Anita Zucker pledges $4 million to name The Citadel’s School of Education

CHARLESTON, SC – Celebrated Charleston business leader and philanthropist Anita Zucker, and the Zucker family, have generously pledged $4 million to support and advance The Citadel’s School of Education.

The family’s gift will name and endow the Zucker Family School of Education, providing support for current programs and expanding its educational curriculum.

“Anita’s lifelong commitment to education is evident throughout the state and far beyond its borders. Her drive to repair the world through careful and intentional giving demonstrates true principled leadership,” said Citadel President Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa.

“This gift to establish the Zucker Family School of Education at The Citadel will transform the way we operate, significantly enhancing our ability to educate and prepare the next generation of teachers and school administrators to serve in classrooms across the Lowcountry and throughout the nation.”

The Zucker family’s gift is designated to support several innovative educational initiatives. A primary component will establish and endow the Anita Zucker Institute for Entrepreneurial Educational Leadership to develop programs focusing on workforce development. An associated endowed chair will host a prominent scholar in educational entrepreneurship to align the college’s educational programs with cradle-to-career workforce initiatives in the Lowcountry and beyond.

A portion of the gift will also establish the Anita Zucker Endowment for Literacy Education to fund the design and delivery of literacy workshops and provide need-based scholarships for teachers seeking to complete graduate-level literacy education certificate or degree programs at The Citadel. This endowment will also promote community outreach and collaboration among tri-county organizations focused on literacy.

Additionally, the gift will establish the Zucker Family Educational Leadership and Innovation Forum, a biennial conference on leadership in public education to be organized by representatives of higher education institutions in the region.

“My family and I are thrilled to support such a worthy endeavor, certain to play a substantial role in preparing future educators in their quest to address the literacy issues in Charleston and the surrounding region,” said Zucker. “The gift of literacy provides our children with a lifetime of adventure – the key to exploring all the wonderful things this world has to offer. Perhaps Dr. Seuss said it best, ‘The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.’”

Among the top five largest outright cash pledges and the top ten overall gifts The Citadel Foundation has ever received, this contribution supports the LEAD Plan 2018, The Citadel’s strategic plan, one objective of which is to expand academic programs that foster excellence in the learning environment and elevate institutional prominence.

Dedicated at a recognition ceremony on November 11, the Zucker Family School of Education is the first of The Citadel’s academic schools to be named for a major contributor.

This gift will transform the School of Education into one of the foremost proponents of educational leadership, innovation, and collaboration, a goal consistent with the Zucker family’s vision of investing in people to improve public education across the state of South Carolina.
About the Donor
Anita Zucker is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education. She received a Master of Education degree from the University of North Florida in Educational Administration and Supervision.

Zucker taught elementary school for over ten years and currently serves as Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer for The InterTech Group, Inc. She also owns the Carolina Ice Palace, the Original Ms. Rose’s Fine Food and Cocktails, the Relish Restaurant Group, and the South Carolina Stingrays.

Highly active in the community, Zucker is a past president of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and one of the founders of The Education Foundation of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. She also chaired the Drug-Free Workplace Program and participated in the School to Work Task Force.

Zucker serves on the Coastal Community Foundation Board and is a past president. She also serves as a trustee (the first woman) of the Saul Alexander Foundation and the Jewish Endowment Fund, supporting organizations of The Coastal Community Foundation.

About the Zucker Family School of Education

The mission of the Zucker Family School of Education at The Citadel is to support the development and preparation of individuals who are knowledgeable about the learning process and learners and who are effective, ethical, and reflective educators prepared to assume leadership roles in the profession and community. Further, with a focus toward learner-centered education, they are effective in educating a diverse learner population to high academic standards. The mission is based on the School’s philosophy and conceptual model.

About The Citadel

The Citadel, founded in 1842, is a public, coeducational military college in Charleston, S.C., that offers a classic military education for young men and women seeking a college experience that is meaningful and academically strong. With the core values of honor, duty and respect, The Citadel has a proud and historic tradition of providing leaders for business, the military, government and the professions.