 "Why has a medical school in New York waived tuition fees for students?")
Student debt is a big concern in the United States. You can only imagine the joy when college tuition fees are waived. For students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, studying for free is no longer a pipe dream.
On Monday, a video message posted by the school on YouTube said, “I’m happy to share with you that starting in August this year, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine will be tuition-free.”
Students jumped out of their seats with joy when they learned that they would no longer have to pay for their college education. Applause erupted in the auditorium, and some people cried as they hugged each other.
“I wish I could bottle the happiness I felt in that room.” “Truly a day I’ll never forget,” one student wrote on the school’s Facebook page.
But why has this New York City medical school gone tuition-free for students?
Former professor gives $1 billion
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx borough received a $1 billion (Rs 8,288 crore) donation from Dr Ruth Gottesman, a 93-year-old former professor at the school.
Ruth Gottesman announced the gift and its purpose to students and faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine on Monday. She has been affiliated with the college for 55 years and is the chairperson of its board of trustees.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe gift is intended to attract a diverse pool of applicants, who otherwise might not have the means to attend. It will also let students graduate without debt that can take decades to repay, college administrators said. Tuition at Einstein is $59,458 (Rs 49.28 lakh) per year. The average medical school debt in the US is $202,453 (Rs 1.67 crore), excluding undergraduate debt, according to the Education Data Initiative.
“Each year, well over 100 students enter Albert Einstein College of Medicine in their quest for degrees in medicine and science,” Gottesman said. “They leave as superbly trained scientists and compassionate and knowledgeable physicians, with the expertise to find new ways to prevent diseases and provide the finest health care.”
Gottesman credited her late husband, David “Sandy” Gottesman for leaving her with the financial means to make such a donation. David Gottesman built the Wall Street investment house, First Manhattan, and was on the board of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. He died in 2022 at age 96.
“l feel blessed to be given the great privilege of making this gift to such a worthy cause,” Ruth Gottesman said.
Largest donation to any medical school
The gift is believed to be the largest made to any medical school in the country, according to Montefiore Einstein, the umbrella organisation for Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Montefiore Health System.
“I believe we can change healthcare history when we recognise that access is the path to excellence,” said Dr Philip Ozuah, president and chief executive of Montefiore Einstein.
Gottesman joined Einstein’s Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Centre in 1968 and developed screening and treatments for learning problems. She started the first-of-its-kind Adult Literacy Program at the centre in 1992, and in 1998 was named the founding director of the Emily Fisher Landau Centre for the Treatment of Learning Disabilities at CERC. She is the clinical professor emerita of paediatrics at Einstein.
Through their foundation, the Gottesman Fund, the family has supported charities in Israel and within the US Jewish community, especially through gifts to schools, universities and New York City’s American Museum of Natural History.
Einstein becomes the second tuition-free medical school in New York. In 2018, the New York University School of Medicine announced that it would cover the tuition of all its students.
With inputs from AP
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
