$1 million gift creates library deanship

Dow

$1 million gift from Andrew Neilly and his wife, Janet, of Weston, Conn., has established a named endowed deanship in the River Campus Libraries. The Neilly gift represents the single largest gift from an individual in the University libraries' history.

The Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean of River Campus Libraries Endowment will be used by the dean to enhance library collections related to academic programs in arts, science, and engineering as well as to support library initiatives such as lectures and seminars that add to the overall intellectual climate at the University.

The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees has made formal approval of the establishment of the position. Current Dean of River Campus Libraries Ronald Dow was appointed as the first holder of the new position. Provost Charles Phelps noted that the creation of this position "places the University of Rochester among a small group of the nation's top colleges and universities with named endowed library deanships." He added, "there are no people more fitting than Andy and Janet Neilly for whom to name our library deanship."

A 1947 graduate of the University, Andrew Neilly went on to a distinguished career in publishing with John Wiley & Sons in New York City before his retirement in 1995. He has served as a member of the University's Board of Trustees since 1976 and is now a Life Trustee.

Over the past 25 years, Neilly has been the chair (or co-chair) of the Library Trustee Visiting Committee, known since 1997 as the Libraries' Advisory Council. During the University's most recently completed capital campaign, he and co-chair Jack Keil successfully raised $10 million in support of the libraries.

Commenting on his appointment, Dow said: "It is my great honor to be the first holder of the Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean of River Campus Libraries position. Andy and Janet Neilly are wonderful people who place very high importance on a quality library system as the key to a great university."

Dow is the 15th leader of the libraries since the University's founding in 1850. He was recently presented with a Goergen Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Learning. He has been the dean of River Campus Libraries since 1996 and previously served as associate dean of libraries at Penn State University.

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