Carolyn ’60 and Jerry Holleran GP ’07 fuel Conn’s pursuit of a more equitable world

For more than two decades, the generous support of Carolyn and Jerry Holleran has propelled collective action by Conn students, faculty, staff and community partners to advance social justice through civic engagement.

In 1996, a landmark gift endowed the center that now bears the Hollerans’ name. In 2017, they contributed $2.5 million to expand its global reach — and a $1 million challenge grant to expand the impact of their generosity.

One of Conn’s five centers for interdisciplinary scholarship, the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy spurs teaching, research and collaborations that help Conn students develop the intellectual tools and ethical foundations needed to imagine and foster a more equitable society.

The center’s far-reaching impact is boldly illuminated by hundreds of Conn alumni across the globe whose research, activism, advocacy and public policy contributions are advancing human rights, public health, educational equity and environmental ethics — embodying Conn’s ethos of defying boundaries for the good of the world.