Adelphi University AnnouncesLargest Gift In Its History

Adelphi University has announced receipt of a gift of $8.5 million, the largest gift in its 110-year history, from Carol A. Ammon M.B.A. '79, founder and chairman of Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. and member of the University's Board of Trustees. In recognition of Ms. Ammon's generosity, Adelphi has named its School of Education the Adelphi University Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, in honor of Carol Ammon's mother, an alumna of the Class of 1942.

In announcing the gift, Adelphi University Board of Trustees Chairman Michael J. Campbell '65 said, "This transformational gift is a symbol of the new era at Adelphi University. The University is grateful to Carol for this extraordinary support. Her commitment ensures that Adelphi has the resources it needs in the decades ahead to continue and expand its investments in supporting our distinguished faculty and outstanding students."

Born in 1919, Ruth S. Ammon '42 was a gifted second grade teacher and an inspiration to her daughter, Adelphi University Trustee Carol A. Ammon. "My mother gave me the courage to set my aspirations high," said Ms. Ammon. "She always helped me and all her students achieve their best. My family is ever grateful to Adelphi for shaping such a rewarding and successful teaching career."

With the Ammon gift, Adelphi has established the Ruth S. Ammon Chair in Childhood Education, the first fully endowed faculty chair in the School of Education, which will support a distinguished faculty scholar and teacher. The Ruth S. Ammon Scholarship Endowment will support undergraduate and graduate scholarships for education students. Additional funding from the gift will support campus enhancements.

"Carol Ammon's gift speaks to her true generosity of spirit and dedication to success-her own and that of others," said Adelphi University President Dr. Robert A. Scott. "The Adelphi University Ruth S. Ammon School of Education will continue to set precedents in preparing leaders and educators who challenge, inspire, and change the world. Each day over 100,000 New York State school children, and numerous others across the country, from the suburbs to the inner-city, are taught by Adelphi graduates."

Recently named to the Adelphi University Board of Trustees, Carol Ammon has been widely profiled and lauded for her success. Ms. Ammon is chairman of the board and founder of Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company with market leadership in pain management. Based in Chadds Ford, PA, Endo is engaged in the research, development, sale, and marketing of branded and generic pharmaceuticals used primarily to treat and manage pain.

In 1997, Ms. Ammon led a management buyout team and purchased 37 pharmaceutical products from The DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company to form Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. In July 2000, Endo became a publicly traded company known as Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. Prior to forming Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ms. Ammon spent 23 years in the pharmaceutical division of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. During her career at DuPont, she served in positions of increasing responsibility across research and development, finance, manufacturing, and sales and marketing.

Ms. Ammon was named CEO of the Year in 2004 by the Eastern Technology Council, an organization of 800 technology and life sciences companies in the Philadelphia region and received the 2003 Greater Philadelphia Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award(r) in the Health Sciences Category. Recently, Ms. Ammon was chosen as the winner of the 2005 Paradigm Award, the Philadelphia region's most prestigious award for businesswomen.

Ms. Ammon is a director and trustee of Christina Care of Delaware and a member of the boards of trustees of Adelphi University and Drexel University. In addition, she is a director on the Advisory Board of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Executive Women's Leadership Forum Foundation. Ms. Ammon also was recently appointed to the board of directors of Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery Inc. in Princeton, N.J. A native of New Hyde Park, Ms. Ammon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Central Connecticut State University and an M.B.A. from Adelphi University.

In an interview in the fall 2004 issue of Adelphi University Magazine, Ms. Ammon said of her company's culture and mission, "All of the employees at Endo believe they can make a difference in people's lives. To have a prosperous company where you get to work with talented and fun people and where you can make a difference, it doesn't get much better than that."

"At a time when the nation is facing a critical shortage of highly qualified teachers, this gift from a woman who has made her life's work the pursuit of science and research, is a wonderful endorsement of Adelphi University's commitment to the outstanding preparation of the next generation of education leaders," said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Marcia G. Welsh. "This gift is a tribute not only to Ruth S. Ammon '42, a teacher who made a profound difference in the lives of her students, but also to our distinguished faculty and our alumni who are blazing new trails in classrooms every day."