Steven A. Kersten and Priscilla Kersten have pledged $25 million to the University of Chicago's Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice’s Urban Education Institute. This donation will expand the institute's research, training, and cross-disciplinary collaborations aimed at improving schools and student outcomes. As a result, the institute has been renamed the Kersten Institute for Urban Education.
The Urban Education Institute has historically focused on enhancing urban schooling through research and innovative tools. The Kerstens' contribution builds on this foundation by fostering partnerships to improve academic outcomes from prekindergarten through college. The gift aims to attract top talent, develop educational leaders, and test interdisciplinary innovations.
President Paul Alivisatos remarked, “This marvelous and inspiring gift will support faculty and doctoral students to discover and demonstrate more effective approaches to education.”
The Kerstens have supported UChicago for years, with Steven serving as a Trustee since 2006 and Priscilla involved in various advisory roles. Their new gift is expected to further impact K–12 education by funding research initiatives and supporting faculty excellence.
The donation will also create three new endowed faculty chairs at the Crown Family School. These funds will be matched by a previous gift from Amy Wallman and Trustee Richard Wallman, who initiated a fundraising challenge in 2023. Steven Kersten noted, “It was such a wonderful opportunity for us to be able to meet the Wallmans’ fundraising challenge.”
In addition to securing exceptional faculty for educational research, the Kersten Institute will support doctoral students who are future leaders in education scholarship. This aligns with the Crown Family School's history of preparing scholars since establishing its Ph.D. program in social work in 1920.
The gift highlights the link between mental health and academic success by providing scholarships for school social workers who can address students' mental health needs.
A cross-disciplinary incubator fund will also be established to support innovative strategies that enhance schools across all grade levels. Deborah Gorman-Smith, dean of the Crown Family School, stated that this approach involves "research, innovation, and experts committed to long-lasting improvement in schools."
Priscilla Kersten emphasized their commitment: “Education opens up the world of possibility...all children should have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.” Steven Kersten added that investing in the institute underscores both "the scale of the challenge" it addresses and their belief in its potential impact at UChicago.