Tributes

Michael Sherer

Israel, Middle East

I have often marveled at the genius of the scholarship established by Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Wien.

In the decades since I finished my scholarship and left Brandeis, I have had the occasional opportunity to meet fellow Wien students and to converse about our years at the University. Invariably, many of us agreed that our participation in the program at Brandeis had been a life-transforming event.

One of the unique features of the Wien program is that it offers international scholarships at an undergraduate level. I grew up in Jerusalem, Israel, a place where Brandeis has long had a strong presence. While still in high school, I met and spent time with Brandeis students who were studying in Israel. I even had the unique opportunity to meet Dr. Israel Goldstein, one of the Brandeis founding fathers, who at that time spent much of his time in Jerusalem. Through these contacts, I learned about the American concept of a liberal arts education with its broad undergraduate academic experiences, small classes, and close contact with professors. I had yet to decide my eventual path in life, and I found the possibility of pursuing such an education to be very appealing. The Wien scholarship -- and the Wien Scholarship alone -- offered support to young people like me on the basis of what we might become, not on the basis of who we already were.

And so it was. I arrived at Brandeis in 1972 as part of a group of new international students. Most were like me -- we had some idea of what we might do in life, but those ideas were all tentative. We came to a wonderful campus where doors were wide open -- and one where a quiet mention of the words "Wien student" opened those doors even wider. For many of us, wonderful things then followed. I trust that it is evident that many Wien students have both achieved and contributed much. What might be less evident is the extent to which the Brandeis experience contributed to the choice of their areas of contribution. Perhaps in their brilliance, that is what Mr. and Mrs. Wien had in mind all along.

To the Wien students, WISP offered more than simple financial support and access to a world-class university. Collectively and individually, all Wien students were made to feel part of the larger Wien family.  The support was quiet and unobtrusive, but it was always there when it was needed. Our experience went far beyond the classroom: For example, host families in the area were arranged for us, and we even received bus passes that allowed us to travel throughout America. 

When more individualized help was needed, that too was available. On one occasion, I needed some legal assistance: I had spent a summer translating a book from Hebrew to English for eventual publication, the publisher "forgot" to pay me, and he appeared to have no plan to remember. "Call Mr.Wien's office in New York," I was told. I did, and I was quickly put in touch with one of his lawyers. A few well-placed telephone calls and a letter or two apparently followed, and my problem was quickly resolved. This was Lawrence Wien at his best. He may have founded a scholarship based on an enlightened world philosophy, but in the end it was mostly about his caring and support, for one individual at a time.

My own experience as a WISP recipient was indeed life transforming. At Brandeis I found an eventual academic "home" -- in the university psychology department, and I studied clinical and humanistic psychology. My mentor, Dr. Ray Knight, is still at the university. As it turned out, the Boston area in the 1970s was a birthplace of specialized psychiatric care for individuals with intellectual disabilities. I connected with those circles, and it is as an intellectual disability psychiatrist and neurologist that I eventually found both my life's calling and also a way in which to make my own modest contribution. Would all of this have happened without the Wien Scholarship? I think not, and for all I have received I am forever grateful. At Brandeis I even found my "life partner." My wife, Judy, are I are both members of the Class of 1975, and our son, Jeremy, is currently a sophomore on campus!

The cover of the program for the Wien 50th anniversary program features a wonderful photograph that includes Mr. Lawrence Wien, Dr. Abram Sachar, and President John F. Kennedy. Mr. Wien was part of a generation of giants. Like the others, he was an optimist who believed in the future, in the power of positive ideas, in the power of international understanding and cooperation, and in the goodness that flows through supporting excellent higher education.

May the Wien International Scholarship Program continue for many, many years!