Supporting Lesley Initiatives
Lesley Trustee and Alumna Carol Moriarty and her husband, John, recently made a $1 million gift to Lesley University to benefit both the Threshold Program and the construction of a new facility for the Art Institute of Boston (AIB).
With $500,000 each to Threshold and AIB, the gift supports two important initiatives:
- The Threshold Program – serving adults with cognitive and learning disabilities learning independent living skills – plans to renovate its four buildings, establishing a more cohesive “mini-campus” within Lesley’s Cambridge Campus. The project also involves the establishment, and facilities, of a program to more formally provide support services to graduates of the program as they navigate independent living and employment.
- The Art Institute of Boston is planning to relocate from Kenmore Square to Porter Square, making AIB and its students, faculty and events a part of Lesley’s Cambridge Campus. The new Art Institute, adjacent to Lesley’s University Hall, will feature state-of-the-art studios, galleries in the heart of a bustling Porter Square, and an architectural design skillfully melding the historic and the modern.
“This is a chance to give back to the university that’s made a positive difference in my life,” said Carol Moriarty. “For Threshold, I’m hoping we can improve an already outstanding program, and call attention to the important and inspiring work these students do. Each day, they strive to overcome personal challenges towards not just increased independence, but to contribute to the world around them.”
Uniting the University
“AIB’s relocation to Cambridge does so much more than provide a new facility for students,” she said, “but truly unites a university, bringing the vibrancy of the arts to all Lesley students, and to the Cambridge community. The new Art Institute will energize Lesley and the larger community, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”
“This is a remarkable gift that will benefit not only students of AIB and Threshold, but the entire university community,” said Joseph B. Moore, President of Lesley University. “We’re grateful for Carol and John’s philanthropy, but also for their personal engagement with the Lesley community, their expertise, counsel and ongoing friendship.”
Carol Moriarty served as a University Corporator from 1992 until her appointment to the Board of Trustees in 2002. An active alumna since earning her B.S. in Elementary Education in 1974, she was a teacher for many years outside Chicago and later in Boston. Kate Moriarty, their daughter, earned her Master’s in Special Education, Moderate Special Needs, in 2010.
Lesley Advocates
“I’m both grateful and not at all surprised at Carol and John’s support of our work,” said Jim Wilbur, Director of the Threshold Program at Lesley University. “The Moriartys are terrific advocates for the work we do, but also take a personal interest – they are frequent visitors and enjoy participating with students in trips and activities. Their generosity will make a profound difference in the experience of future students – and their friendship to students and the program is inspiring.”
“Over a third of all Lesley students are engaged in the arts – whether as AIB students, or in the fields of Creative Arts in Learning or Expressive Therapies – and the integration of AIB’s students, faculty, events and energy has transformed the experience of all of Lesley’s students,” said Stan Trecker, Dean of the Art Institute of Boston. “The Moriarty’s support moves us closer to completing that integration by creating a single Cambridge campus for making, sharing and discovering the arts.”