HARTFORD, Conn., Oct. 20, 2000 -- Trinity alumnus and trustee Henry Zachs '56 has given the College three major gifts totaling $1.95 million to support multicultural initiatives that include construction of a new Hillel House and conversion of two existing campus buildings into cultural houses for Latino and Asian-American students.

"Building community and deepening cultural understanding are very important to Henry and the College," said Trinity President Evan S. Dobelle. "These magnificent gifts represent a marvelous opportunity for Trinity to enrich the cultural understanding of the entire community by leveraging support for Jewish studies and culture at Trinity, and by expanding the scope and reach of social programming for the College’s Latino and Asian-American students. Trinity is very thankful to Henry for being a generous and faithful friend, adviser, and benefactor."

The gifts from Zachs support a central goal of Trinity’s strategic plan, which calls for initiatives that promote a climate that values and celebrates diversity, broadly defined. One such initiative is the creation of a "multicultural complex" or cluster of cultural centers on campus.

The complex will feature a new Hillel House and refurbished houses for La Voz Latina and the Asian-American Students Association, which will join a recently renovated Umoja House for Trinity’s African-American students and a new, privately funded Italian-American cultural center. The cluster of cultural centers symbolizes both Trinity’s commitment to promoting a thriving multicultural community on campus and the College’s many ties to the vibrant multicultural communities of Hartford.

"I thank Trinity for the opportunities it gave me, and I thank the College for the opportunity to give back. I believe in Trinity," said Zachs, a Farmington (CT) resident and a member of the Trinity Class of 1956.

The first gift made by Zachs together with his wife, Judy, whom he met at a Hillel dance on campus when he was a Trinity undergraduate, provides $1 million to support the construction of a new, $2-million Hillel House. According to Dobelle, it "will serve not only as a place where our Jewish students can come together to learn more about and celebrate their faith but also as a place of understanding and community building for members of the entire Trinity family."

Zachs also made a $750,000 challenge gift, which will be used to establish three funds for what Dobelle called "the three pillars of Jewish life at Trinity" -- the new Hillel House, the Hillel Endowment Fund, and the recently launched Jewish studies program, which provides a secular, multidisciplinary investigation of Jewish civilization from its ancient origins through contemporary life in Israel and the diaspora communities around the world. The challenge gift will be used to match each gift to these three new funds by an equal amount up to $250,000 per fund.