Case Western Reserve University receives $25 million from Weatherhead Foundation

Case Western Reserve University has received a $25 million gift from the Weatherhead Foundation. The gift will establish the Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute within the Weatherhead School of Management, which itself was established in part with a financial gift from the Foundation more than 45 years ago. The Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute will become a hub to develop students into leaders through opportunities for service and other leadership opportunities.

According to an article on Case Western Reserve University’s website, Andrew Medvedev, who serves as the Dean of the Weatherhead School of Management, was quoted as saying of the new Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute, “At Weatherhead, we strive to develop leaders who can lead change and thrive in complexity. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to not only spark this mentality in our own students but to connect to so many across the university and beyond. The Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute will serve as a change agent that only a true problem-solving university like Case Western Reserve can build.”

The Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute is planned for a Fall 2026 opening. It will be an interdisciplinary offering that will help prepare student leaders from all over the university. Despite being housed within the School of Management, the goal of the Leadership Institute is to help create leaders in all areas of the university’s offerings, not only within business. The first initiative of the Institute will put participating undergraduate students through a four-year project that will provide them with mentorship opportunities from faculty members and alumni, as well as place them with opportunities to receive hands-on opportunities within corporations.

Case Western Reserve has a similar program, the President’s Leadership Development Program, that is currently in its pilot session, with the first cohort graduating in the Spring 2026 semester. The Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute is an expansion of the successful pilot program, which sees students complete service projects, internships, and mentorships throughout their time at the university. 

Celia Weatherhead said, “Seeing the solutions-oriented, high-impact leaders that Case Western Reserve and the Weatherhead School have produced over the years made me realize there is a remarkable opportunity to not just continue this powerful work, but to amplify it exponentially. This institute will develop the next generation of leaders who are driven to excel in their fields and make positive changes both in Cleveland and in our society.”

Speaking of Celia Weatherhead, university President Eric W. Kaler said, “As president of the Weatherhead Foundation, Celia has proven she is a strategic, impactful leader—changing the lives of so many through thoughtful support to organizations that can make a difference. We are grateful for her continued commitment to the Weatherhead School and to this university—including as an emerita trustee—so we can develop leaders who are ready to be a force for good in the world.”

The inaugural chair of the Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute will be university trustee Scott Cowen, who served as the dean of Weatherhead School of Management in the 80s and 90s, and interim president of the university from 2020 to 2021. When Albert J. Weatherhead III and the Weatherhead Foundation gave a financial gift to the school of business in the 70s, Cowen became close with him. Cowen later became president of Tulane University, where Celia Weatherhead earned her undergraduate degree. 

Cowen said, “The Weatherhead School will always be a deeply important place for me, in no small part because of Al and Celia. Having the opportunity to return to the school and lead an institute that will be transformative for students is an incredible honor and opportunity; the fact that it’s made possible because of the Weatherheads is exemplary.” 

For more information about Case Western Reserve University, visit the school’s website.