October 6, 2005

Alumna / trustee endows museum

Northwestern alumna and trustee Ellen Philips Katz of New York City has made a $1 million gift to establish the Ellen Philips Katz Director-ship of the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art.

The announcement was made by President Henry S. Bienen at a museum reception last month.

“This is an exciting moment for the University,” said President Bienen. “Ellen’s generosity and foresight in establishing this endowed position will help to ensure the long-term viability of the Block Museum as an important cultural resource for Northwestern.”

Katz received her undergraduate degree in art history from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences in 1970. A long-time supporter of the Block Museum and the University, Katz was named to Northwestern’s Board of Trustees in June 2003. She currently serves on the Alumni Relations and Development Committee and the Educational Policies and Appointments Committee, and she co-chairs the Major Gift Committee.

In New York, Katz is vice chairman of the board of trustees of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she was recently honored as the original organizer of the Crystal Ball benefit, which just celebrated its 20th year. She also serves on the board of the Lincoln Center Theater. She is on the executive committee of the President’s Council of Rockefeller University. In Phoenix, where she and her husband spend winters, Katz is vice chairman of the board of the Phoenix Art Museum.

David Alan Robertson, who was appointed director of the Block in 2002, will be the first Ellen Philips Katz Director of the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art.