06/11/2026
NYU mourns the passing of William “Bill” Berkley (Stern ‘66), chairman emeritus of our Board of Trustees. With an arc that goes back more than 50 years, Mr. Berkley was always there to help NYU meet a moment of crisis or opportunity.
He served tirelessly as vice chairman, chairman, and chairman emeritus of our Board of Trustees; chairman of the NYU Stern School of Business Executive Board; and member of the Board of Trustees of NYU Langone Health as well as NYU’s President’s Global Council.
In 2021, a generous philanthropic gift from the Berkley Family Foundation established the Berkley Achievement Scholarships, which have enabled talented students from across the country to attend NYU Stern tuition-free. At the time it was made, this was the single largest undergraduate scholarship gift in the history of NYU Stern and NYU. In 2023, another major gift from the Foundation launched the NYU Promise, which eliminated tuition for students whose families earn less than $100,000 and provided yearly aid increases for all students to keep up with tuition, year after year.
Read more about Mr. Berkley’s legacy at NYU: https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2026/june/the-passing-of-nyu-board-chair-emeritus-bill-berkley.html
