Heiress gives Univ. of Arts second big gift

Dorrance H. Hamilton, philanthropist and Campbell Soup Co. heiress, has given the University of the Arts a $25 million gift for its endowment fund for the second time in six months.

University of the Arts president Miguel Angel Corzo announced Hamilton's latest offering during yesterday's commencement. The funds are from the Dorrance H. Hamilton Charitable Trust.

By matching a gift she made in November, Hamilton has enabled the university's endowment fund to grow beyond $75 million, university officials said. It was only at $17 million last July.

"We are most grateful to Mrs. Hamilton for her commitment and generosity," Ronald J. Naples, chairman of the university's board, said.

"This extraordinary gift comes as UArts begins an ambitious five-year plan designed to extend its position as a preeminent international arts institution," he said.

Hamilton is the granddaughter of John T. Dorrance, a chemist who invented condensed soup for the Campbell Soup Co. She is a chairman emerita and life trustee on the UArts board. Her donations are the largest in the school's 130-year history.

"I have watched the University of the Arts grow for over three decades and am proud of its accomplishments," said Hamilton of the university that has 2,300 students on its South Broad Street campus. "Creativity and innovation are powerful forces in today's economy and must be recognized as such. With this gift, UArts can increase its critical and pivotal role in providing international influence that integrates the arts into every aspect of world development."

Corzo praised Hamilton's gift. "In designating her gift in this way, she has - in her own modest, unassuming manner - demonstrated her support of an idea: that those who study creativity and master their discipline at UArts will help shape the world for years to come."

Corzo plans to leave the college on June 30 to lead the Colburn School in Los Angeles.