helps ensure current and future students can create meaningful memories of their own.

Here is a sampling of reunion gifts:
  • The Class of 1970 couldn’t gather on campus for its 50th reunion due to the pandemic, but members marked the milestone by establishing a class scholarship. Now celebrating their 55th reunion, class members have doubled down on their support of the fund, with more than 100 alumni contributing nearly $270,000 to the scholarship. 

  • Members of the Class of 1990 joined together to endow a new fund to support student internships in honor of their 35th reunion. Led by Andy Zeitlin ’90, P’22 and Mark Tanchel ’90, they raised $135,000 to provide stipends for students pursuing unpaid internships that align with their career goals.

  • Talk about setting the bar high! To celebrate its 50th reunion, the Class of 1975 committed a collective $5 million, the most from any one class this reunion year. Nearly a quarter of the class made gifts – many supporting the Brandeis Fund, which gives the university flexibility to address its areas of greatest need.

  • Several members of the Class of 1960 made generous gifts in honor of their 65th reunion. Joyce Ship Zaritsky ’60 created a new scholarship for students in need of financial aid. Leonard Carapezza ’60 and his wife Nancy established a new journalism lectureship that will bring a different distinguished lecturer to campus each year. And Dr. Milton B., and Joan M. Wallack (both ’60, P ’86) established a new undergraduate research fellowship that will support students who are studying in the Health: Science, Society and Policy Program, doing research in health and social policy, and show a desire to make a positive difference in public policy.