Connie Milstein

Archive for the ‘Washington DC’ Category

In December, Connie Milstein hosted a beautiful reception to recognize the scientific work of Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), where she is on the Board of Directors. The event also honored Tammy Haddad as a Friend of the CURE.

The reception helped to raise awareness of the toll that epilepsy takes on those who have it and their families.  In addition, Connie Milstein announced at the reception, held at the Newseum, her generous gift of $500,000 to CURE. This money is being put into the Axelrod Milstein Challenge Grant which will be a two year program and will help to fuel the research needed to find a cure for epilepsy.

As Milstein explained that night in front of the hundreds of guests, “Susan works tirelessly to find a cure for epilepsy and seizure disorders. Like many families across the world, the Axelrods live with this disease every day, but their work, their strength, and their optimism give hope to so many, as they fight and live for a cure.”

The reception was attended by a large range of supporters and admirers from Wolf Blitzer and Howard Fineman to Betsy Fischer, Gloria Borger and Roger Simon.  Terry McAuliffe, Airzona Attorney General Terry Goddard, Bob Stevenson, Jane Oates and Rich Galen were all there as well.

Tina Fey, the successful actress, screen writer and producer, was honored this week with the 13^th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. She is the third woman to receive this award, following Whoopi Goldberg and Lily Tomlin. Special guests at the event included David Axelrod, Susan Sher, Connie Milstein and Austan and Robin Goolsbee.

While receiving the award, Fey expressed her gratitude to the former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin. She explained that her success must come partially from her amazing impression of Palin that people are so very familiar with.

As a trustee and alumnus of New York University, Connie Milstein has been involved in much of the innovative educational programming developed in the School of Arts and Science. For instance, freshmen participate in the Collegiate Seminar Program, launched by Connie Milstein in 2007. This program offers seminars for freshmen and provides mentors for the new students who will guide them throughout their years at NYU.

The Constance Milstein and Family Academic Center is a branch of NYU in Washington, D.C. Connie Milstein envisioned this center as the ‘home away from home’ for NYU students wishing to come in contact with the intellectual, political and cultural pulse of our nation’s capital.

NYU is continuously searching for ways to improve the education they offer and stimulate the students in their schools. With help and support from Connie Milstein, NYU continues to provide the excellent educational model for which they are so well admired.

This is an illustration of the NYU Constance Milstein and Family Academic Center. The building is 12 stories high, and has 75,000 square feet of space. The building will feature meeting spaces and offices, seminar rooms, a lobby and student lounge, as well as a 200-seat auditorium. The upper floors will be dormitories and visitor’s apartments. It will be built in Northwest Washington, mere blocks away from the World Bank, the White House, the Smithsonian and the cultural sites on 14^th Street.  The groundbreaking took place this past September, and the Academic Center is expected to open its doors in September of 2012.

The recent groundbreaking ceremony at the future site of NYU’s new campus in Washington, D.C., attracted some impressive guests including  top donors, construction crew heads, DC campus planners, Chair of the Board of Trustees and the full university leadership team, who assembled to mark the start of the founding of  NYU’s newest study-away site, the Constance Milstein and Family Academic Center (NYUDC).  This is situated just blocks from the White House in the heart of the city.   One topic addressed by speakers was the global network university.  Said Chairman of the Board of Trustees Marty Lipton, “[NYUDC] fits in with this concept that John Sexton has brought to fruition,” said Lipton. “But we have a great deal more to go.”  Another insisted there should be “no barriers” within the school’s network and that the establishment of NYUDC would assist in destroying more of them.   This construction will definitely add to the prestige of the Washington campus.

Ford’s Theatre, where Connie Milstein sits on the Board of Trustees, is not only a place where great theater can be enjoyed by appreciative audiences; it is also a place where  visitors can participate in innovative activities to learn about history.

One of these activities is the “History on Foot” walking tours,  where an actor in costume leads visitors  through downtown Washington D.C., bringing the extraordinary times of the Civil War era to life.

Currently there are two choices of tours available to participants: “Investigation:Detective McDevitt” which probes into the Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy, trying to separate fact from fiction concerning the historical events of April 14 and 15, 1865; and “A Free Black Woman:Elizabeth Keckly” which introduces the visitors to Elizabeth, close confidante to Lincoln’s wife. In this “street theater” presentation participants learn about the Lincoln family and the help Elizabeth gave to former slaves as they learn to live as free people in the newly free city of Washington.

It is also possible to request privately led walking tours for individuals or groups, depending on availability.

Among Connie Milstein’s many philanthropic activities is her participation in the functioning of Ford’s Theatre as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Ford’s Theatre, which, for many is “America’s most famous theater,” earned its place in history when one of America’s most beloved of Presidents, President Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated there in 1865.

Because of its historical importance Ford’s Theatre works in partnership with the National Park Service, overseeing close to one million visitors every year. Visitors to Ford’s Theatre learn about Abraham Lincoln, his tumultuous presidency, and his life in Washington D.C. in the mid-19th century. Ford’s Theatre is an excellent place to begin to understand Lincoln’s struggle to maintain a united country, the events leading up to his assassination and the motivating forces leading to his tragic death.