The large crowd, including VCCCD Chancellor, Dr. Greg Gillespie; VCCCD Board of Trustee Vice-Chair, Josh Chancer; and VCCCD Vice Chancellor, Institutional Effectiveness, Dr. Larry Buckley; Ventura College President and VC Foundation Board Member; Dr. Kim Hoffmans; VC Foundation Board Chair, Ventura College Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Damien Peña; Ventura College Vice President of Business and Administration Services and VC Foundation Board Member, Catherine Bojorquez; enjoyed music, food and sharing of stories about Miriam. The 12-foot high bronze sculpture is by Ventura artist Michael O’Kelly. It memorializes her love of music and her strong belief in the important role music plays in the community college system. The dancer in the sculpture is holding a violin, an instrument that she played in the Ventura College Orchestra for 15-years. The music stand symbolizes academic learning, while the dancer symbolizes stepping out into the world after students have received their education. Schwab passed away in 2017 at age 89. In 2018, the Ventura College Foundation, which provides financial support to students and programs of Ventura College, received a $12 million gift Schwab’s estate in 2018. It is the largest gift ever to a community college in Southern California and the second-largest gift to a community college in California. Eighty-five percent of the gift goes to the Ventura College Instrumental Music Program including funding for a permanent violin and viola competition, a sustainable year-round symphony orchestra and the creation of the Miriam & Henry Schwab Academy of Music Summer Program. The academy kicked off its first summer program in 2019 with 70 students participating. Some of the students played at the event. The other fifteen percent of Miriam’s gift will support the Ventura College Aquatics Program. This gift will go a long way to build and enhance aquatics opportunities for Ventura College students. To an average outsider, Miriam may have appeared to be a feisty and frugal senior Venturan who liked to pull her own weeds and ride her bicycle through her beloved Pierpont neighborhood. Little did anyone know that unassuming Miriam would make a bequest of $12 million through her estate to Ventura College.
Miriam Emily Schwab has posthumously been named the 2019 Bernard Osher Philanthropist of the Year in recognition of her significant contributions as a local philanthropist and long-time supporter of Ventura College. Miriam’s contributions were honored in a ceremony on November 22, 2019, at the Community College League of California’s Annual Convention. Dr. Kimberly Hoffmans and Dr. Robert Lawson, Chair of the Ventura College Performing Arts Department, accepted the award on Miriam’s behalf. Watch the award acceptance video here: https://vimeo.com/368641584The Bernard Osher Philanthropist of the Year award recognizes distinguished philanthropic contributions to the California Community Colleges and is selected by the Network of California Community College Foundations (Network), an association of professionals dedicated to philanthropy. The award is presented to an individual, corporation, or nonprofit organization who demonstrates a commitment to philanthropy and serves as a role model to encourage philanthropy for California Community Colleges.
Miriam Schwab may have helped to set a new standard for philanthropic consideration for the California Community College system as a whole. Her vision and generosity serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of philanthropic giving at the community college level.
