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Largest Gift Ever To U.Va.’S College Of Arts And Sciences Halsey Minor, Cnet Networks Founder, Gives $25 Million To Help Transform
Education For The Internet Age October 18, 2000 -- Halsey M. Minor, founder and chairman of CNET Networks Inc., will give $25 million to the University of Virginia to integrate digital technology with the humanities and social sciences in ways that promise to redefine a liberal arts education in the Internet Age. University President John T. Casteen III called Minor’s gift extraordinary in its foresight. "His creative thinking and generosity will help us to infuse new ways of teaching and learning into our classrooms and our libraries so that we can play a key role in transforming higher education more broadly through innovative uses of digital technology," Casteen said. Minor’s challenge gift is designed to encourage other donors -- individuals, corporations, foundations and governmental entities — to match his commitment in both funds and support for the project. The gift is the largest ever to U.Va.’s College of Arts & Sciences, and will help create a 21st-century Digital Academical Village, modeled on Thomas Jefferson’s original Academical Village, where faculty and students live and learn in proximity to one another. The Digital Academical Village will comprise:
"Our aim will be to make the University the world leader in using technology and in assessing its role in human affairs," said Melvyn P. Leffler, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. "We have been pioneers in using digital technology for humanities research, teaching and outreach. This gift enables us to reach a new level of sophistication in our efforts to analyze, preserve, and transmit human culture." Minor, who graduated in 1987 with a degree in anthropology, has been fascinated with technology since his youth. This passion has inspired each of Minor’s entrepreneurial ventures, from a database driven apartment locating business in Charlottesville, to CNET Networks, today one of the world’s leading new media companies. Minor founded CNET in 1992 to provide trusted information about technology and pioneered new ways to use the Internet and digital technology to deliver that information in more efficient, useful ways than had ever been done before. Today, CNET Networks is one of the top 10 destinations on the Internet, with award-winning Web sites, television and radio programming that reaches millions of people around the world every day. Minor hopes his gift will be a catalyst for the University to evolve and improve higher education through the innovative use of new technology. "Education will inevitably be transformed by the force of the Internet and digital technology. There is an opportunity now to propel that transformation with private philanthropy and generate a leveraged benefit. My goal is to facilitate the University’s work in developing programs and practices that will become models for teaching and learning in the 21st century and will be shared among other institutions of higher learning, and ultimately in K-12 classrooms here and around the world." Some of the ultimate goals of the project include:
The implications of these initiatives embody Jefferson’s original vision for the University, Leffler said. It is the hope of all involved that they reach beyond the physical boundaries of the Academical Village to link the day’s most advanced scientific and scholarly thinking to the civic and cultural life of democratic societies worldwide. Minor’s gift offers unprecedented opportunities to help the University realize the aims of Virginia 2020, a long-term planning process that is focused on achieving higher standards of excellence in four key areas, including science and technology. It represents the first of a series of "bridge centers" at U.Va. envisioned to integrate technology into research and teaching throughout the University’s curriculum. Minor’s gift will be counted in the Campaign for the University of Virginia, which to date has raised $1.2 billion. Contact: Carol Wood, (804) 924-6189
Background information on Halsey M. Minor Halsey M. Minor, College of Arts and Sciences '87, chairman of CNET Networks, Inc. Minor is the chairman and founder of CNET Networks, Inc., a global media company that creates content-driven marketplaces for consumers and businesses. Minor also is co-founder and co-CEO of 12 Entrepreneuring, Inc., an entrepreneurial operating company based in San Francisco. In 1992, Minor created CNET with the vision of building the leading source of information and services relating to computers and technology. His vision has been largely realized, as today, CNET Networks, Inc. is one of the world’s leading new media companies, now encompassing CNET television, CNET Radio, CNET Data Services, ZDNet and MySimon, the Internet’s leading comparison shopping service. Minor holds board memberships and advisory roles in key technology and media companies and associations including: Salesforce.com, NotifyMe Networks, the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), TechNet, Attractor Investment Management, and the California Academy of Sciences. About CNET Networks, Inc. CNET Networks, Inc., (Nasdaq: CNET) is the trusted source of news and information for buyers, sellers and suppliers around the world. CNET Networks is a platform for three Internet brands, CNET, ZDNet, and mySimon; a suite of services for the international IT sales channel; Computer Shopper magazine, the Smart Planet learning Web site, and television and radio programming. The company’s vision is to educate and empower people and businesses by unlocking the potential of the technology world to make things easier and faster, and by helping them to make smarter buying decisions. With an audience of millions, CNET Networks ranks among the top ten most-popular Web properties. Virginia 2020/www.virginia.edu/virginia2020 Envisioning the University’s future and planning for the change and opportunities that lie ahead are the goals of Virginia 2020, the University’s long-term planning initiative. It is focused on four areas: the fine and performing arts, international activities, public service and outreach, and science and technology. The success of Virginia 2020 will help ensure the University’s success as an institution dedicated to the fundamental principles of teaching, research, and service, and at the same time, devoted to changing educational needs. The Campaign for the University The Campaign for the University of Virginia was launched on Oct. 6, 1995, with an initial goal of $750 million. In February of 1998, the goal was increased to $1 billion and extended to the end of 2000. |
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