Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) has received a $6 million donation from an anonymous donor to benefit its College of Psychology and Counseling. This is the largest single gift in the university’s history, and it will support students, faculty, and the wider community.
In recognition of this donation, FDU will rename its psychology and counseling college as the Marion Turpan College of Psychology and Counseling. The name honors Marion Turpan, an alumna who earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at FDU in the 1960s before going on to teach at the university. Turpan later pursued a career in real estate and completed a PhD in psychology. In 1979, she donated cherry trees to FDU in memory of her mother, starting a tradition of giving back that continues today.
The gift also includes funding for the creation of the Marion Turpan Innovation and Humanics Hub. This new interdisciplinary space will be located on the first floor of Dickinson Hall at FDU’s Metropolitan Campus. It is designed to encourage collaboration among students from psychology, counseling, nursing, and related health fields by serving as a central training area focused on integrating technology with human-centered skills.
“This remarkable commitment reflects a deep belief in the power of education to transform lives and communities,” said Michael J. Avaltroni, Ph.D., president of FDU. “On behalf of the entire university, I extend my profound gratitude to our generous donor for this visionary and selfless investment. By honoring Marion Turpan’s legacy, this gift will expand opportunities for our students, strengthen our academic programs and help ensure that future generations of practitioners and scholars are prepared to lead with both innovation and humanity.”
The Innovation and Humanics Hub is expected to open in early 2027. It aims to help students develop empathy, creativity, critical thinking skills alongside technological expertise. “The key question for the new hub,” Avaltroni added, “is how do we prepare students to remain deeply human in a technology-driven world.”
FDU’s College of Psychology and Counseling offers undergraduate through doctoral programs covering clinical psychology, school psychology, mental health counseling, forensic psychology, industrial organizational psychology, psychopharmacology as well as operating a low-cost community mental health clinic.
The donation will provide more professional development options for students; fund scholarships; increase resources for faculty; expand mental health services; enhance training programs focused on character development; address mental health stigma; support leadership initiatives; and improve college facilities.
This recent commitment follows an earlier $1 million pledge from the same donor that established the Dennis Turpan Research and Development Lab for Cutting-edge Technologies in Becton Hall at FDU’s Metropolitan Campus. That previous gift also funded graduate student research space and scholarships within FDU’s College of Psychology and Counseling in honor of Marion Turpan.
