Posner Foundation Gift Creates Endowed Chair

NISO Member News

Keith Webster Named Inaugural Chair

A $16 million grant from the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh to @carnegiemellon includes $5 million to create the Helen and Henry Posner, Jr. Dean's Chair for the University Libraries. Dean Keith Webster will be the inaugural chairholder. https://t.co/3fTG1FIn86 pic.twitter.com/ptPEG32Spr

— CMU Libraries (@CMULibraries) November 4, 2021

From the CMU Announcement

The Posner family has long been benefactors of the University Libraries. Helen Posner was instrumental in selecting CMU’s library to hold the family’s personal collection of rare books and artifacts, including one of only two privately held copies of the Bill of Rights, and Anne Molloy serves on the Libraries Dean’s Advocacy Council. Their ongoing support has extended beyond Special Collections, contributing to the reinvention of library services and facilities to respond to the demands of modern research and education in a digital era. During the pandemic, CMU’s libraries were positioned to quickly pivot and provide digital access to an unprecedented wealth of scholarly resources to students and faculty working and studying remotely around the world.

“Across generations my family has believed in the power of education, including the unique role and impact of libraries,” said Henry Posner III. “When deciding where my grandparents’ unique collection of books should go, Carnegie Mellon was the clear choice, and we share the university's belief that libraries are essential in inspiring and educating the next generation.”

The Posner Foundation’s gift will establish the Helen and Henry Posner, Jr. Dean’s Chair for the University Libraries, which will provide resources to advance strategic priorities, meet pressing needs and strengthen the CMU Libraries collections. Dean Keith Webster will be the inaugural chairholder.

“The Posner Family has been a friend of the University Libraries for decades, and I am incredibly honored to be the first Posner Dean for the University Libraries,” said Webster, who has been dean since 2013. “This endowment will allow us to advance key initiatives, elevate the profile of the University Libraries and attract the next generation of academic library leaders to CMU.”