New Grants Instituted

Newly Endowed Grants Named to Honor Environmental Health Scientist George J. Jakab

In June, Juilliard welcomed the family and friends of George Jakab to celebrate the newly endowed George J. Jakab Global Enrichment Grants. These grants will support student projects, and public service initiatives that enhance personal and career growth while promoting the ideal of the artist as citizen. This transformative endowment gift ensures that young artists can explore extracurricular endeavors and deepen their understanding of the world and their impact on it. The first Jakab grants were awarded in the spring to Juilliard students with projects in the U.S., Botswana, Chile, and Spain.

The grants are named in honor of environmental health scientist George Jakab, who was on the faculty at Johns Hopkins for 24 years; he also served as dean of faculty at the American University in Armenia and helped establish public health schools in Poland, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan.

A dedicated teacher and mentor, he encouraged students to travel and make a difference in the world. His widow, Susan Jakab, has a long association with Juilliard, having directed her father’s estate to endow the Stanley S. Lasdon Piano Scholarship in 1994.

—Victoria Murray Brand is Juilliard’s associate director of scholarship development