Goldman '86 donates $2 million to found computer science chair

With a $2 million pledge to the Department of Computer Science, Phillip Goldman '86 became the youngest alumnus to establish an endowed professorship, the University announced yesterday.

Goldman is co-founder of WebTV Networks Inc., a company that integrates television programming with the Internet. His and his wife Susan's gift will be supplemented by a matching grant of $500,000 from the fund created by Gordon Wu '58 with his $100 million donation.

A new professor will most likely not be hired for the chair for another two or three years, after Goldman has made all of his payments, said David Dobkin, chairman of the computer science department.

However, Dobkin said the gift could have an immediate impact, luring more potential donors and elevating computer science's position within the University community.

"Computer science has always been on the outskirts of Princeton," he said, "and this is one of the things that will move us more toward the center of campus."

The newly endowed chair will be called the Phillip Y. Goldman '86 Professorship in Computer Science. There are currently 17 professors in the department, three of whose positions are endowed.

Goldman was unavailable for comment yesterday, but in a University press release he said he gave his gift to thank the computer science department for giving him the "encouragement and background" needed to pursue his interests.

"For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with computers and their applications in our lives," he said.

'Ideal Donor'

Goldman's donation pledge was part of the University's Anniversary Campaign, launched in 1995 with the goal of raising $750 million by the year 2000. It has raised about $530 million to date.

Dobkin called Goldman an "ideal donor," as he placed no restrictions on his gift.

The department chair added that he hopes more donations will follow from other alumni. "Once you get the first gift, it's easier to get other gifts," Dobkin said.

Goldman graduated first in his engineering class with an electrical-engineering and computer-science concentration. He was also an undergraduate member of the committee that designed the current computer science building.

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After graduation, Goldman worked for Apple Computer and then General Magic before founding WebTV with two colleagues in 1995.

"I'm not at all surprised at how successful he's been in his life. He was a hardworking student, a good student and a nice guy," said Dobkin, who was Goldman's undergraduate thesis adviser.

Goldman joined the computer science department's advisory council last spring, through which he "really latched on" to the department's needs, Dobkin said.

Unlike donors that have been removed from the University for years, Dobkin said Goldman's relatively recent graduation meant that he never became out of touch with the University.

It was as if "a lot of the (donor) courtship happened when he was an undergraduate," Dobkin said.

Previous to Goldman, the youngest person to have created an endowed professorship was Samuel Dod 1857. He established a math chair 12 years after graduating.