It was Maimonides who developed a hierarchy of giving. To Maimonides, the second highest form of giving came from giving anonymously to unknown recipients. The highest form came from giving the gift of self-reliance. The anonymous donor(s) that has now showered close to $70 million on college campuses across America seems be adhering to both of these beliefs of Maimonides. In case you missed it, here is a summary of the mystery donor's recent activities, from the Associated Press:
"The gifts, ranging from $1 million to perhaps $10 million, and totaling
up to $68.5 million so far, have arrived over the past seven weeks in
similarly secretive fashion at colleges around the country, including
Purdue in Indiana, Montclair State in New Jersey, and the University of
Southern Mississippi. All were contacted by a law firm or other
intermediary and given a highly unusual condition: College officials
had to promise — in writing, in some cases — not to try to find out the
donor's identity."
As for the link that connects all of the recipients to date: "So far, all the colleges are led by women." Where will the mystery donor strike next? Anyone care to guess?
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