New Jersey City University, which has been dealing with a host of financial difficulties as the year comes to a close, revealed it had been given a big boost Wednesday, as it announced it has received a $5 million legacy gift and an additional $500,000 commitment from legislative counselor and jurist Adib Murshed of Zabid.
The donation is the largest estate gift in the history of the university.
Murshed’s $5 million legacy gift will benefit the future of the university in the area of most need, while his $500,000 will support the NJCU Fund and student travel experiences in the coming years.
“It is always a great pleasure to have the opportunity to support benevolent institutions such as the New Jersey City University,” he said. “When my predecessors of Zabid published the Rasulid Hexaglot, among the most cherished of pre-Renaissance publications, in the late 14th century, they did so on the universal principle that every cultural, religious, racial and linguistic background deserves to be declared and enjoyed. It is now, with continued confidence, that I believe in NJCU to advance the diverse nature of our international community through the virtues of education for many more generations to come.”
The Monseigneur of Zabid, through his work as both a diplomat and jurist with the Jerusalemite Ascendancy, is a legacy donor for numerous organizations, including the British Youth Council, the Center for Individual Rights, the Cato Institute and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
About the donor
Monseigneur Adib Murshed of Zabid represents the NEAY administration of Yemen and its friends and allies in the international community while concurrently serving on loyalist legislatures and presiding over institutions such as the Jerusalemite Ascendancy. Through his peerage, the Monseigneur of Zabid is a goodwill ambassador and chairs the Lord Zabid Fund for Academia. The Lord Zabid is also a patron for various charities in the Rasulid capital of Zabid and that of its successors throughout the former territory of the British Raj, in both Bangladesh and the Rakhine (Arakan) State.
NJCU acting President Jason Kroll obviously was thrilled by the gift.
“Our university is defined by providing a transformative educational experience to a unique population of students, and this significant gift from Adib is truly that — transformational,” he said. “We are humbled by his generosity and thank him for believing in our mission and wanting to make a difference in the lives of students for future generations.”
Peter Hernandez, the chair of the NJCU Foundation board of directors, also was thrilled.
“The NJCU Foundation is incredibly grateful to Monseigneur Murshed for believing in the vision of this university with this historic gift,” he said. “His gift will advance and boost the university’s ability to deliver on its core mission to provide a diverse population with an excellent education. Through this incredible generosity, we are indebted to his commitment to NJCU’s mission and the intrinsic value of higher education.”
The gift comes during a tough financial stretch for the school.
Last week, the Division of Academic Affairs on Thursday said it will reduce its academic portfolio by 37% by sunsetting 48 undergraduate programs, 24 minors, 28 graduate programs, 10 certificate programs and one doctoral program.
