About Arthur Zankel

A lifelong resident of the New York City area, Arthur Zankel was co-managing partner of High Rise Capital Management, which he founded in 2000. Prior to that he was with First Manhattan Co., an investment management firm, for 35 years, becoming co-managing partner and then senior partner. He is credited with playing a key role in the 1998 merger of Citibank and Travelers Group insurance company.

Zankel served on the board of directors of Citigroup, Travelers Property-Casualty, and other corporations, and was a trustee of the UJA Federation, the New York Foundation, Carnegie Hall, and Skidmore College. He and his wife, Judy, made a major donation to Carnegie Hall, which led to the construction of a new Carnegie concert space named in their honor.

Zankel’s connections to Skidmore were many. Two of his four sons graduated from Skidmore, Kenneth in 1982 and James in 1992, as did a nephew, Harun Zankel, Class of 2001, and a daughter-in-law, Pia Scala Zankel, Class of 1992. As a Skidmore trustee, he was known for his astute leadership of the board’s investment committee—particularly for his role in shepherding the College’s endowment—and for his incisive contributions to discussions, frequently enhanced by his sense of humor.

A generous Skidmore donor, Zankel endowed a professorship in management and the liberal arts and the related Zankel Lecture Series, which fosters discussion of business issues from a societal and ethical perspective. He also provided support for student scholarships and for the College’s Office of Special Programs.

Zankel’s bequest to Skidmore of $46 million is the largest gift in the College’s history. Of the bequest, $15 million went to the Arthur Zankel Music Center. Other uses of the bequest include the establishment of a scholarship program based on need for New York City-area students and the creation of a program of study in arts administration.