Show, Don't Tell

Frederic and Ann Price

Fredric Price P’01 and his wife, Ann, hope to start a ripple effect with the Streger-Price Fund

Fredric Price P’01 is no fan of lectures or idle complaints. If you want to see change, he asserts, you must take action. And if you want to inspire others, you need to practice, not preach—and then get out of the way. That belief was a guiding principle behind the Streger-Price Fund, a $100,000 program Price and his wife, Ann, established at Dickinson.

Created in response to incidents of antisemitism in America and incomplete and inaccurate portrayals of Israeli society and culture, the Streger-Price Fund aims to foster a deeper understanding of complex issues through strengthened institutional relationships and unique research and learning experiences. Faculty members can partner with Israeli scholars and experts and develop innovative coursework. Their students can learn about Israel through enhanced programming and firsthand experiences that bring them together with educators and community leaders, on Israeli soil.

The fund is named in honor of Ann’s father, David Streger ’39, who, with several cousins and brother Robert ’49, fostered a strong family affection for Dickinson—and helped inspire the Prices’ son Matthew ’01 to join the fold. As a biology major, musician and Hillel president, Matthew flourished on campus. His parents supported several campus programs and initiatives, including the Asbell Center for Jewish Life, before establishing the Streger-Price Fund in 2010.

With help from that fund, faculty members traveled to Israel to develop and lead immersive courses on international health systems, world religions and the Israel-Palestine conflict, and their students met with high-profile and ordinary citizens alike while conducting research overseas. The fund also helped College Farm staff learn about innovations in sustainable farming at Israel’s Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and allowed the director of the Asbell Center for Jewish Life to attend a global conference at the Shalom Hartman Institute. On returning to campus, they applied what they learned to student programs and initiatives.

“They’re sharp, they’re inquisitive and nobody’s dull,” Fred says of Dickinsonians who took part in these programs. An international biotech-drug development entrepreneur and founder and publisher of Fig Tree Books, LLC, Fred has guest-lectured at several universities and colleges, including Dickinson, where he worked with students studying international business & management and Jewish-American literature. He’s also delivered individualized business advice to student-entrepreneurs competing in Dickinson’s annual Innovation Competition.

“It’s a very small pebble in a very large ocean, but you hope there’s a ripple effect,” Fred says of the projects undertaken through the fund. “You want to give money or time or effort, whatever you have, to a cause you believe in, and to a place where there’s potential to have an impact. And Dickinson is that place. The college is doing a remarkable job in preparing students for meaningful lives, and we’re proud to be a part of that.”

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Published March 3, 2017