Gerhard Andlinger moved to the United States from Austria to enroll at Princeton University and graduated in 1952, at the age of 21. He has been a long-time supporter of his alma mater, with generous donations to advance the school's reputation as a leader in financial and social studies.

The Andlinger Center for the Humanities, dedicated in May 2004, gave Princeton's distinguished department a revitalized home for cross-disciplinary scholarship. Mr. Andlinger's generosity facilitated development of the Center, which includes three buildings and a central green. The effort provides a new home for several different departments at the core of Princeton's educational mission, including Art and Archeology, History, Foreign Languages, and Religion.

In 2000, he made a gift of $25 million to Princeton as part of the university's Anniversary Campaign. Mr. Andlinger's generosity lifted total donations above $1 billion and capped a five-year effort to raise funds that enabled the University to significantly broaden its financial aid policies, build new academic, residential, athletic and social facilities and launch new interdisciplinary programs in the natural and social sciences, engineering and the humanities. The gift was included in The 2000 Slate 60: The 60 largest American charitable contributions of 2000.

His other contributions to the school include:

  • Endowment of the Gerhard R. Andlinger '52 Professorship of Sociology, a chair established in 1991 and currently occupied by Robert Wuthnow, Ph.D.
  • Sponsorship of the Andlinger Fellowship in Finance and the Andlinger Research Fund in Finance
  • Membership on the Advisory Council for the Bendheim Center for Finance

Mr. Andlinger says, "Princeton holds a very special place in my heart. I feel privileged to be able to give back to this great University and to the Country that offered me a welcoming home and wealth of opportunity."

Two of Mr. Andlinger's four children have also graduated from Princeton.