University of Oklahoma Receives $5 Million Donation

March 26, 2009, Tulsa World — The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation will give the University of Oklahoma's School of Social Work $5 million, OU announced Wednesday.

The donation will go toward a new building for the school, which is in the center of the Norman campus. The school will be named after the couple.

The gift is typical of the Zarrow family's philanthropy, OU President David Boren said.

"Nothing could be more appropriate," he said.

"Because when you think about the lifetime of generosity from this family, it reflects the values of the school."

The announcement came at a meeting of the OU regents. Boren said the gift coincides with Henry Zarrow's 93rd birthday, which he celebrated a few days ago.

OU's School of Social Work, established 92 years ago, is the oldest in the state. It's also the only one to offer a master's degree program.

It produces graduates who touch many lives, Boren said.

"They're unsung heroes," he said. "They're not compensated by any measure that reflects the good they do for our society."

The school now operates from a former fraternity house building on the eastern edge of campus. It will move to 700 Elm Ave., where the new building will replace the Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center.

Also at Wednesday's meeting: The regents approved modified plans for the future Schusterman Center Library and Learning Center at OU-Tulsa.

The library will have a commons area, group study rooms, quiet reading areas and an information gallery. The changes will add $500,000 to the $8.5 million plan.

Regents also elected Max Weitzenhoffer of Norman as the board's chairman and Larry Wade of Elk City as its vice chairman.

After the meeting, Boren spoke about how OU continues to respond to ongoing economic challenges.

The recently approved federal stimulus package will help OU keep from increasing tuition and fees across the board for the next school year, he said.

Faculty and staff and administration salaries also will remain at their current level, he said.

"While it's a difficult time, we're taking it as a challenge to become even more efficient," he said. "And also, perhaps once in a while, we learn how fortunate we are when we go through times that are a little more difficult."

Private giving already has slowed and likely will grow even worse early next year because of limits in oil and gas revenues, Boren said.

"But compared to universities around the country, we're doing remarkably well," he said.