SAN ANTONIO • A $2.2 million gift to advance cultural education was presented to Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) Dec. 19 by Janice Mendelson, M.D.
    It is the largest private gift in the university’s 110-year history.
    This gift will allow OLLU to create an endowment to ensure permanent funding for the International Folk Culture Center (IFCC).
    Mendelson established the center at OLLU in 1990 to promote international friendships and education through diverse folk arts.
    Part of the donation will be used to promote academic excellence and student success.

    “Dr. Mendelson recognizes the role that our university plays in intellectually preserving the culture that is San Antonio’s identity and a platform from which our city and region can gain economic strength in the Americas,” said Tessa Martinez Pollack, Ph.D., president of OLLU. “Through her generosity, our students and San Antonio can enrich their cultural intelligence as a competitive edge in the atmosphere of a bilingual, bicultural university and West Side,” Pollack added.
    Born in El Paso, Mendelson grew up in China and served in Vietnam as an Army surgeon. She was a leading authority on blast wounds and trauma research and received numerous military medals including the Bronze Star. As she traveled the world, she developed a passion for learning from people of different backgrounds. She has been a tireless champion of folk dance and folk culture.
    “It is my intent for this gift to allow students and the community to experience other cultures and to add new depth and dimension to the quality education that OLLU provides,” Mendelson said.