Gift to Honor a Husband and Father’s Legacy

April 19, 2023

Katherine, Rebecca and Robert (Photo courtesy of Rebecca Balter)

A desire to support and value the pursuit of equity in the liberal arts inspired a gift to encourage diversity in the field of philosophy, on campus and beyond.

Robert Balter, who died in 2007, was honored by his daughter, Rebecca Balter, and widow, Katherine Seligmann, with the establishment of the Balter Fund for Quality, Diversity and Inclusiveness in Philosophy in 2016 and an additional commitment in 2022. This fund pays tribute to his passions for critical thinking and helping underserved populations by supporting diversity in the teaching and learning of philosophy at Carolina and surrounding communities.

“My father taught me from a young age that nothing is more valuable and worthwhile than knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge,” Rebecca said. Robert also gave his time volunteering in the local community, which instilled in her the importance of giving back.

In pursuit of Robert’s vision, the Balter Fund supports faculty and students from underrepresented groups within the field of philosophy to teach, study and learn at Carolina and beyond. The department hosts an annual Robert Balter Distinguished Lecture series to provide a unique opportunity for an early career philosopher to build on his or her resume, while adding innovative ideas to the field. Funding also enhances the department’s existing outreach program, which introduces the study of philosophy to groups of people who are not familiar with this way of thinking.

Rebecca knows her father would be proud that the fund supports a public institution, saying, “He truly believed that high-quality education should be accessible to every person and is necessary for a healthy, well-functioning society. I hope this gift will honor his legacy by increasing the number of people who have access to philosophy and the critical thinking that it teaches you, while adding a diverse set of voices to the field.”