Known for mentoring and encouraging students, Kay Unger currently serves as Trustee of The New School and Chair Emerita of Parsons School of Design, her alma mater. Kay Unger has been a member of the Parsons School of Design Board of Governors since 2006 where she enthusiastically served as Chairman from 2013 to 2020. She also is an active member of the Parsons Paris Advisory Board.

The Kay Unger Family Foundation has been a steadfast supporter of a number of significant initiatives at Parsons School of Design, including Parsons Design Lab/Collection, Parsons Scholars Program, and student scholarships. Kay Unger continues to serve as the co-Chair of the annual Parsons Benefit, which raises funds for scholarships in support of those students who would otherwise be unable to attend The New School and Parsons.

In 2016, The New School announced a $7 million donation from the Kay Unger Family Foundation to Parsons School of Design. This historic donation went directly towards the Making Center, a 35,000-square-foot design space with classrooms and workshops on Parson’s main campus in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The Making Center, a spacious studio bringing together creative tools from around the university, offers students unprecedented opportunities to acquire industry-ready skills, transform how products are made, and upend conventional notions of supply chains, local production, mass customization, and craft. Underscoring The New School’s commitment to cross-disciplinary collaboration, the Making Center is a dynamic interdisciplinary environment that enables students to advance on their path to becoming makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs who will challenge the status quo.

 ABOUT PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN

For more than a century, Parsons School of Design has been inspired by the transformative potential of design. Parsons enables students to develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in and contribute to our rapidly changing society. Today, the school’s groundbreaking academic programs carry forward that mission, making Parsons the number one design school in the U.S. and among the top three globally. At the heart of a comprehensive university — The New School — Parsons draws on a range of academic fields to deliver a uniquely interdisciplinary education enriched by the resources of its home in New York City and branch campus in Paris. Here, the next generation of creative leaders engage in real-world learning and develop as critical thinkers and makers grappling with the pressing issues of our time.

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