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The Mandel Foundation’s long history with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) began in 1939 when Mort Mandel enrolled at Adelbert College, a predecessor of CWRU, on a full scholarship. Mort left after his freshman year, going into business with his brothers Jack and Joe before enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War II. After completing his remaining credit hours and a senior capstone requirement, Mort graduated in May 2013, at the age of 91.
In 1988, the Foundation became a major supporter of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (MSASS) at CWRU, one of the oldest university-affiliated graduate degree programs in social work. Since then, the Foundation has continued investing to strengthen what has become a nationally ranked, award-winning program. In 2007, the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations, now the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Community Studies Center, was built to house MSASS research and training centers. An investment of $5 million in 2023 established the Mandel Dean’s Scholarships helping ease the financial burden faced by many graduate students.
Along with MSASS, the Foundation has supported the CWRU and Cleveland Clinic Health Education Campus, a state-of-the-art facility that brings together medical, nursing and dental students in a unified space designed to encourage interdisciplinary interaction. As a result, graduates develop distinct and complementary roles and understand how collaboration improves patient outcomes. More recently, a $3.5 million investment supports humanities research projects, particularly those that drive innovative ideas through scientific collaborations, and established the Mandel Fellowship in the Experimental Humanities. This new major integrates the study of humanities and STEM. The Foundation also donated to establish the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Studio in the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building through a $2 million grant, which is expected to be completed in 2026. The Mandel Studio will be a center of collaborative activity in which faculty and students in the humanities can collaborate with their science and engineering peers.