USF gets $15 million from Getty for arts

Philanthropist Gordon Getty will give the University of San Francisco $15 million to establish a college for top students to study the arts, sciences and humanities, USF announced Wednesday.

The gift is the school’s largest from an individual donor and is meant to inspire others to help the university meet its $35 million goal for the arts program, to be called the Honors College, that is expected to open in fall 2018.

“Nearly half of Gordon’s gift will go toward an endowment to fund scholarships for honors students, reflecting our mission to educate young people who lead with competence and compassion,” said Paul Fitzgerald, S.J, president of the Jesuit university.

The gift includes a $7 million endowment for scholarships for Honors College students and a $2 million endowment for visiting artists and scholars. The remaining $6 million will cover startup costs and support student research, study abroad and mentoring programs. Students will become J. Paul Getty Honors Scholars, in honor of Getty’s father.

Getty, an accomplished classical music composer, graduated from USF in 1956, where he majored in English. He told the university that before choosing USF, he asked his father whether he should study oil and petroleum — the family business.

Getty recalled that his father said, “Yes, if you want to. But liberal arts would do just as well. The main thing is to learn how to learn.”

He said that’s how he landed at USF.